Step 1: Trace the Manufacturer’s Sink Template
Place your sink template upside down on the countertop. Measure from the front and back edges of your base cabinet to ensure the bowl will clear the cabinet face frame and plumbing. Tape the template down with blue painter’s tape and trace the cut line with a pencil.
Step 2: Lay Down Protective Blue Tape
Cover the entire perimeter of the line with 2-inch wide blue painter’s tape and re-mark your line on top of the tape. This protects the laminate from shoe friction scratches and supports the fragile melamine surface fibers.
Step 3: Drill Corner Starter Holes
Chuck a 1/2-inch brad-point or spade bit into your cordless drill. Drill four starter holes just inside the corner radius markings, ensuring the bit never crosses the cut line into the finished countertop area.
Step 4: Secure the Center Cutout Slug with Cleats
This is the secret pro step: as you cut the fourth side, the heavy 30-pound particleboard cutout will sag under gravity, tearing the final corner.
- After completing two sides, screw two scrap 1x4 wood cleats across the cutout into the scrap area so they span onto the surrounding countertop, keeping the slug perfectly suspended.
Step 5: Seal the Cut Edge with Silicone
Once removed, apply a thick continuous bead of 100% silicone sealant over the exposed particleboard core inside the cutout to protect against future water damage from sink splashes.
Check out the Bosch T 101 BR Down-Cut Blade and browse our US Jigsaws.