Trying to find a sink

[Baxter]

I'm trying to find a sink that will make my spouse happy and am so far coming up blank.

Criteria are:
1. Should come with a cover, or have readily-available, off-the-shelf covers. The cover does not need to be integrated or hinged, but it should provide as flat a surface as possible with the rest of the countertop. She has no strong preference on cover material.
2. She has a preference for a fold-a-way faucet. Again, she's looking for as much unbroken counter space as possible when the sink isn't in use.
3. Shouldn't cost $400.

[EricAllyn]

You could try a bar sink, that is recessed into the counter, and use the cut out for the cover, with the edges thined to make everything flat. Just an idea.

[tractors1]

What's a foldaway faucet? Do you mean swivel?



I have seen a true foldaway faucet in a European trailer. It folded into the sink so you could have a flat surface, but I'd guess it was probably well over $500 as it came with a rectangular sink setup.

[Baxter]

Yes, exactly like that. I can find plenty of folding faucets but no affordable sinks to put them in. For that matter I can’t find an affordable sink/cover combo at all.

[Jon in AZ]

You can buy a Dometic flush-mount RV sink/cover on Amazon for $240. Looks like the same one I have in my Roadtrek camper van. Walmart has it online, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-VA800..._df_B07DWBZH4Z

[thrifty bill]

Jon beat me to it.

When what you want costs more than you want to spend, you have three choices: adjust budget, adjust requirements, or find one used. If you have any nearby RV junkyards, you may just find a used one. Otherwise, the odds of used are low, other than possibly eBay.

[Baxter]

Yup, that domestic is the one I had my eye on, but once I buy the faucet, I'm well past 300 bucks and for that they can't even be bothered to throw in a template

I thought I'd find a more conventional sink that used a fold down faucet and had a cutting-board-style cover. Not as fancy, but would meet the requirements.

No luck.

Then I thought I'd find a sink+cover combo and forgo the fold-down faucet, but I couldn't even find that. I'm not sure why this is so hard. I can find "universal fit" covers, but heck, if I'm going to have to cut it to fit, I can probably just make one out of something laying around the house.

I'll probably just bite the bullet and buy the 240 sink.

[Jon in AZ]

It’s hard because it’s an RV/marine specialty product. If people wanted them for ordinary residential use, the price would come down.

How about an undermount bar sink with a flush cover and a tall curved bar faucet? Much more usable and the bar faucet takes up minimal counter space.

It’s usually cheaper to adapt ordinary home products. Many work well as long as you mind the weight.

[Baxter]

I like the idea, but don't trust my self to do an undermount sink well.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Baxter

I like the idea, but don't trust my self to do an undermount sink well.

Yes, and I don’t think you could do an undermount directly to a thin fiberglass countertop.

[Baxter]

In my case, due to the number of previously drilled holes and the removal of the stove, I'm making a new countertop out of 3/4" maple already, but I still don't trust myself to make an undermount look good.

[Jon in AZ]

In that case it's almost a no-brainer to me. Could you get someone to help install the sink? A maple countertop with a matching maple insert over the hidden sink...

So much better than the Dometic. I have one as I said, and trust me: it's not like having a smooth countertop. Lots of bumps and gaps to trap crumbs and dirt, and the glass top means whatever you're storing in the sink is visible. The foldaway faucet is so small it's hard to get anything under it to fill, not to mention all the extra potential leak points.

Earlier Roadtreks had a hidden sink with a matching, flush cover. To me it was a step backward when they switched to the Dometic.

[Baxter]

ok, here's a possibly dumb question (I'm not above those):

with a conventional insert-type cover, what keeps it from just falling in the sink, especially with an undermount sink?

[Jon in AZ]

With an undermount I believe the counter opening is usually cut slightly larger than the sink, so there is a little shoulder of the sink for the insert to rest on.


With a conventional sink, the sides of the insert can be beveled or notched.

[aysstephanie]

RV Part Shop has a massive selection of hard to find parts. If they don't have it listed on their site, they can usually help you find it.

[DavidGlen]

Here is an item from Amazon, "DEHCO 137203 12 3/8" x 14" Sink Roll Up Cover", if you decide to get a separate cover for the sink. We have one in our trailer and like it a lot.

I don't trust it to hold a lot of weight in the center, though, so I don't overload it.

David
Pittsburgh, PA

[doctoruv]

My Casita came with a sink cover made out of the same wood pattern vinyl covered MDF wood the cabinet doors were made of. It was heavy and not too tough to cut on in my opinion. I went to Sam's or Costco (can't remember) and bought a commercial white poly cutting board. It was too big so I cut it down with a skill saw and rounded the corners and then attached rubber feet with screws that fit just inside of the sink opening. Between the back of the cover resting on the faucet base and the rubber feet keeping the cover/cutting board in place while traveling it works great! Plus the feet allow you to remove the cutting board and use it on a flat table surface without slipping away because the cutting board surface is quite slippery.

[DavidGlen]

I just found an Amazon RV sink that comes with "Sink, Cutting Board, Colander, Bottom Rinse Grid, Basket Strainer Drain Assembly, Cutout Template, Mounting Clips and Installation Guide".

It looks like a nice choice, if you want to install the faucet at one end. Lots of flexibility. It is a top mount.

[k corbin]

the only foldaway sink faucets that fit totally inside the sink so that the lid is flush to the counter are the ones from Europe but you can order very similar ones direct from China for close to your price range but not with free shipping.



For the domestic source of these sinks go to the Dometic USA website.


Or just put a search on Ebay so that you get notified whenever the model you are looking for shows up.

[Baxter]

I could FIND them, I just couldn't find them for less than $400, which strikes me as kind of ridiculous for what it is -- especially since the going rate overseas is in the £100 range.

Given advice earlier in this thread that they don't really work all that well, in the end, I took the suggestion and just picked up an affordable-but-nice undermount bar sink, and a reasonably unobtrusive faucet I can mount in the corner.

Total cost is about $200-$250, and since I'm making a custom countertop anyway, I'll just make the cutout for the sink a cover and have a near-flat surface anyway.