Granite With a Farmhouse Sink

An apron front bowl sits in the cabinet rather than under the stone, and the fitting notes at granite countertops asheville nc firethegrid treat that as a carpentry problem before it is a granite one. Farmhouse sinks turn up constantly in Asheville renovations, and the top above one is cut to the sink instead of to a drawing.

The Sink Goes In First

A farmhouse sink is installed and fully supported before the template is taken. Its height, its front to back position and its level all become fixed points that the stone must follow. Fabricators will not template around a bowl that is sitting in a box in the hall, because a quarter inch of difference in the seated height changes the reveal along the whole front.

Cutting the Opening

The stone laps over the back and sides of the bowl and stops flush at the front, so the cutout is a three sided opening with tight tolerance on each side. Most shops leave a small consistent gap, a sixteenth or so, and fill it with silicone rather than trying for a dry contact that will chip. The inside corners are radiused, as always, because a square corner is where a crack begins.

Supporting the Weight

A fireclay or cast iron bowl full of water is a serious load, and it hangs on the cabinet, not on the countertop. The base needs a purpose built shelf and often a modified cabinet run, since the standard box is not built for it. Get that frame level, because the stone is being cut to whatever plane the sink ends up sitting in.

The Details That Show

An uneven gap along the front edge is the giveaway, and it comes from a sink that was not level rather than from bad cutting. Silicone the joint with a colour matched product and expect to renew it every few years. Keep the edge profile on the stone above the bowl simple, because a heavy shape there catches on everything being lifted in and out. The cabinet doors are part of it as well. An apron front bowl replaces the top drawer and usually needs a modified door beneath it, so the cabinetmaker and the fabricator both have to work from the same sink dimensions. Order the bowl before the cabinets are built wherever that is possible.