Planning guide
Sink base storage options compared
A sink base gives you four realistic ways to store things: a U shaped drawer, a tip out tray behind the false front, a roll out tray behind the doors, or a plain shelf. Each one suits a different cabinet and a different tangle of pipes. Here is how they compare, and which one fits your plumbing.
Quick answer. A U shaped drawer gives the most usable space, with sides up to 12 3/4 in tall that wrap the drain, but the doors come off and a drawer front goes on. A roll out tray keeps your doors and slides out under or around the plumbing. A tip out tray uses the shallow space behind the false front for sponges, and an open shelf costs the least but leaves you reaching past the pipes.
The four options side by side
| U shaped drawer | Tip out tray | Roll out tray | Open shelf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOW IT OPENS | One pull on a drawer front | Tilt the false front forward | Open the doors, pull the tray | Open the doors, reach in |
| USABLE SPACE | Most. Tall sides, full width | Least. Sponges and brushes | Good, low sides | Fair, back corners are hard to reach |
| PLUMBING FIT | Notch wraps the drain | Sits in front of the bowl, ignores pipes | Passes under the pipes or notched around them | Cut around the pipes, or half depth |
| CABINET CHANGE | Doors off, drawer front on, no center stile | Hinge kit on the false front | None | None |
| DIY EFFORT | Moderate | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| WHO BUILDS IT | We do | Hardware kit | We do | Your cabinet maker |
U shaped drawer
A full height dovetail drawer box with a rectangular notch cut into the back. The notch is open at the rear, so the drain sits inside it when the drawer is closed. It is the only option that gives you one tall drawer with no doors to open first. Read how we build these to your plumbing on our U shaped sink drawers page, or build yours in the configurator.
- Pros. Most storage. Bottles stand up. Opens in one motion. Soft close with the right slides.
- Cons. The doors come off and a drawer front goes on. A face frame center stile has to go. Every leg needs at least 3 in of width, so a drain hugging a cabinet side rules it out.
- Best for. Remodels, new kitchens and frameless cabinets with a clear opening.
False front with a tip out tray
Most sink bases have a fixed panel at the top that looks like a drawer front but does not open, because the sink bowl sits right behind it. A tip out kit puts hinges on that panel and hangs a shallow tray behind it. There is only a couple of inches of room between the panel and the bowl, so it holds sponges, scrubbers and a brush, not bottles.
- Pros. Uses space nothing else can reach. Cheap and quick to add. Works with any plumbing.
- Cons. Tiny capacity. Some false fronts are too short or too close to the bowl for a tray.
- Best for. Adding to any of the other three options. It does not compete with them.
Roll out tray behind the doors
A low walled drawer box on slides that sits on the cabinet floor behind the doors. If the pipes hang high enough, the tray passes under them. If not, it gets a notch of its own. You keep your doors and your fronts. Our under sink pull out drawers page covers these trays.
- Pros. No cabinet changes. Works in face frame cabinets, one tray per side of a center stile if you need to. Brings the back of the cabinet to you.
- Cons. Two steps to open: doors, then tray. Low sides mean tall bottles lean. The tray has to clear the door hinges and any center stile.
- Best for. Keeping existing doors, rentals, and cabinets with a center stile you do not want to cut.
Open shelf
A half depth shelf or a shelf cut around the pipes. It is the cheapest option and it fits around almost anything. The trouble is reach. Whatever lands at the back stays at the back.
- Pros. Low cost. Fits around water filters, hot water tanks and odd plumbing.
- Cons. You still kneel and reach. Nothing slides out.
- Best for. Cabinets so full of equipment that nothing can slide.
Which option suits your plumbing
Open the doors and look. Your plumbing usually makes the decision for you.
| What you see under the sink | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ONE TRAP NEAR THE CENTER, DRAIN INTO THE WALL | U shaped drawer | A centered notch leaves two wide legs |
| TRAP OFF TO ONE SIDE, AT LEAST 3 IN FROM THE CABINET SIDE | U shaped drawer | The notch moves with the drain, legs come out uneven |
| TRAP HUGGING A CABINET SIDE | Roll out tray | No room for a leg on that side |
| DRAIN GOING INTO THE FLOOR | U shaped drawer or notched tray | The notch runs full height, so a floor pipe sits inside it |
| DISPOSAL HANGING LOW, VALVES LOW ON THE WALL | Low U shaped drawer or roll out tray | Height is limited, a lower box passes under them |
| FILTER OR HOT WATER TANK ON ONE SIDE | Half width roll out tray or shelf | The tank takes the space a leg would need |
| FACE FRAME CENTER STILE YOU WANT TO KEEP | Roll out trays | A U shaped drawer needs a clear opening |
If you are leaning toward a U shaped drawer, check the numbers in how to measure plumbing for a U shaped drawer and the box sizes in sink base drawer sizes.
How to choose in four steps
1. Decide on the doors
Happy to swap the doors for a drawer front? A U shaped drawer is on the table. Keeping the doors? Go roll out tray.
2. Look for a center stile
A face frame with a center stile needs it removed for a U shaped drawer. Otherwise plan one tray per side.
3. Map the plumbing
Note where the trap sits side to side and the height of anything over the spots where the legs would run. Use our measuring guide for the opening.
4. Add a tip out if you like
It pairs with any of the others and handles the sponges.
Both drawer options are built the same way as every box we make: true interlocking dovetail joints on all four corners, Baltic Birch as our standard or Hard Maple (Select Grade), cut to the 1/32 inch in our Las Vegas shop. Need slides? We carry undermount slides and side mount slides from Blum and Würth.
Sink base storage questions
Is a U shaped drawer better than a roll out tray?
It holds more and opens in one pull, so most people prefer it in a new or remodeled kitchen. A roll out tray wins when you want to keep your doors, when there is a center stile, or when the drain sits too close to a cabinet side for a leg.
Can I turn my sink base doors into a drawer?
Usually, yes. The doors come off, a U shaped drawer box goes in on slides, and a drawer front attaches to the box. The opening needs to be clear side to side, so a face frame center stile has to come out first.
Can I have a tip out tray and a U shaped drawer?
Yes. The tip out tray lives behind the false front at the top, and the U shaped drawer sits below it where the doors used to be. They do not compete for space.
What if the plumbing fills most of the cabinet?
Then a half width roll out tray on the open side, or a shelf, is usually the answer. A U shaped drawer needs at least 3 in of leg on each side of the notch, and a tray or shelf can work in whatever space is left.
Which option holds tall bottles?
The U shaped drawer. Its sides can be up to 12 3/4 in tall, so spray bottles and dish soap stand up in the legs. Roll out trays have low sides, and tip out trays only hold small items.
Do I need new cabinets for any of these?
No. All four go into an existing sink base. Only the U shaped drawer changes the cabinet face, because the doors are replaced by a drawer front.
Picked your option?
We build U shaped sink drawers and roll out trays to your cabinet and your plumbing, cut to the 1/32 inch. Build your U shaped drawer in the configurator, where every option shows its price as you build it. Roll out trays start on our under sink pull out drawers page.