Honestly, I’ve never trusted foam tape either—feels like a band-aid, not a solution. I remember installing a farmhouse sink last year and the countertop was just a hair off level. Ended up using painter’s shims to get it sitting right, then ran a thick bead of clear silicone around the edge. Took longer, but it’s been watertight ever since. Sink clips are hit or miss for me too... sometimes they line up, sometimes you’re fighting them for an hour. Worth the hassle for that “solid” feeling though.
Title: Just put in a new kitchen sink and wondering if anyone else struggled this much
I totally get where you’re coming from with the foam tape—it always seemed a bit flimsy to me, too. When I did my first sink install, I was surprised by how much “finessing” it actually took. I thought it’d be a straightforward drop-in, but nope... ended up shimming and re-checking level about a dozen times. I used silicone as well, and honestly, it’s held up better than I expected.
Those sink clips are a pain, aren’t they? I had a couple that just refused to catch, and I started to wonder if I was missing something obvious. But once everything finally locked in, the difference in stability was huge. It’s reassuring to hear someone else had to improvise a bit—makes me feel less like I was just making it up as I went along. Sometimes the “right” way is just whatever actually works and keeps things watertight.
- Been there more times than I care to admit.
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Couldn’t agree more—some of those clips seem designed just to test your patience.“Those sink clips are a pain, aren’t they?”
- I’ve found that foam tape’s only good if the countertop is perfectly flat, which is almost never the case.
- Silicone’s my go-to now, too—never had a leak with it, and it gives you just enough wiggle room if you need to adjust after dropping the sink in.
- For what it’s worth, sometimes I just toss the factory clips and use better aftermarket ones... saves a lot of cursing.
“Those sink clips are a pain, aren’t they?”
Honestly, whoever designed those little torture devices must have had a grudge against DIYers. I swear, every time I try to tighten one, it either spins in place or bites into the countertop at a weird angle. I’ve actually snapped a couple before and just sat there staring at the mess, wondering if I should just glue the whole thing in and call it a day.
I’m with you on the foam tape—tried it once on a supposedly “perfectly flat” quartz top and still ended up with a tiny gap at the back. Maybe it works in a lab somewhere, but in the real world? Not so much.
Silicone’s definitely the MVP for me too. Gives you that little bit of forgiveness if you don’t drop the sink in exactly right the first time (which, let’s be honest, is basically never). Plus, it’s easy to clean up if you don’t let it sit too long.
Swapping out the factory clips for better ones is a game changer. I’ve started keeping a little stash of heavy-duty clips in my toolbox just for this reason. The ones that come in the box always feel like an afterthought—like, “Here, good luck!” I’ve even used some from a totally different brand just because they actually hold.
Funny thing is, I’ve seen some high-end sinks come with the same cheap clips as the budget models. You’d think for the price, they’d throw in something a little more robust. Guess it’s just one of those weird universal truths of home improvement—no matter how fancy the product, there’s always some little detail that makes you scratch your head.
Anyway, glad I’m not the only one who’s had a few choice words for those clips. If there’s a secret trick to making them work every time, I haven’t found it yet...
“The ones that come in the box always feel like an afterthought—like, ‘Here, good luck!’”
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve ended up on my back under the sink, cursing those clips and trying not to drop a screwdriver on my face. It’s wild how even the pricier sinks come with the same flimsy hardware. You’d think they’d at least toss in something halfway decent for what they charge.
I’ve actually had a bit of luck using a small dab of plumber’s putty in addition to silicone, just to help hold things in place while I wrestle with the clips. Not sure if it’s “by the book,” but it’s saved my sanity a couple times. Still, nothing beats heavy-duty aftermarket clips. The factory ones are just too hit-or-miss.
Funny thing, I once tried to shortcut the process and skipped a couple clips—regretted it the first time someone leaned on the sink edge and it popped up. Lesson learned: overkill is better than underkill when it comes to sink installs.
