In the words of Carla from Top Chef: hootie hoo! Our countertops are ordered. We chose them after comparing several retailers, and ultimately Home Depot offered the best price at $38 per square foot — no hidden fees — for a total close to $1,700. We priced the same countertops at Lowe’s and a few local stores; local retailers quoted as much as $55 per square foot. Although Lowe’s matched the $38 price, they charged extra for the sink cutout and a few other add-ons that Home Depot did not. Home Depot agreed to match a 10% Lowe’s project coupon we had and also accepted the 5% Lowe’s card discount, which sealed the deal and saved us a meaningful amount.
Another way we cut costs was by reusing our existing sink. We like the sink and saving a couple of hundred dollars made sense. We had heard that seamless Corian sinks can be harder to maintain than Corian counters, which is why many people prefer stainless undermount sinks. Both Lowe’s and Home Depot told us their fabricator would need to take the sink when they came to template the countertops so they could plan accurately. That meant the surrounding granite needed to be removed to free the sink for transport.
The removal process began with disconnecting the garbage disposal and the plumbing beneath the sink. Although it looks straightforward in tutorials, my disposal’s mounting ring was jammed and took about 45 minutes to free. On the bright side, I am now very familiar with that disposal mechanism.
Next I removed the faucet, which we plan to reuse at least temporarily. This went more quickly once I found the installation manual online and reversed the steps.
With fixtures detached, it was time to remove the granite. Having taken out a previous section of granite to make room for the stove, we knew the job wouldn’t be technically difficult, but it would require muscle. We started by prying off the backsplash with a crowbar, then slicing through the adhesive where the countertop met the cabinets and prying the slab upward. It lifted more easily than expected.
That was the easy part. The large slab of granite proved heavier than we could safely lift, especially because we needed to raise it high enough to remove the sink without risking damage. At that point we called in reinforcements: my parents. My mom watched the kids and took photos, while my dad helped with the lifting. It still became clear that the slab was too heavy to handle intact.
Originally we planned to have the fabricator cut the sink free with the sink attached, which both Lowe’s and Home Depot recommended to avoid warping. But because the slab was so heavy, that approach wasn’t feasible. Instead we decided to remove the sink first by breaking the adhesive seal that held it to the underside of the granite.
We carefully slid a spackle knife into the seam where the undermount sink met the countertop and worked the seal free. Once we broke the seal at one spot, we tapped around the perimeter with a hammer to loosen it further. It took about 45 minutes to remove the adhesive, and then we hinged the granite up slightly so we could lift the sink out from beneath it. The sink came out unharmed—only a bit dirty—so we saved the cost of a replacement. Victory.
After the sink was set aside, we lifted the granite slightly and found that it had cracked along the sink area, which in our case was actually helpful. A clean crack meant we could handle the slab in two smaller, more manageable pieces. Under the crack we discovered a metal reinforcement rod running across the sink opening. That unexpected metal bar made separation more difficult, but once one half of the slab was slid off the cabinets the rod bent enough to pry loose with a screwdriver. Once separated, each half was light enough for two people to carry out.
The kitchen looked a bit chaotic afterward, with the granite slabs sitting in the carport ready to be sold. For the moment, we are entirely sinkless. The counter fabricator expects the kitchen to be without a sink for roughly three weeks, perhaps four because of the holiday schedule. I did reconnect the dishwasher drain so we still have some utility, and we’re managing by rinsing pots in the bathroom sink when necessary.
This project reminded me that removing heavy stone takes planning, the right help, and patience. If you’re thinking of keeping your sink when replacing countertops, confirm whether the fabricator needs to take it for templating and whether you’ll need to remove adjacent countertop sections to free it. Unexpected metal reinforcements can complicate removal, and what looks like a manageable slab can quickly become a two-person lifting problem. Despite a few surprises, reusing the sink and price-matching the countertop saved us significant money and the hassle of buying new fixtures.
Have you reused a sink during a countertop replacement, or encountered reinforcement rods beneath stone countertops? I’d love to hear how your removal process went.