Whether your kitchen is big or small, it’s an integral part of your home, one which many consider to be the “hub” of modern-day family living.
You probably spend more time in your kitchen than you do anywhere else in your home, so it’s no surprise that over time, your kitchen starts to take a beating.
Hinges become loose, tiles get cracked, wall paint dulls, sinks get cracked, and the paint begins to peel. These things are frustrating, and the less DIY conscious of us turn to the professionals and often foot a hefty bill or put it off until we’re in a better position financially to put it right.
The good news is, the majority of these tasks, such as measuring up a kitchen sink, so that you can drop a new one in, are relatively simple and can be done by anyone with just a little bit of focus and the right guiding hand.
Let’s take a look how to measure a kitchen sink, quickly, correctly, and without getting the “experts” in.
Step 1
The first thing you’re going to need to do is lay a straightedge across the top of your sink. This can be anything, a piece of wood, card, whatever, as long as it’s straight.
Next, grab a ruler, something around 12inches, should do the job for most sinks. If your sink is a little deeper than that, you can pick up a larger one from the local hardware store.
Insert the ruler into the sink with the bottom end of it next to the drainage hole. Now measure the distance from the bottom of your sink, right up to the straightedge that you laid across the top. Grab a pen and paper and write this number down.
This is going to be the depth of your sink.
Step 2
Now you’re going to need to turn off the water supply to your sink, don’t skip this step, or you’ll be mopping your kitchen floor for the rest of the day instead of measuring your sink.
Not fun.
There are usually two different valves beneath most moderns sinks, one red, one blue, for hot and cold water. You’ll need to turn each of these valves clockwise until they lock completely.
When you’ve done that, double-check that they’re both off by running the tap above. There will usually be a bit of water still in the pipes that will dribble out at first, but if you’ve shut off the water correctly, it will stop after a few seconds.
Step 3
This next part will require a little bit of elbow grease, as you are now going to start to remove the sink. If you need a second pair of hands, now would be the time to bring them into the kitchen for some help, but this is usually a one-person job.
You’re going to need to head back under the sink and disconnect any water supply pipes that are connected to your sink before you can remove it.
These are usually plastic, flexible bits of piping that will need to be disconnected by using an adjustable wrench to open the nuts of the pipe.
Don’t be surprised if there is a bit of spillage; it’s quite normal for water to sit in the pipes. Just make sure it doesn’t end up in your lap, by spreading some towels out or by placing a bucket underneath to catch any errant water. Make sure to mop up any water up that does get on the floor so that you don’t slip.
Step 4
Are you still with me? Awesome!
The next step is going to involve removing the drain pipe from your sink. This pipe is connected to the bottom of your sink with a slip or coupling nut. This connects the plastic piping to the metal strainer of your sink.
You should be able to loosen this by hand, but if it just doesn’t budge, resort to your handy wrench to loosen it up. Keep this upright, and don’t pull this apart right away, as there is one more step you’ll need to do before you can successfully disconnect it.
Next, you will need to loosen the nut that keeps the “P-Trap” in place. This is a U shaped bit of piping, not called the “U-Trap,” which would make it a lot easier for the layman to identify!
Once loosened, you will be able to remove this whole section of the pipe quite easily.
Step 5
You will need a sharp blade for this next part. Got one handy? Okay, great.
Take your blade, holding it away from your body at all times, at a right angle, and score along the caulking at edges of your sink, making sure to cut as deeply through it as you can.
Caulking is the sealant that keeps your sink in place and attached to your countertop.
Step 6
Now you need to disconnect your sink. If your sink is mounted at the top, all you need to do is unscrew the placing clips, and you will be good to go.
If it’s mounted from the bottom, you may need an extra pair of hands to hold the sink in place as you unscrew it from the bottom, to avoid any accidents or bumps on the head, if the sink should fall.
Now place your hands underneath the sink and pop it up; if it’s been in there a while, it may require a bit of a shove, but they usually pop out pretty easily. Once you’ve got the sink popped up over the counter lip, you can lift the sink out and place it to one side.
Step 7
Take a tape measure and measure from end to end of the countertop hole to determine the width. Then from top to bottom, to determine the length. Simple enough, right?
Make sure you write these number’s down on a piece of paper along with the depth measurement that you took earlier on. Remember before when I said size doesn’t matter? In this instance, it very much does.
Done? Great, let’s move on.
You should now have something that looks like this (with your unique measurements, of course): L = 30, W = 19, D = 9. Once you have your dimensions, you’re ready to order your new sink, which you can order online or at your local hardware store.
Top-mounted sink basins come with a lip that overlaps and rests on your kitchen counter, so it’s to be expected and perfectly fine if your new sinks measurements are slightly smaller than the hole.
If your sink is mounted from underneath, the measurements of your new sink will need to be exact. That’s all there is to it, how to measure a kitchen sink, on your own, quickly, correctly, and for free.
If you are more of a visual person, I found this video below helpful: