Under Or Over?

[Carlito's Way 0]

Your builder just asked if you want under or over mount sinks, so…which is it?

I had a lot of questions regarding today’s sinks and whether one should choose a under or over mount model for our new homes, the answer is both.

In the kitchen, I prefer an under mounted sink for various reason. An under-mount or bottom-mount sink is one that is installed under the counter top using clamps that attach to the underside of the counter surface. A bead of silicon based sealant is usually used to provide a water tight seal between the top rim of the sink and the under surface of the countertop. This is my favorite kitchen mount- the look is contemporary and clean and I like to be able wipe the counter surface and deposit all the baking crumbs directly into the sink with a single swipe of my cloth. But and under mount is generally more expensive, it will cost you more for the sink itself as these models are commonly more expensive and the countertop due to the required extra finishing around the rim of sink will also have an additional charge-my option worth every dollar.

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[applefreak 1]

hmm, it may not be application to singapore's context

coz 80% of the sinks available can be both under- or over- mounted

it will also depend on the workmanship of the contractor

application of the sealant must be done properly, if not it's cause leakages and that's bad news for wooden cabinets

pros and cons to me but i'm going to undermount my sink

coz it doesn't come with a drainer...

[Homeowner 1]

Overmount if you think you will change the sink in future.

Undermount for less splashes and easy clean. You have to remove the countertop if you want to change your sink.

[raincole 0]

Undermount, the conventional way

Overmount, you get more space but I don't think the size of sink will be big, normally I see them in the washroom as vanity top basin.

[Chunky Monkey 2]

It is NOT true that sinks with drainers must be over-mounts. Undermount sinks have drainers too.

[applefreak 1]

over for lazy contractor?

under for ngiao pple like me?

[raincole 0]

I also under but i'm not ngiao....

[yellow 0]

Basically, I think over will provide lots of versatilty in terms of changing sink or unforseen situation - your kids drop something into the stoneware sink and the sink crack...

As for undermount, workmanship of installer must be good otherwise you will face leakage/wood rotting/poor support problem through poor sealing of sillicon. The surrounding of my office undermount sink is rotting like mad. Must be extra careful too not to crack the sink as replacement will be more troublesome.

Nevertheless, I still prefer undermount look.

[applefreak 1]

I also under but i'm not ngiao....

sorry sorry shouldn't have said that :D

going for undermount coz

1. sink got no drainer so can't have overmount, if not water from food preparation can't flow into the sink

2. doing a concrete support so even if got water seepage, just wipe clean can liao

3. it look nice

[reload72 0]

Doing undermount sink.

My contractor tried to frighten mi with all the cons of doing undermount. Was sooooooo angry till i walk off the sink shop that he brought mi.

Since that shop got nothing i wanted, i bought an expensive sink just to shut my contractor's mouth.

Salesguy had to teach my contractor on "HOW TO DO AN UNDERMOUNT SINK" it made him so inexperience... haha... i wanna laugh at him then... arghhh

[bernice 0]

i am doing undermount as well... nicer mah...

[bernice 0]

i am doing undermount as well... nicer mah...

[applefreak 1]

Doing undermount sink.

My contractor tried to frighten mi with all the cons of doing undermount. Was sooooooo angry till i walk off the sink shop that he brought mi.

Since that shop got nothing i wanted, i bought an expensive sink just to shut my contractor's mouth.

Salesguy had to teach my contractor on "HOW TO DO AN UNDERMOUNT SINK" it made him so inexperience... haha... i wanna laugh at him then... arghhh

aiyo why like that

they should be the one solving our problem, not creating more problem

if dun know just say dun know loh, but a contractor who dun know how to do undermount???

[bullet 0]

Basically, I think over will provide lots of versatilty in terms of changing sink or unforseen situation - your kids drop something into the stoneware sink and the sink crack...

As for undermount, workmanship of installer must be good otherwise you will face leakage/wood rotting/poor support problem through poor sealing of sillicon. The surrounding of my office undermount sink is rotting like mad. Must be extra careful too not to crack the sink as replacement will be more troublesome.

Nevertheless, I still prefer undermount look.

Replacement of sink and the tap for over-mount is much easiler than undermount. Esp the tap area which have space constraint, when you need to replace in future, plumber may not be able to access due to space constraint when the bottom of tap is block by the sink; in such case, work top got to be remove before removing the sink to gain access to the tap. Hence, plumber usually advise over mount since it can be remove and restore back easily and cost of replacement is cheaper. Compare if you need to replace a tap that cost you $50 but you have to remove the worktop that cost you $1000+. Is it worth?

Talking about water leaking, firstly its dependent on workmanship and secondly dependent on maintenance. I have compare all the consequences between, especially the fungus problem on over mount and under mount and decided to use over mount. For under mount there is 2 method. 1 is over capping which the work top leave a 3 to 5mm gap before the edge of sink and under capping which the worktop is covering over the edge of sink by 3 to 5 mm. For both method, fungus will still glow eventually. Silicon on under capping method can be seen on the surface but equally the fungus problem can be seen and rectify immediately. Whereas over capping method, the silicon is below the worktop. Looks nice initially, but when fungus start growing and cannot be detected, for stake of hygene factor, I'll not advise this method esp for kitchen sink when we are using it for washing our food.

Overall, I still feel over mount is the feasible method and have lesser problem in future. We must always think about the future esp the hygene part should not be compromise. Water seepage is common after long use as part of wear and tear on silicon. Everyone also want the best look, but weigh between the plus and minus.

Edited August 27, 2007 by bullet

[reload72 0]

The sales guy said he was a plumber before.... He mentioned sink and tap are NOT machines that need to be changed that often.

Besides am getting SS sink... need to change so often meh??

Even if the tap got problem, the plumber still need to go underneth the sink... its got nothing to do with over or under mount sink

As for the undermounting... u need to OVER lap the sink edge, so silicon is not that expose or direct kena water. If the silicon turn black, wont be the sightly

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b219/reload72/sink.gif

Over mount u cant clean the edge properly, ants can climb under it. Water can still trap under the edge of the sink.

If u are using postform or laminte as worktop, then adv u do overmount.

Edited August 27, 2007 by reload72