A perfect, invisible seam between the cabinet and farmhouse sink is very difficult achieve, especially onsite. It requires making a jig scribed perfectly to the exact sink, then transferred onto the cabinet face frame, then cut-in perfectly without any chips or over-cuts. Unfortunately, we've seen a lot of really bad installations. With the proper, quality installations becoming the exception rather than the norm these days, this one small trick can prevent a potential disaster regardless of the skill level of the installer: use a self-trimming sink.
Shown here is Kohler's Ironridge farmhouse sink
What Is A Self-Trimming Sink?
Unlike standard apron front sinks, self-trimming sinks have a small lip that covers the actual cut-line. Similar in concept to microwave/oven combination and stacked oven appliance units, this little bit of perfect-from-the-factory material creates the final seam, not the tricky cut itself.
Kohler's Whitehaven shown above. It's also worth mentioning: we have no affiliation or sponsorship with Kohler, they're simply pioneers in this space.
"Try Your Best, Caulk The Rest" - Unqualified Installers
This phrase really makes me sad... (in fact, we used to have "Good Enough Isn't Good Enough" painted prominently on our shop's wall). As I mentioned above, we've seen some disasters here and in our Facebook group from frustrated homeowners whose "pros" lived by the above creed.
As you can see in this video compliments of our friends at NS Builders, scribing a farmhouse sink properly takes a lot of time, patience, and skill. If you're confident in your installer's skill level, by all means go for whatever sink you want (the self-trimming styles are somewhat limited). Just please be crystal clear on what you expect the installed sink to look like (we suggest lots of photos) and be certain they're capable of what you're expecting.
Another Option
The other option is to exaggerate the seam from the cabinet to the sink, creating an intentional separation. DeVol Kitchens does this a lot and works very well in their aesthetic. This does, however, require some additional considerations (like a full top on the cabinet base, for example) so be sure to chat with whomever is going to be responsible for this part of your project.
Communicate Early And Often
Whether you're embarking on a remodel or building new from the ground up, communication with your build team is so very important. As we discussed before with world-class custom builder Erin Stetzer, setting expectations early and working thoroughly through the details is the only way to guarantee your project's success!
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