Can you believe it is already Week 4 of the One Room Challenge? You can follow all of the guest participants’ progress here. And be certain to check out the featured designers here. There are some fabulous designs being implemented!
Thank you Sinkology!
This week’s showstopper is my new Hammered Copper Farmhouse Sink! She is also the inspiration for this entire kitchen upgrade. A great big shout out to Sinkology for this lovely fixture!
It’s funny how one item can really set the wheels in motion on a project. This sink dictated what appliances, floors, hardware, countertops, and finishes were used in my kitchen project. I won this beauty from Sinkology at The Haven Conference last summer in Atlanta. I had to chose from three gorgeous farmhouse sinks in three different finishes. Sinkology has a wonderful selection of all kinds of sinks. You can review my options Here. I selected the Courbet sink!
Installation Plans for an Undermount Copper Sink
The only drawback to installing a farmhouse sink, in my opinion, is that you have to alter your sink cabinet to fit the farmhouse style if you desire an undermount sink. My sink could be installed as a drop in or an undermount. Since I have been dreaming of an undermount, the drop in was not an option. I contacted a local countertop and cabinet company to take a look at my current sink and give me an estimate of what was needed to fit the cabinet for my copper farmhouse sink. They were kind enough to come out during the pandemic and promptly measure and provide a reasonable estimate.
Limit the Modifications
It is important to measure the width, depth and length of the current sink and cabinet to ensure that your cabinet can be modified. My original sink choice was the biggest, baddest sink in the catalog. However, I soon realized that my 36″ current sink cabinet would not accommodate such a large vessel. Additionally, the larger sink was 9″ deep. Since my cabinet has two doors below the sink, it was critical to select a less deep sink. Otherwise, I would have to either replace the cabinet or modify it more extensively to reduce the size of the doors. Neither of these options were in my budget so I decided to go with the sink size that required the least amount of modification.
The local company made the following modifications at a reasonable price:
- measure and cut existing countertop to install the undermount hammered copper farmhouse sink.
- modify sink cabinet to hold the farmhouse sink. This consisted of cutting sections out of the original cabinet to form fit the signature front apron of the farmhouse sink.
- build supports (they called it a cradle) to reinforce the sink from below the countertop. Farmhouse sinks are traditionally larger sinks and consequently can hold a greater volume of water and kitchen necessities like pots, pans, dishes, etc. Therefore, the sink must be adequately supported from below to handle the weight . With a drop in sink, the countertop acts to support the sink. With an undermount, a structure must be installed below the countertop for support.
- install filler on the front sides of the sink apron.
Once the cabinet modification was complete, the sink sat nicely in the cradle and was ready for the plumber to hook up the water and faucet.
Faucet Installation
As part of my winning prize package from Sinkology, I selected the Ashfield pull down faucet from Phister. It is beautiful! I can’t wait to see it with the new countertops.
My plumber came the next day and quickly installed the drain and water lines. I placed a piece of scrap wood across the back of the counter and drilled a hole so that my plumber could install the faucet.
Once the countertops are installed, Mr. Blu will simply reinstall the faucet. He has skills in this department since, as a kid, he helped is grandfather with his plumbing business.
I did some additional filling and sanding of the small pieces that were installed at the front apron of the sink. Now I am ready to paint the cabinets.
Final Delivery
Guess what was finally delivered this week??!
Of course I used it immediately…
…with all of the necessary staples!
Check back next week to see the pristine, freshly painted cabinets!
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