Pitted Sink

by Mary
(Sterling Height, MI)

I just had my kitchen gutted and remodeled. The Stainless Sink he installed had what looks like rust pits. I have Granite on it. Does the Contractor have to lift the Granite to give me another sink? What made the sink pit so soon? I have only had my sink three weeks.


Hi Mary,

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

Stainless steel sinks of good quality should never rust, unless the sink is constantly damp. Some forms of stainless are more prone to rusting than others. I suspect that the metal used in the sink is defective or of low quality. Rusting should not be a problem so early on.

Pitting is also most often caused from having the sink constantly wet, in most cases from having a sink protector in the sink at all times. It should be removed after every use. But still, this would take many months or even years to happen.

Undermount sinks are installed properly by epoxying retaining clips to the granite. If this is the case, then changing the sink shouldn't be much of a problem.

The problem is when the plywood used to support the sink and the granite is installed under the sink, the sink is sandwiched between the plywood and granite, and clips are not used. If this is the case then the sink cannot be replaced very easily, the countertop has to come up to get the sink out. This is somewhat common as it's the easiest and fastest way to install an undermount sink, but not the preferred way by most granite countertop installers and remodeling professionals.

Depending on how many joints there are, removing the granite will not be easy, and the possibility of breaking the granite around the sink area is increased greatly.

I would get in touch with your contractor and see what can be done to resolve your situation, hopefully it will go well and you'll have a new sink in no time with little fuss.

I hope all goes well, and good luck,
Toby