If the flooring or bottom area underneath your sink, kitchen or bathroom, is starting to warp, become unstable, or just looks like it’s starting to rot, you need not worry. It is a fairly common problem that is DIY-friendly for whoever the designated Mr. or Mrs. “Fix-It” is in your home.
Most sink cabinets are initially installed with particleboard as the base. This hardly seems practical, since water is bound to make its way into and onto that area, but at least the replacement process is fairly simple. Just follow these steps:
- Prepare – Empty the cabinet completely and remove the cabinet doors to provide an open workspace. Be sure to keep track of the loose screws, which are easily lost. You also need to shut off the water supply to the sink. If necessary, you can remove any cumbersome pipes.
- Demolish – Depending on how bad off the current sink bottom is, you can either punch a hole through the weakened board or slice through the area with the appropriate tools. The next step is to simply pull out the old sink base, piece by piece.
- Clean – Chances are, due to the excess moisture build up underneath the sink, mold and mildew are present. Before you install the new sink base, clean the entire area inside the cabinet thoroughly with vinegar or diluted bleach.
- Measure – Before you can install the new sink bottom, you need to accurately measure the designated area. From there, you can proceed with cutting out the replacement board, which might need to be cut into two separate pieces.
- Support – Install support boards before inserting the replacement base. Use the appropriate adhesive to set these in place, and to allow them to stick to the new base.
- Replace – The final step of this simple project is to insert the replacement bottom into the cabinet and secure it in place with a few nails.
