I think the term is reveal. we have super single silgranite with Santa Cecelia. we have an 1/8" reveal. sink lip is exposed this 1/8", in other words the granite is cut larger than sink. make sense? if you look straight down at sink, you see 1/8" of flat part of sink (sorry, overkill on the explanation.)

a word of caution. Inspect your sink with a flashlight before they start the install for any cracks. The muppets who did my install decided to cut off the undermount tabs with a grinder to do "their own install method" then came in and said the sink was cracked and I needed to get a new one. Nice try Kermit, told them to pound sand, crack was right on their grind mark. they bought a new sink and installed it my way, looks good but was a bit of a headache

I was formerly a granite countertop sales associate, and I must tell you, I always encouraged the Flush installation on the granite. Reason being, all of the goop that would be on the outside of the sink, as with the drop-in, is now on the inside. The flush undermount would insure that all of the water and other debris would go directly into the sink. Hope this helps!

Thanks! I was thinking of a flush reveal but my builder suggested perhaps having the granite overlap the sink just tiny bit (1/8" or 3/16") so that the bead of sealing caulk (or whatever it's called) will be hidden underneath the granite?

Would appreciate any other thoughts or photos! I know there was a thread on this with photos some time ago but I can't find it. Didn't know I'd be making this decision tomorrow.

I definitely agree with jmax-flush mount is the way to go-it's so much easier to keep clean. With our last sink/granite install I would have never thought of it but my mother-in-law showed me her sink with the 1/8" exposed sink rim and the goop was definitely a factor. BTW, my KD at the time wasn't even aware of the goop factor-jeesh!!

There are pros & cons for each type of reveal:

• Positive--where the sink shows/granite is cut slightly larger than sink

  • Pros: easier to clean b/c you can see the gunk and can easily wipe it off (it only gets nasty if you leave it there)

  • Cons: silicone (caulk?) is visible, but if they use clear you won't see it when it dries

Negative--where the granite overhangs the sink

• Pros: You cannot see the gunk buildup or silicone

• Cons:
  -- You cannot see the gunk to clean it.
  -- Dirty water/food can splash up & under where you cannot see to clean it. It's difficult to see underneath w/o leaning way over & into the sink.
  -- Dishes have been known to break b/c when you lift them out near the edge of the sink they dish hits the stone counter & can break (or, if the dish wins, the counter could chip...but I'm not sure how likely that is).

Flush--where the granite & sink are the same

• Pros:
  -- easier to clean b/c you can see the gunk
  -- no platform over or under for the gunk to collect

• Cons:
  -- more difficult to do perfectly
  -- silicone is visible, but if they use clear you won't see it when it dries

You will find proponents of all three types of reveals here...but in the end it's what works best for you.

Good luck tomorrow!

Mrs-mjt:

By what you wrote - I am under the impression that your
Fabricator is coming out to do the install - Am I correct?

If this is the case, and your fabricator is like me
(and about 95% of the guys that
do slab fabrication for a living) - your sink opening is
most likely already done. Most guys fab up the sink opening
in the shop - rather than out in your driveway, or worse -
in your home.

Was the detail of the undermount sink discussed previously?
Were you given an opportunity to select the kind of detail
that Buehl has so very well laid out? (Kudos to ya Buehl!!!)

Here is a form that I use to eliminate ANY question pertaining
to the overhang and detail for an undermount sink opening:

{{!gwi}}

Anyways -

Hopefully I am missing something and you'll still have
a chance to select the kind of overhang - or lack thereof -
that will go on your undermount sink opening....

Otherwise - hopefull the sink opening that your Fabricator
has done already - will be acceptable to you. IF it is not -
ask him to do the style that you want. This may be tuff -
especially IF the sink opening was made big - and the opening
you prefer is smaller...

It's easier to make a hole bigger - than it is to make it smaller -
especially when we're talkin Granite!!!!

The bottom line here is that it's YOUR home and YOUR kitchen
being paid for with YOUR money - you should get what you want!!!
My .02 cents worth

Hope that helps

kevin

Thanks for the detailed info buehl! Kevin, I apologize for not being clear about what is happening as I'm a bit unclear myself. As mentioned, I just returned home today from a vacation so we met with builder tonight to get updated on things and was told they are installing granite tomorrow. I know that the sink cutout has not been done because the granite (pre-fabricated) is being picked up tomorrow. The cabinets and plywood for the subtop were installed while we were gone and the builder drew the sink and cooktop templates on the subtop today. No, the installer and I have not discussed the sink reveal. We did talk briefly in the past about probably having a center seam at the sink or it'll be smack-dab in the middle of a long stretch of countertop. There will be 2 more seams on each side of the corner cooktop but don't know exactly where they'll be.

As for undermount sink reveal, do you recommend one option over the other?

Can someone give me a quick granite install for dummies so I know the steps for installing pre-fab granite? I didn't think it would be happening so quickly so I'm not quite prepared.