Jasmine Cunningham
Learn how to build your own farmhouse sink base cabinet. Even if you are not building a farmhouse, an apron front sink is an amazing option for any modern kitchen.
You can see my top reason why and more in this post “What to know before buying a farmhouse sink”. One of the questions I get the most about our kitchen remodel is how to build the cabinet for a farmhouse sink!
Requirements of an Apron Front Sink Base Cabinet I go into lots of detail about building base cabinets in this post.
Make sure to read them for lots more tips and for questions about your toe kick that you will need to answer before creating your own sink base cabinet plans. This post is focusing on specifics for an apron front sink base cabinet. Since the sides of your frameless cabinet are straight, if your sink has a slight slope to it, you will have to find ways to address the gap it leaves. Also, the face frame offers some structure to support the front of your sink. You will want more precise measurements so your sink fits perfectly. Typical modern face frames are 1 1/2” thick (the width of a 1×2 board).
Use the following formula to figure out the width of your sink base cabinet. If you are wanting to add a farmhouse sink to an existing kitchen, substitute the CW with your current cabinet width and FW with current face frame width and that will tell you how big of an apron front sink you can buy.
I will be walking you through how to create plans for your own farmhouse sink cabinet.
Also, you will want your toe kick measurements to match the other base cabinets in your kitchen.
The reason the back piece is optional is because you can build your sink base without it and not have to cut out plumbing holes when installing. Just make sure your wall behind the cabinet is painted to help protect the drywall from any water that will inevitably splash on it.
The face frame will give the front of your cabinet a nice finished look. Apron Front Sink Base Cabinet Cut List
If you are building base cabinets with a toe kick, use a circular saw or jig saw to cut it out of the front of both side boards. Drill pocket holes set for 3/4″ material in the sides of bottom piece. You need to have pocket holes every 4-5 inches for strong cabinet boxes. Use corner clamps or jigs to make sure the piece is joined at a 90 degree angle.
Attach the support piece along the back of the cabinet box at the top. If the sides of your cabinet are going to be visible, you may want to router a groove into the back to set the panel inside. If you want to add a center stile to the lower cabinet, it will offer a bit more support for your large sink.
Center stiles also make it a little easier to line up and install cabinet doors.
Attach the center stile with pocket holes with 1 1/4″ screws and glue. Then draw lines from these marks to the rail (which should be the width of the bottom of your sink).
Add a bit of wood glue to the front of the plywood, then use the pocket holes you already drilled in the sides and base of the cabinet to secure the face frame. After installing the cabinet, you will want to add the sink support pieces. Make sure to take extra care when installing your sink base to ensure it is level. You could cut the corner of your 2×4 off at an angle to help hide it if you want.
But you do want the 2×4 close to the front because there is a lot of weight from your heavy sink at that point. Adding a Farmhouse Sink to an Existing Kitchen Cabinet
You will also need to remove your existing countertop and have it re-configured for your new sink. If your face frame was just nailed on, it should come off with a few hammer taps from the inside of the cabinet.
Use wood glue and finish nails to attach the face frame to the cabinet box. The pocket holes will be visible on the inside of your cabinet but you will not have to touch up the face frame. And make sure to check out the rest of the How to Build Cabinets series. There are lots of tips and tricks revealed to help you build professional cabinets at a fraction of the cost!
