Apron Sink Video Part 2

Hi, I'm Tim Carter of AsktheBuilder.com. This is part 2 of the Herbeau Apron Sink Video series. This video will show you the sink installed and more importantly, how it is supported.

In case you missed it, here is the link to part 1 of this series - Apron Sink Video Part 1.

Look at this. The apron sink is installed in the sink base cabinet. This sink cabinet before we started had a solid wooden front. Then the front was marked and a "U" shaped slot was cut out of the cabinet front. This slot has to match the apron sink. This is very important and takes some time. But if you do the measurements correctly, you will have no issues.

At this point, the sink appears to be floating in midair. How is it supported? I will show you. If you look down at the back of the sink, you will see a piece of plywood. That plywood extends completely underneath the sink, and it goes completely side-to-side of the sink base cabinet.

If you look under the plywood, you will see that it is held up by a 2x4 on either side of the sink base cabinet. These 2x4s are screwed into the side of the cabinet. The plywood is 3/4" thick and cutouts had to be made for each of the sink strainers. That is the support system for the apron sink.

That is what keeps the apron sink from dropping down into the cabinet. It is not hard to do. Just need to take a few measurements to match the sink. Remember the height of the plywood is a function of the height of the sink.

In this view, you can see the top of the sink. The top is flush or just slightly below the height of the cabinets on either side of the sink. That is very important. You don't want the sink to be higher then the cabinets on either side. If you install a stone countertop, like will be installed here, that could create a void on either side and if someone puts pressure on the countertop, it could crack. So the little gap from the sink being slightly below the surrounding cabinets, can be caulked with a black silicone caulk and no one will even know they are there. In addition, this will seal the sink so water can't get under the countertop and create rot problems.

So installing an apron sink is really simple. Use a 3/4" thick plywood support board and make sure the 2x4s are securely screwed into the cabinet sides. Do this and your apron sink won't fall down into the cabinet below. Or the basement!