My Perfect Sink

I want a counter-top sink.

I didn't know that's what it is called when I first knew I wanted one. Sinks can be pedestal, wall-hung, counter-sunk, semi-counter-sunk (which is altogether too many hyphens) and counter-top. A counter-top sink is one that sits on top of a counter so I suppose what I really didn't know is that what it sits on is called a counter - isn't that something you get in a shop?


Anyway, what I really like is that it looks like you could just pick it off the "counter" and move it. In reality you can't because it's fixed via the water feed pipes and waste. The counter can be a cupboard (vanity unit is such an old-fashioned term) or a shelf.

The really cool ones are on floating shelves with the pipework totally hidden but I don't want to worry about the weight of the sink or people leaning on it so I prefer the idea of a strongly supported sink.
I also want a rectangular sink with an overflow hole to avoid floods. This means the waste (plug hole) has to be the right sort, otherwise the overflow overflows to nowhere so it's worse than not having one.



I only want a short length of countertop and eBay is great for reclaimed kitchen stuff. I get two 1.5m lengths in a wood effect for £12. They've 4 "hot rods" stuck to them - a kind of built-in trivet. These come off easily and I sell them for £5 so (after eBay/Paypal fees), the countertop only cost me about £8! The sink is an "as new" item on eBay, ie it was bought and then never used. It's still in it's (broken) box but no instructions - Google is a wonderful thing for getting instructions... The tap and waste are new items, also purchased through eBay.

I start building the support structure but I'm planning to get the plumber in to install the sink - I don't do plumbing (see earlier post). When it comes to it, Paul wants to have a go so he completes the structure and does a much neater job than I would have achieved. He does install the sink but needs some Plumbers Mate to seal it so the plumber comes to finish it off (see earlier post on why I don't do plumbing).











In these photos you can see the interim job done. It's going to have a couple of shelves underneath which will hide the pipework and I need to decide whether to paint the supports or go for a wood finish.

The mosaic tiles behind the sink couldn't be done until the sink was installed as it sits against the back wall. We've bought enough of the tiles to fill the gap should we ever replace the sink. The rectangular gap is for a mirror and, if you look closely, you'll see the connections for wall lights.

I would like to point out that I will never do a block of variable height/media mosaic tiles again! It is a nightmare to grout. The grout gets into all the irregularities and you have to carefully wipe it off each one while the grout is still soft without disturbing the grout that you want in there. I'd do a border in the same stuff or I'd do a mosaic of uniform tiles. Despite that, I love the effect I've ended up with...