Have you bought a sink that comes without a drain? Do you want to cut a hole in the sink on your own?
Not every sink comes with pre-installed drains. For some models, you still have to take care of the drain installation yourself. Also, you might need more than a single sinkhole to cater to your needs.
In any case, it is quite handy to learn how to cut a hole in a stainless steel sink. We have specifically mentioned stainless steel because most sinks contain this material nowadays.
Without any delay, let’s jump into the tutorial right now!
A Guide to Cutting a Hole in a Stainless Steel Sink
With a lot of care and consideration, we have come up with the best guide to cutting a hole in a stainless steel sink. Follow these easy, simple steps, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Step 1: Finding the Right Spot
For the very first step, you will need to locate a spot on your sink. Since the placement of the hole determines where the drain will be, this step is very important.
Observation is the main part of this step. You will need to consider whether the spots you choose will damage the construction of the sink in any way or not. For this reason, it is always wise to choose a couple of spots beforehand. If one spot is not suitable, the other ones might be.
Another way of marking the right spot is the distance measurement method. Here, you will measure the distance between your selected spot and the sink. If you do so, you will easily be able to determine whether your preferred placement is proper or not.
For concluding this step, you will need to mark your chosen spot with the help of masking tape.
Step 2: Formation of Dent
This one’s yet another essential step before the beginning of the actual process. Mostly adopted by professional workers, this step ensures that the drill acts in the right place.
When you first try drilling, there is a possibility that you might position the drill wrongly. If you do that, it will skip through the spot and can even cause accidents.
To ensure that the drilling is done in the proper spot, you should make a dent using a nail or any sharp object of similar nature. Press your nail over the spot fixated by the masking tape, and pin it using a hammer.
Here, you need to be wary of the amount of force you’re applying. You cannot apply too much force, or else the sink will be permanently damaged. Again, you need to ensure enough force is applied to create a perfect dent.
Step 3: Lubrication of Drill
At this point, you are probably getting tired of these preparatory steps. But trust us, all of these are equally important.
There are two things to be considered here. Firstly, you have to pick the right drilling machine. While cutting holes, one must look for machines that fit well. Secondly, no matter which drill you choose, it needs to be lubricated. Lubrication ensures the drill glides on smoothly.
Different types of lubricating oils are used in this case. If you want to keep things clean, apply the oil with an external applicator. The drill bit is what really needs lubrication, and a little bit goes a long way. Use a little amount of oil and observe whether the bit begins turning or not.
Always remember that with stainless steel, you need to have control over the amount of lubricating oil you’re applying.
Step 4: Drilling the Hole
Finally! Our fourth step is the main step, drilling the hole. Although it’s pretty self-explanatory, there are some things to be considered here.
After selecting and lubricating the right drill, you need to place it in the right spot. Choose the exact area where you placed the masking tape, and carefully place the drill on top of it.
After ensuring proper placement, work your way into the drilling of the hole. Beginning at the lowest activation, keep drilling gradually. In this way, you will have more control over the whole process.
Remember that while doing so, you must always hold the drill vertically. You should adopt a simple motion to do the drilling, preferably circular. Patience is a vital factor here. Putting on too much pressure at once will damage your sink.
Step 5: Inspection of Hole
Once you have cut your hole, it is not easy to adjust it. It can be made bigger in size, but not smaller. Hence, inspection is necessary.
Some people advise inspection after the completion of drilling. But it is more of a simultaneous step. You should obviously do it after finishing up the drilling part, but you should also do it in the process.
Since your drilling motion is circular, it is apt to keep the shape of the hole round. Abnormally shaped holes are faulty and can cause leaks. The more proportionate the hole is, the better.
While drilling, stop at specific intervals and measure the size of your hole. Then, after finishing up, carefully inspect whether the hole size aligns with the drain or not.
Step 6: Smoothening the Edges
You have finally cut the hole, but your work does not end there. Since it is a self-cut hole on a stainless steel surface, it will need some furnishing.
You will need any sort of furnishing tool for this step. Our top picks are sandpaper and emery tape. On stainless steel, both of these objects will serve the same purpose.
Rough edges are supposed to be located inside the hole. Take your sandpaper or emery tape, and gradually smoothen these edges. Make sure that whichever tool you use has a fine grit.
Another thing that you have to ensure in this step is safety. The rough edges of stainless steel can be very sharp. You are advised to be careful and take necessary precautions to avoid injuries.
Step 7: Finishing up
We have arrived at the final step. A lot of people skip this part, but we advise you to do it anyway. Finishing up a job gives it a nice touch, and should never be skipped.
Cleaning the sink as well as the entire workspace is the primary goal of this step. For this part, cleaning tools are required. If you use a paper towel and a dryer, you are good to go!
At first, get rid of the masking tape placed at the very beginning. Then, clean the area around the spot of drilling. You can use a washcloth or a paper towel to do so.
If there are any shavings on the top area of the sink, use a dryer to blow it away.
Let’s Get Started!
So, this was our detailed guide on how to cut a hole in a stainless steel sink. We sincerely hope it helped you learn a few things or two about cutting holes in general.
Now that you know the basics of hole-cutting, there is no excuse to slack off. Get your tools and start working right now!