Bunnings
Icon - Website - Mobile - Add to project list.svgIcon - Website - Mobile - Cart.svg

Sign in or sign up

No Bunnings account? Sign up
Go to Trade

Project list

Sign in to your account

Products
DIY Advice
Services
Stores
Sign up
Our Price Guarantee
Go To Trade
Our Price Guarantee

How to create a cut out for sinks and cooktops

Person drawing around the edge of a sink with a pencil.

Overview

We'll show you how to cut a hole in your benchtop for a kitchen sink. You can follow the same steps for a cooktop. Starting with an easy way to trace out your cutline on the benchtop. Then you'll see how to cut the hole with a circular saw and a jigsaw. 

Tools and materials

Tools

Materials

Steps

1Mark the cut line for the sink on the benchtop

Flip the sink over and position it on the bench. Line it up so the basin is directly over one cabinet and the lip is 50-60mm back from the bench edge. Now trace around it with a pencil. Take the sink away and mark out a second outline 10mm inside the first. This will be your cut line.
Person drawing around the edge of a sink with a pencil.

2Cut out the hole for the sink

Before you start cutting, make sure there are no pipes or screws under your cut lines. (If there are, you can always remove them temporarily.) Measure the thickness of your bench and set your circular saw blade to cut 10mm deeper than your bench. Now cut along your lines, stopping just before you reach the corners. Then use your jigsaw to cut out the corners. Remove the cut out and your sink is ready to install. You can make this job a little easier by drilling a hole on the inside of your cutline first. Then use than hole as a starting point for cutting out with your jigsaw, and finish off with the circular saw.
Person cutting kitchen benchtop with handsaw.

Suggested products

More D.I.Y. Advice

View all
View all
Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.