How to Cut a Sink Hole in a Cultured Stone Counter

Cutting a sink hole in a stone counter is a job best left to professional installers. If you want to do it yourself, however, it isn't much more difficult than cutting a hole in a laminate counter. Make sure you have the right tools and expertise before beginning.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Tape
• Sharpie pen
• Paper or cardboard
• Angle grinder
• Diamond-coated tile blade

Marking for Sinks With a Template

1. Determine whether you have a template. For new sinks, look inside the box or even on the box for the template. If the sink is used or a template can't be found, you will have to make your own template (see Section 2).

2. Cut out the template from the rest of the paper or the box.

3. Fasten the template to the counter using small pieces of tape. Make sure the front of the sink hole is located behind the cabinet face or the sink won't fit in the hole. For square or rectangular sinks, align the front of the template parallel to the front of the cabinet.

4. Use a Sharpie pen to outline the sink template on the counter, then remove the template. Since you are dealing with a cultured stone counter, a Sharpie leaves a more visible, and permanent, line. Often a pencil line won't be visible.

Marking for Sinks Without a Template

5. Turn the sink over and measure the width and length of the sink bowl. Do not include the sink flange in this measurement. For round sinks, measure the width of the sink.

6. Make a template on a piece of paper or cardboard using the measurements from Step 1. For a round sink, make a compass out of string and a Sharpie to mark the perimeter of the sink hole. Use your index finger to hold the string in the center of the hole and use your other hand to guide the Sharpie as you rotate the string in a circle. Remember to only use half of the width when setting the distance between the Sharpie and your index finger.

7. Place the template on the counter, making sure to align the front of the template parallel to the front of the counter for rectangular sinks. Also remember to place the front of the sink hole behind the cabinet front so that the sink will fit in the hole.

Cutting the Sink Hole

8. Mask off the area outside of the sink hole with tape to prevent damage.

9. Install a diamond-coated tile blade on an angle grinder. Cultured stone requires a diamond blade to smoothly cut it.

10. Slowly plunge the grinder blade into the cut line of the sink hole. Don't push it all the way through--it is easier to make two or three shallow passes to cut the sink hole.

11. Follow the line as far as you can. When you reach a corner, stop and remove the blade. Start again on the other side of the corner and continue until the next corner. For round sink holes, use short back-and-forth strokes to follow the curved line.

12. Have an assistant support the cutout from the bottom before you finish the final cut.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry if your cut is a bit ragged or outside of the line. When the sink is installed, the sink flanges will cover it. A small amount of extra room is desirable to aid with the sink installation. If the blade begins to turn blue or black, you will need to cool it by squirting it with small amounts of water. This is another reason you need to mark the lines with a Sharpie. Undermount sink holes need to be cut by the counter-top fabricators. The cut edge will need to be properly machined and polished and the tools for this are highly specialized.