Essential Tips for a Successful Kitchen Sink Replacement

Is it possible to replace a double bowl sink with a single bowl sink without replacing your countertop? The answer is yes!

Rejuvenating Your Kitchen: A Step-by-Step Guide to Replacing an Existing Sink

The kitchen sink is the heart of any home, serving as a focal point for daily activities and an essential component of any kitchen. Over time, it may show signs of wear and tear, or you may want to upgrade your sink to match the latest trends and designs. Replacing an existing sink can be a simple and rewarding project. In this blog post, we'll walk you through the steps to replace your old sink with a brand new one.

Replacing sinks like the American Standard Americast sink, the Ikea Domjo and other Ikea Farm sinks, Elkay and Eljer triple bowl sinks, outdated double bowl sinks, and cracked or crazed white cast iron or fireclay sinks is our specialty. innovative workstation designs. 

Where to start... Take a few photos of your existing sink and email them to me at dino@rachiele.com Then set a time on my online calendar for a Zoom meeting where I can share my screen while we chat. I will need a rough idea of the size of your existing sink. Accuracy, at this point, is not important. The first thing we will discuss is metal choice. It will be important to know which metal you feel would complement your kitchen and your personality. Next, we will discuss the type of workstation you might like. I will be asking you how tall the user(s) are and whether they are right or left handed. Food prep and cleanup styles will likely be discussed as well. We will go over the accessory options at this time as well. I will also assist you in finding someone to cut your countertop. The cutting of your countertop should not be difficult nor expensive. This can generally be done by a handyman, a tile setter, or a general contractor. I doubt a granite fabricator will be willing to do the work. They generally try to scare you by telling you that they cannot guarantee the stone will not crack. The real reason is they would rather sell you a new countertop than come out for a 2 hour simple project. In the 27 years I have been designing and selling replacement sinks, not one customer has ever had a problem with the cutting of the countertop - and we have done hundreds. 

The most common question I receive early on in a conversation is: "Can you make me an undermount single bowl sink in the same shape as my current sink?" Well, the short answer is yes, but there are very important negatives to doing so.  It will be very difficult to find someone to remove an existing undermount sink and install the new sink. Most importantly, why would you want to replace a poorly designed double bowl sink with a poorly designed single bowl sink? Custom building an odd shape like the sink in the top photo would be more expensive, by far, than building a rectangular top mount workstation sink. In many cases, sinks are discontinued because they were poorly designed and sales did not support continued fabrication. To date, there are no non-rectangular sinks that can outperform a well-designed rectangular workstation sink. The second most common question is: "As a drop in sink, how do I wipe into the sink over the flange?" The answer is simple... you don't have to! My designs allow for all food preparation to be accomplished on the sink instead of the countertop. Wiping down counters around the sink will be a thing of the past. 

Pricing

Everyone needs a rough idea of what type of investment is required to accomplish a sink replacement. Plumbing costs as well as costs to cut the countertop range vary greatly throughout the U.S. I see plumbing prices in the $300 to well over $500. I have seen prices to cut stone from $195 to a bit over $800. A custom drop in replacement workstation sink will start in the high $3000 range. Most are in the high $3000 to mid $4000 range. Different metals will render different prices. For us, stainless steel and copper will be fairly similar in price. Brass will be a bit more, and bronze will be the highest - generally about 20-25% more than copper or stainless. We can also replace an undermount sink with a farmhouse sink without cutting the cabinetry at all. I have a patent on the design. The sink is designed with a 1" channel behind the apron, and we make the apron height line up with the adjacent drawers and the doors below. The apron height is generally around 6 3/4", while the bowl is generally a bit deeper. The cuts in the stone are just as simple, possibly easier, than making the cuts for a simple drop in sink. 

Value

Without the proper value, replacing a sink is not a good investment at any cost. Let me tell you what I have heard from past customers that have trusted us to replace their sinks.

These are a few reviews from google:

" I have to admit it is rare experience working with fabricators to get what you want.  At Rachiele Custom Sinks, the actual owner is intimately involved in guiding you through the design process and educating you on your choices.  There is plenty of communication to make certain the final sink design is exactly what you wanted and dimensions are exactly what you need to make a perfect fit.  Dino, the owner, is unbelievably available during your entire experience to offer help to any problem you may be concerned about.  I had a concern regarding the rear flange on my sink and Dino took the call and it was solved in about 5 minutes.  This attention to detail left nothing to go wrong for the installation.  It was an absolute perfect fit.  Mine was a retrofit apron drop-in sink replacing a dual bowl stainless steel undercount sink.  The entire team that I spoke with during the process showed concern and never made me feel like I was a burden when asking questions.  It is a top shelf product that Rachiele manufactures and even better, made in the USA."

 "The care they show in packaging and shipping the sink is second to none.  We even ended up using the shipping crate the sink arrived in for a raised bed for our tomatoes this year--it's that bullet proof. Our family and friends are amazed at the sink and we get more compliments on it than just about anything else.  Dino's recommendation for the Waterstone faucet was spot on and combined with his exceptional sink, is a true pleasure to use. We're even more thankful for his sink and faucet recommendations now that Bosch has let us down again as we await the arrival of our dishwasher...7 months and counting. Finally, it's important to note that both items are not inexpensive, but truly we feel it's been the best investment of all the wonderful items we've been able to put into our kitchen.  Sometimes you have to pay for quality and perhaps sacrifice elsewhere--Rachiele Custom Sinks are certainly worth it.  The quality in materials and craftsmanship is evident throughout.  You will not find a better kitchen sink on the market-period. "

" We are very happy with our custom copper farmhouse sink! The house we recently moved into had a crack in the counter behind the kitchen sink, and we were looking for a solution without replacing the existing granite. Rachiele Sinks came up during our search, and when I reached out, Dino spent nearly an hour chatting with us discussing our options. We loved everything about his sinks - USA made, highest quality copper, and ergonomically-friendly design!Dino helped us design a retrofit farmhouse apron sink, which allowed us to replace our old sink and address the cracked granite without changing the existing counters/cabinets. The custom sink has a rear deck with side extensions to address where the crack was. I carefully took the measurements, and though I was nervous if it would fit properly, Dino assured me over and over again that it will work. Sure enough, we had it installed, and it is PERFECT! It is now the highlight of our kitchen and we love it! I feel fortunate to have found Dino and Rachiele Sinks. The level of customer service, kindness, and professionalism was above and beyond. During the process, I learned so much about sinks, copper, and all the hard work that goes into each Rachiele sink. I am now a huge fan and very excited to put our new sink to good use! Thank you so much Dino and the team at Rachiele Sinks!"

In conclusion, don't procrastinate. All too often we have a tendency to do some remodeling in order to sell the house. If you do it now, you can enjoy your investment and still allow the sink to have a huge impact on selling your home in the future!