Laboratory Sinks

A laboratory sink is a small line on a quote and a large share of the problems on install day, because it is the one item that has to agree with three other trades at once: the countertop it cuts into, the cabinet it hangs from, and the plumbing that serves it. Labs USA supplies epoxy resin and type 304 stainless sinks, faucets, eyewash units and stainless sink bases, and we coordinate the cutout and the location on the shop drawings so the parts fit each other when they arrive. Sinks are normally specified alongside laboratory work surfaces and casework.

Sink Types We Supply

Epoxy Resin or Stainless Steel

This is the first decision and it follows the work, not the budget. Epoxy resin belongs in chemistry: it tolerates acids, bases and solvents, the coved corners and the pitch to drain suit reagent handling, and a black epoxy bowl matches a black epoxy top. Type 304 stainless belongs wherever cleanability is the governing requirement — cleanrooms, sterile processing, food and pharmaceutical QC, healthcare and hand wash stations — because the polished, nonporous interior wipes down and takes a wash-down regime that resin does not need to.

If a bench genuinely sits between the two, ask for both. We quote the same unit in epoxy and in stainless regularly, and seeing the two numbers next to each other usually settles the argument faster than a specification discussion does.

Drop-In or Undermount — and the Support Nobody Quotes

A drop-in, or self-rimming, sink is carried by its own rim sitting on the countertop. It is simpler, cheaper and faster to install, and it is still the right answer for a lot of teaching labs and service benches. An undermount sink is fixed below the top, giving a continuous wipe-through surface from the counter into the bowl, which is why it dominates new casework and anything that has to be cleaned properly.

Here is the part that catches projects out. Our drop-in epoxy sinks can be converted to undermount, but cabinet sink supports then become necessary, and every undermount stainless sink needs them too. When a specification changes from drop-in to undermount after the cabinets are priced, the supports are the line that quietly goes missing. Tell us the mounting method up front and it will be on the quote.

Bowl Sizes, Cutouts and Where the Sink Lands

Bowl sizes are standardised more than most buyers expect. Common single and double bowl sizes cover nearly everything, and specific dimensions such as a 25 in x 15 in bowl are routine — but an unusual depth or a non-standard double bowl may not be available from the manufacturers at all. Send us the size you have in mind and we will tell you what exists before it is drawn, which is considerably cheaper than finding out after a top has been cut.

Location is set on the shop drawings and dimensioned from a fixed reference: a three-foot top with the sink centred twenty-five inches from the left wall is a usable instruction, whereas “centred” on its own is not, because the centre of the room, the top and the cabinet are three different points. Where the base cabinet has no centre bar, the sink can sit anywhere across that unit. Eyewash units are normally shown in line with the faucet. We mark all of this up, you approve it once, and the cutouts, splashes and fixture holes arrive correct together.

Faucets, Eyewash, Sink Bases and Who Does the Plumbing

• Faucets and service fixtures — deck and wall mounted laboratory faucets, gooseneck and swing spouts, plus gas, air and vacuum fixtures where the bench needs them.
• Eyewash — deck-mounted eyewash units, shown in line with the faucet on the drawings so the counter layout works in practice.
• Stainless sink bases — type 304 stainless bases in standard depths and widths, hinged front doors with wire style pulls, curb base with levelling feet.
• Painted steel sink cabinets — in standard casework colours to match the rest of the run.
• Traps, tail pieces and strainers — tub sinks come complete with tail piece and strainer; crumb strainers are included with the stainless bowls.
• Plumbing and piping for installation — normally the mechanical contractor’s scope. Ask us to state it on the quote either way; it is the single most common reason two quotes for the same lab are not comparable.

What to Send Us

• Material: epoxy resin or stainless steel — or the chemicals in use and we will recommend one.
• Drop-in or undermount, single or double bowl.
• Bowl dimensions, or the drawing if you have one.
• The countertop material and thickness the sink goes into, and whether it already exists.
• Sink and faucet location dimensioned from a wall or cabinet edge, plus eyewash if required.
• Whether you need faucets and fixtures, a sink base, or the plumbing scope as well.
• Ship-to address and the date you need it on site.
• For a replacement: a photograph and the bowl dimensions of what is there now.

Frequently Asked Questions

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