Undermount sink just unattached from Quartz worktop after 4 weeks.

[R383]

As the title says.
DH was with the fitters and all they told him was to leave the wooden support baton in situ for 24 hours to set. We left it for 48 just to be on the safe side.
The sink is just about being held up by the edges of the units underneath.
When I contacted the installers, he replied that they only fix it with glue and it is our responsibility to support it. Says they can come out for £100 and fix it but we still need to fix the support issue ourselves.
I'm thinking that I can attach a couple of wooden batons to the units and rest the sink on those. could I do it with the sink in situ, or do I have to unplumb and remove everything?

I know there have been similar problems on this forum, but the only answers seem to be saying that clips should have been used. I get that, but as I can't drill into the edges of the quartz, I need another solution please.

 

[Burnerman]

Remove the old silicone where you can, and add some new stuff. Jack the sink tightly onto position with anything handy and then add timber bearers to keep it there. No need to touch the plumbing unless anything has strained or parted.
This event is happening all the time, it seems!
John

 

[R383]

Thank you John.
When you say 'jack' I could just somehow wedge it with something that will fit, and then attach some timber batons to wherever I can? I can't see any silicone so I could just apply a bead to the top edge before I wedge it?

 

[chappers]

just fix some blocks to the sides of the cabinet with some timber resting on them supporting the bowl, if your really concerned
If the lip of sink is trapped between the quartz and the cabinet top then I wouldn't worry.

 

[R383]

Thank you. That makes sense. The lip of the sink isn't wedged between the quartz and unit. It is just about resting on the edge by about 5mm on each side.

 

[R383]

I've taken out the drawers from underneath and can't access the sides of the sink to be able to put any kind of support.
Duh, light bulb moment! I may be able to fix a bracket at the front and the back.

 

[vinn]

OP,
You should be extremely cautious about "tightly jacking" the sink up, you could easily crack the "quartz worktop" - or lift the worktop off the units, popping back splash tiles & creating plumbing leaks.

Any problems such as you describe, OP, are dealt with by professional fitters by dropping the sink, totally cleaning off all adhesive from sink and w/t, and re-fitting - once the water has got in bunging silicone here & there isn't going to work, & they dont want to be recalled again.

The correct answer to your question is that the installers must come back - no fees no hesitation.
Dont go putting in brackets or doing any other work - just leave it for the returning installer.

I'll tell you something else OP, you now have potential for water leaks into your units and flooring - ignore the advice to "I wouldn't worry" - you have much to worry about from what you say.
Take professional advice, & get the job done properly.

 

[Doggit]

When I contacted the installers, he replied that they only fix it with glue and it is our responsibility to support it. Says they can come out for £100 and fix it but we still need to fix the support issue ourselves.

I suspect that the installers don't actually know how to fit undermount sinks; you don't glue these sinks to the worktop, you just seal the gap between the bowl, and the worktop, and then clamp them up with a herculese clamp kit; check on youtube for how to fit them. Was there any bits, or fitting instructions with sink.

 

[R383]

The fitters are coming out again tomorrow but will again only glue the sink into place. The guy from the Quartz company responded to my email saying that we should have known to fit some kind of wooden support in place before the sink was installed by them. Said that every single person who fits any kitchen units would know that. We fitted the units ourselves. IKEA Metod units. The sink unit was fitted as per the installation instructions. There is an extra metal bracket but that runs along the front of the unit. The sink doesn't actually touch it.
Should I let them come and reglue it? He says that we will still need to fit a wooden support afterwards. I really don't know how that will even be possible after the sink is already in there.
He is putting total responsibility onto us.
As soon as I spotted that there was a separation from the worktop, I have almost stopped using the sink and certainly haven't let water into the gap.

 

[Agile]

I can see that by deciding to fit the units yourself you have lost any warranty which would have been deemed to be given by a professional fitter.

It is interesting for me to read about this as there is obviously a lack of care by many of these fitters.

Had I been sealing the sink and knew that it needed supporting then I would have ensured that you provided some.

Sounds as if your installer was a semi cowboy who is just looking for a few £100 bills to cash in on your lack of experience.

 

[R383]

The kitchen is one which is designed and intended to be fitted by the customer. I have looked again at the assembly instructions for the base unit and we did assemble it correctly.
As for the fitters, they said that they do only this type of work all the time. They were subcontracted by the quartz company so we had no way of checking them out before the install. They seemed to be very confident on the day and assured my husband that the sink was solidly fitted and perfectly fine to use the next day.

 

[Doggit]

If they were subcontracted by the quartz company, then they should be your main point of contact; but it goes back to my initial question, what were the fitting instructions for the sink, as all undersinks should be supported in some way, not just siliconed in.

There is an extra metal bracket but that runs along the front of the unit. The sink doesn't actually touch it.

This is a support bracket to keep the unit rigid, which sink unit is it.

If the subcontractors do this type of work all the time, then why did it go wrong. They can't tell you to keep the supports there for 24 hours, and then tell you that they'll come and fit some supports for £100 - that's contradictory.

 

[R383]

They are not aiming to fit any extra supports. They wanted to come to reglue the sink into place. The installers words, not mine.
As for the fitting of the sink, the sink was given to them on the day, with whatever instructions came with it, as we were told that they would fit the sink.
I have cancelled them coming today as I need to be sure that either they will be able to put grooves in the worktop to take some type of clip, or that they will remove the worktop and sink so that we can put adequate support.
One point that I will bring up, they were initially going to supply the sink but we got a good deal on a sink which I wanted. If they were going to fit 'their' sink, how could I see any fitting instructions for that, how could I know dimensions to enable me to make some kind of supporting structure?
And to go back to my main point, why on Earth, on the day of installation, did the installers not mention, once, that any further support was necessary? Surely if this is what they do for a living, you would expect that they would say something along the lines of ' You do know that you will have to put some other kind of support with this'. Not a word.
And it is the Quartz supplier that we have been dealing with as it is him whom we have the contract with.

 

[R383]

On other point if someone could clarify. I have noticed that they didn't put any kind of silicone sealant around the edge of the worktop where it meets the walls.
Is that something which should be done as standard by the fitters or would we have been expected to do that?

 

[bernardgreen]

I assume this is a stainless steel sink.

Fixing it to the quartz requires a glue that is able to take the weight of a sink full of water and also cope with the movement of the steel as it expands ( hot water in sink ) and contracts ( cold water in sink). There has to be mechanical support / fixing for the sink with flexible silicone used to seal the gap between sink and underside of the quartz.

Our sink under granite had a frame fitted into the units to support the sink. ( kitchen fitters )