The IKEA DOMSJO sink was discontinued – now what?

If you’ve found this blog post, there’s a good chance you Googled “IKEA DOMSJO sink replacement” or “IKEA DOMSJO sink was discontinued”or “IKEA DOMSJO sink alternative”. And the worst part about that means that there’s a good chance you’re one of the thousands of people who bought one over the past decade and suddenly something happened to it. It broke. It cracked. You dropped a cast iron pot and it shattered. Some expletives were said out loud.

Then you calm down and think to yourself, no big deal, I’ll just go get one from IKEA because it’s been there forever. Only to discover that the world has plotted against you and the IKEA DOMSJO sink has been discontinued since you put yours in your kitchen.

Now you’re staring at the your countertops, that obviously were cut out and modified to fit the DOMSJO and you’re like, “Ok, there has to be a counter depth sink that I can buy to replace it. Surely IKEA would have come out with a replacement for it, I mean it has a 25 year warranty.”

Well my friend, you’re about to find out how screwed you are.

Not only does IKEA not have a replacement for the sink, the one that came after the IKEA DOMSJO was discontinued “as its replacement”, was the HAVSEN sink.

IKEA’s HAVSEN Double Bowl Sink

The HAVSEN is a lovely farmhouse, apron style sink, but it’s definitely not a counter depth sink. It is much smaller than the DOMSJO in terms of bowl depth and is missing the famous back ridges the DOMSJO was known for.

Our friends have one in their new kitchen. I suggested they buy a spare.

The back end – meaning the ridges of the DOMSJO sink by the faucet – was one of the selling features of the DOMSJO. There were also many people that hated them and preferred an undermount apron house sink.

BUT the full counterdepth factor of the sink, was actually a very practical thing.

1. It allowed owners to have straight cuts made into their countertops to match the sink versus a custom cut out. What does that mean? Major cost savings in a kitchen renovation.
2. If you have butcher block countertops, you don’t have to worry about water damage around the faucet. Which is why it was a huge favorite of butcher block countertop fans.

IKEA’s now discontinued DOMSJO sink

But it’s gone.

So gone.

Now what do I do? I need a new sink! HELP!

After reading that you may be staring at your kitchen right now about to Tweet IKEA with rage. Join the club. We have double bowl DOMSJO sink and while ours is still in one piece, a mere two weeks after we put in, two small chips appeared on the bottom of the left side bowl.

They’re tiny but I guarantee one day, something will inevitably get worse and we will be needing to replace it.

I’ve messaged IKEA before about this and that’s one of the reasons it was discontinued. Issues with cracking and chipping.  If you still have one and it’s in great condition, this is your warning to be extra careful with it. Otherwise you will join the rest of broken DOMSJO sink owners who are internally screaming right now, wondering how much it will cost to replace their kitchen countertops.

And that is why I wanted to write this post.

To help you and most likely us in the future with design and sink options. There are at least half a dozen threads on Reddit about this topic already, so it’s starting to become a problem.

First the basics.

The IKEA Double Bowl DOMSJO sink measurements (in North America, see notes about sizing***) are as follows.

Width: 36 5/8 “

Depth: 27 “ 

Height: 9 1/8 “

NOTES ABOUT SIZING***

Apparently the DOMSJO sink has had different measurements depending what year it was made (as in the AKURUM kitchen days), versus the IKEA METOD / SEKTION years.

IKEA kitchens in the United States and Canada are called SEKTION where as Europe, and Australia’s kitchens are called METOD. You can read about the differences on Inspired Kitchen Design.

We live in Canada so this post is about the North American sized DOMSJO sink.

The top of the DOMSJO is 37” wide. It has a lip on both sides of the sink that lets it sit on top of the edges of your countertop. 

When you measure just the front of it, it’s actually 36”. This is ours when we first put it into our kitchen (we still have no backsplash).

IKEA’s installation instructions for the DOMSJO show photos of the countertops being notched out at the front of the sink, to accommodate the apron front counter that sticks out.

We did not do this with our butcher block counters.

The edges of the butcher block countertops were cut straight and the DOMSJO was placed over it, with reinforcements from underneath. You will have to check yours to see what happened on your installation.

The goal here is to get you to replace your sink and at worst your sink cabinet and hide stuff with trim, instead of thousands of dollars in Soapstone / Granite / Quartz replacement countertops.

