Fix Undermount Sink Granite

Alice Happel might live in a high-rise condo on East Wacker Drive in Chicago, IL. I only say this because I've stayed in a wonderful one owned by a friend of mine, Dave Wiener, on that street next to the Chicago River. Wowza did it have a great view! Alice, though, has an undermount sink that has come loose from her granite top. Let her tell you about her woes:

"Hi Tim,

I have an undermount sink in my kitchen. It has become unsealed due to too much weight in sink (don't ask - it was a bad idea.) I was able to tighten the nut underneath as a temp fix but need it professionally fixed, the seal is broken and the sink is no longer flush to the granite so it can leak.

My question:  who would be the appropriate professional to call?  ie: handyman, plumber etc.

I should mention that I live in a high-rise, so shutting off the water could be interesting if that's required, also I have a garbage disposal.

Any tips you can provide including what I should expect a fair quote should be (assuming no surprises) would be amazing.  Thanks in advance for your help!

I'm lost."

Here's my answer to Alice:

Alice, no problem. I've been a master plumber for over 35 years and have put in my fair share of undermount sinks.

You may need a team of pros. The captain of the team is a granite top installer. You may need a plumber too.

The most important person is a granite top installer from a local fabrication place. These craftsmen bring the granite to job sites, put it in and do any undermount sink work. They've got the special drills, the secret epoxy and the skills to mount the sinks.

What you have to do now is to completely take apart what you have and get the sink out of the cabinet. This means you need to disconnect and remove the disposer and all of the drain piping. This is not too hard to do if you watch a few disposer INSTALL videos. You just do what you see on the video, but only backwards.

You should not have to touch any of the piping to the faucet, so that makes it pretty easy.

Once you get that far, then you start the job over and the granite top installer re-installs the sink.

He CAN MAKE A CRITICAL MISTAKE if he tries to rush the job! 

CLICK HERE and READ my past column on Undermount Sink Installation to avoid the mistake!