Whitehaven Apron Sink Height Issue

[djd]

Doh! Going to reach out to Kohler as well as not sure what the issue is here.

Ordered the BAPRONSINKV2 with 9 5/8” opening height per the Kohler sink spec and YouTube tutorial video.

Cabinet opening height is bang on 9 5/8” but the K-6487 Whitehaven is sitting almost 1/4” proud of the base cabinets in the back right corner, and it has a wobble.

Suspect either I am being dumb or a defective sink.

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[djd]

Few updates from talking w/ Kohler Customer Service:
* They say there is natural variation in dimensions due to the cast iron and glazing process but couldn’t specify a specific +/- tolerance the sink should be within.
* They were surprised by the platform support approach and said typically the feet are not all in plane as the sink is meant to be installed with side supports. If going with the platform route they suggested leaving more of a margin to allow for variation and shimming as needed.
* That said, they agreed to swap the sink out and see if we get a bit luckier with one that is a true 9 5/8″.
* If that doesn’t do the trick we will likely need to drill out some of the top support deck or even remove it entirely and add cleats on the left and right.

FWIW I saw the note in the item page “…In some cases of hand made sinks, you may want to order the apron sink opening slightly larger…” but also saw the Youtube tutorial video said to go off of the spec’d sink height. May wish to make that caveat more prominent on the product listing. Much easier to shim up than lower it down.

[ChadBarker]

Yeah, we saw more of these issues back in the early 2000s with the Shaw Original sinks that were all handmade in England. They were pretty bad back then, and I believe they are still around, as I saw one not too long ago.

Rather than replacing the sink, it may be simpler to remove the top fixed shelf, cut off and discard the rear portion, and then reinstall just the front face of that fixed shelf back into the opening so it looks correct from the front. Once that face piece is back in place, you can add solid wood shims as needed behind it to get the sink to the correct height.

I ran into a similar situation once when an appliance changed after the cabinets were built. In that case, it was a coffee maker. I used an oscillating multi-tool and cut through the confirmat screws because I knew their exact locations from the CAD drawings. Then I pulled the shelf out of the already assembled cabinet, cut the face off the shelf, reinstalled the face piece, and had the space I needed behind it for shimming. It took about 20 minutes, but it did require some on-site cutting.

The other option would be to use an angle grinder and carefully trim the legs on the underside of the sink, or cut larger holes in the shelf where the sink legs sit. Those options are a bit more dodgy, to be honest, so I would lean toward modifying the fixed shelf if possible.

[djd]

Thanks Chad. I like the “remove top fixed shelf option but confused on the front face part. In my case there are 2 sink decks and I’m pretty sure the visible front trim below apron is a separate piece. I should be able to just remove the top deck and leave the front alone right?

Wasn’t sure on the weight rating if I do that also as Kohler tells me it needs to support 300lb (sink + potential load). Is 1 deck enough?

Thanks again for helping work through all this.

[ChadBarker]

Sure. You could cut the front 2” off the deck you removed and reinstall that front piece in the cabinet, leaving a void behind the face. This would allow the sink to sit 3/4” lower and give you room to add additional custom spacers if needed.

One deck should support well over 300 lbs. I have never heard of a 3/4” plywood shelf buckling from normal load. Additional cleating could be added underneath the lower fixed shelf, but I do not think it would be necessary.

[Author]

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