A farmhouse sink with an apron front was one of the first items I knew without a doubt that I wanted in our new kitchen. I think it adds such a timeless and aesthetic beauty that can elevate even the simplest of kitchens.
But not only are farmhouse kitchen sinks pretty, they truly make the whole process of cleaning dishes easier and a much more pleasant experience.
I love that I can stack a TON of dishes in my farmhouse sink with space to spare! I can also maneuver pots and pans under the faucet and around the large basin with ease.
A farmhouse sink is a great investment for any kitchen if you have a large family, like to cook or entertain like I do!
Why Laminate Countertops Usually Aren’t Paired With Farmhouse Kitchen Sinks
My husband and I have done a lot of DIY projects over our 10 years of marriage and I have found that with every single one of them there is ALWAYS a small obstacle that we have to overcome in order to achieve the look we were after. Unfortunately, installing our farmhouse kitchen sink was the same story!
Originally when I was designing our kitchen I had planned on purchasing quartz countertops but after getting the bid back from our local contractor and deciding it was more than we wanted to pay, we decided to go with a marble laminate countertop instead. You can read all about our laminate countertops and journey, HERE.
But after all that time spent choosing the perfect laminate countertops, we were left with an unexpected problem. We soon realized that the farmhouse kitchen sink we had already purchased (and temporarily installed) might not play well with our new laminate countertop (already purchased)!
This is because farmhouse kitchen sinks are usually “undermounted”, meaning that they are mounted underneath the countertop surface. This style works great with quartz and natural stone because those materials are naturally water and rot resistant and seamless along the sink cutout edges. Whereas, laminate is vulnerable to water due to the particle board backing and seams so undermounting a sink would ruin the laminate overtime.
The Solution: Raise the Sink
I knew that there had to be a solution to this problem so I scoured the internet and came across a few examples of farmhouse kitchen sinks that were slightly raised ABOVE the countertop surface– bingo! I had found the solution to our problem. All we needed to do was raise the sink and seal it really well with waterproofing caulk.
How We Installed Our Farmhouse Sink
I’m not going to pretend that installing a farmhouse sink is an easy DIY project. I would say it’s more on the medium to hard level, but with a little tenacity it can be done!
As I mentioned before, we had temporarily installed our farmhouse sink before we landed on laminate countertops (see pic below). So my husband had already built a 2×4 frame as the base for the sink to sit on. The only problem was that it was now set too low and we needed to raise it.
In order to raise it high enough so that the sink would sit slightly above our laminate countertops we added four 2×4’s laying on their flat side to the top of the frame and some 1×3’s and shims to make it level.
To finish out the project we simply added an extra piece of matching cabinetry over the front of the 2×4’s and installed the doors. The final step was to seal the seams all around the sink (countertop and cabinet seams) with waterproofing caulk.
Links to Materials:
- farmhouse kitchen sink
- bridge faucet (in antique bronze)
- caulk
I’m so thankful for my farmhouse kitchen sink! It makes everyday living that much easier for me and my family and brings me joy with every use. It was a bit of a hassle to put in but it was certainly worth all of the effort!
Until next time!
XO, Jess
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