How to Install Kitchen Sink Clips
Installing a new kitchen sink is a fairly inexpensive way to breathe some new life into an aging kitchen. Kitchen sinks are held in place on countertops by two different fastening methods: silicone caulk and kitchen sink clips. The caulk helps provide an airtight and secure seal that also helps to prevent water from leaking underneath the countertop while the kitchen sink clips securely hold the sink in place from below. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Kitchen sink
- Kitchen sink clips
- Silicone caulk
- Caulk gun
- Screwdriver
- Razor blade
Instructions
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1
Attach the clips to the kitchen sink. Kitchen sink clips are composed of two parts: a long screw with a T-shaped top and the metal clip itself. Slide the clips into the channel on the underside of the sink by inserting the T-shaped part of the screw into the groove on the channel slot. Try to have 2 clips on each side of the sink for 8 clips total.
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2
Apply a bead of silicone sealant around the edges of the sink. Use a caulk that is 100 percent silicone and not a blend. Insert the silicone caulk tube into your caulk gun and trim off the end of the nozzle to the 1/4-inch width marking. Gently squeeze the trigger as you guide the caulk gun around the sink.
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3
Align the clips so they won't be in your way when you lower the sink into the opening on the counter. Turn the sink over, and set it into place on the counter. Press down firmly. You should see some silicone ooze out of the sides. Don't try to clean it up yet. This is normal.
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4
Position yourself underneath the sink. Align the clips so that they are now positioned underneath the counter. Begin tightening them, one clip at a time, with the screwdriver. Alternate tightening first one side and then the other.
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5
Wait 24 hours. Cut away the excess silicone with the razor.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Don't try to wipe away silicone caulk before it is dry. You'll just make a mess.
It's okay if one or two of the clips lean in when they're tightened. The silicone caulk will create a lasting and airtight seal.
The above steps are just a guideline. Always follow your manufacturer's instructions.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit just a sink image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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tsmith35
Aug 08, 2010
(start reading at bottom comment and go up) I used plumber's putty to reinstall the sink. I would like to request that you add a note about the difficulty of removing the sink if silicone sealer is used. Had I known 1-1/2 years ago what I know now, I would have used plumber's putty instead. -
tsmith35
Aug 08, 2010
Well, not really. The silicone sealer held the sink very tightly to the countertop. I couldn't get it to budge, no matter what I did. Finally, with my wife's help, I pried the corner of the sink up high enough to allow my wife to stick the blade of a putty knife underneath. It took over an hour for me to work my way around 3/4 of the sink. Using a putty knife, screwdriver, X-acto knife, and several butter knives (I ran out of putty knives!), I managed to get the front and sides of the sink free without gouging into the countertop anyplace visible. But the back was still glued tightly, and I had no access to the back lip due to its close proximity to the backsplash. I worked from the inside, but made only painfully slow progress. Finally, when only about a foot of the back edge remained, I tried working the sink free.
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tsmith35
Aug 08, 2010
CRACK! Apparently the silicone held so tightly to the countertop that it started to peel the Formica surface of the countertop off. I went back to working from under the sink, visions of $$$ signs dancing in my head. I was very upset and sweating profusely. In the end, it took me over 3 HOURS to remove the kitchen sink from the countertop, and another hour+ to remove the leftover silicone. Had I used a nice, fat bead of silicone, I think I would be looking at new countertops now. I was able to fix the strip of Formica that had started peeling off (about 6" long and 1/2" wide by using some industrial E-6000 adhesive, a few small screwdrivers, and some boards and clamps.
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tsmith35
Aug 08, 2010
...on your site, so I was very sparing and put a narrow bead in place. Seemed to work great, and cleanup was easy. Flash forward to last week. The faucet that I had was getting harder and harder to move. The o-rings around the spout (a high arc design) had apparently swollen, gripping the spout tightly. After using it like this for a while, the o-rings finally had a death grip on the spout. When it was moved from one side of the sink to the other, it caused the base to rotate and loosen the threaded hold down. It was time to replace the faucet. Fortunately, I'd done this once before, so it should be easy, right?
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tsmith35
Aug 08, 2010
Just thought I'd pass along what I learned about plumber's putty versus silicone sealer for use on the lip of the kitchen sink. I replaced the faucet on my kitchen sink about 1-1/2 years ago. Since I have a deep basin sink, I don't have enough room to get to the underside of the sink where the faucet passes through. The back wall of the cabinet is very close to the sink, so I found it was only possible to replace the faucet by removing the sink. After the sink was out, which took all of 10-15 minutes, I noted that the installer had used plumber's putty around the sink to seal it to the laminate countertop. There wasn't any evidence of leakage (I always look, just to be sure), but I did a little reading and saw where some people recommended using silicone sealer instead. After all, it never dries out. I didn't have enough silicone to put a nice, fat bead around the sink as you show...