Here are several blog tutorials from people who installed the DOMSJO (so you can see the side and underneath of it):

One Project at a Time

Remodeling Calculator

Remodeling Calculator Video of the above blog

How to Install an IKEA DOMSJO farmhouse sink (video from Tom Tarrant)

In this post I discuss and look for replacements for the double bowl DOMSJO sink. For those of you who have the single bowl, here are the measurements for the IKEA single bowl DOMSJO sink (North American sizing):

Width: 24 3/8 “

Depth: 27 ” 

Height: 9 1/8 “

SINK MEASUREMENTS AND CABINET MEASUREMENT ISSUES

One thing to keep in mind is that sink measurements overall can be deceiving because of curved edges, and sink designs. As someone who has gone into stores to measure counter depth fridges for example, there’s usually a 50% chance that the measurement is off by an inch or centimetre compared to the ONLINE measurements in the product description.

This is actually the case with one of my favorite refrigerators from Frigidaire. The online measurements say 27-1/8″, but I’ve measured it in person and it’s actually 26.5”. 

This is also why a brand’s technical drawing specs are very important, but so is your ability to measure *your* space properly.

Not everyone has the same kitchen counter depth measurements or sink cabinet measurement. Maybe your DOMSJO sink is in an island and not a standard countertop along a wall. Maybe you have something else besides a dishwasher to the side of your sink and there is more trim hiding a gap.

All of this will matter.

Common sense dictates that, if you can see a sink in person, absolutely do so. Otherwise make sure there is a really good return policy.

IKEA DOMSJO SINK REPLACEMENT OPTIONS

I’ve done a lot of searching for Counter Depth sinks, and I am not the only one who wants one, even outside of the DOMSJO sink issue. You’d think there would be more on the market.

Before I begin, here is a link to a universal measurement converter because you could be measuring in centimetres and someone else could be measuring in inches, depending on where in the world you are:

Just to keep this post consistent and for comparison’s sake, I am using inches for each example.

SINK OPTIONS

1) KOHLER VAULT stainless steel apron front sink. Here are the measurements and specs on KOHLER’s site. 

KOHLER’s version does require a 36” base cabinet like the DOMSJO, but the KOHLER’s measurements are as follows:

Width: 35 3/4″

Depth: 24 5/16″

Height: 9 5/16″

While it’s not a white apron front sink, there’s an actual testimonial on Amazon from a customer whose IKEA sink broke, and they replaced it with this one. 

 

2) Kingston Brass Gourmetier Edinburg Double Bowl Kitchen Sink 

Width: 35 3/4″

Depth: 24 5/16″

Height: 9 5/16″

I am assuming (and seriously we all know what happens to people who assume) that this would require a 36” cabinet as well. Here are the technical specs for the sink.

 

And again, not farmhouse, ceramic white. But these two above are the closest measurements of current sinks on the market that would fit the DOMSJO double bowl space. I reiterate, closest, not exact.

The biggest issue would be sink depth. The IKEA one is deeper. So you can cheat around that by adding support at the sides of the sink cabinet to fill in that gap, or replace your cabinet. Which if you have Quartz countertops, is cheaper than replacing your Quartz countertops.

3)  Villeroy & Boch Double Bowl Butler Sink (UK brand)

Width: 35 1/4”

Depth:  24 13/16”

Height: 8 11/16”

Here is a link to the technical specs and measurements for it. Measurements are in Millimeters because it is a UK company. 

4) Kümbad KIWI Double Bowl sink

This sink is sold on a site called Cuisissimo located in Paris France.

The Good News? They actually have several different counter depth sinks from different brands. Some with single bowls and a washboard and others with a double bowl. It’s worth peeking around to see what they have. Here are the technical specs.

Bad news? If you live in North America, you’re out of luck. They don’t ship here.

Width: 35 ¼

Depth: 24 13/16

Height: 8 1/4

Neither of the above two are as wide as the DOMSJO according to the website measurements. But remember what I said about measurements. If you’re interested in them, contact the brand, and get them to actually measure a sink for you with a measuring tape or explain your issue. Any reputable brand should be able to have inventory somewhere that they can share with you.

5) Have a sink custom made. Here are several companies who offer this service:

Haven’s Luxury Metals

Texas Lightsmith

Elkay

Vermont Soapstone

I WANT MORE OPTIONS. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

I get it. It’s hard when you have a vision of something in your head, and you’re unable to fix it or let alone have the money to fix the problem. All of those above cost more than what you paid for your DOMSJO and most are not a white farmhouse sink.

Here are some ideas that may help. 

If you have butcher block countertops, you’re probably in what I call the least financially bad replacement option category.

Butcher blocks, especially if you got yours at IKEA or Lumber Liquidators, are not the most expensive countertop to replace. So the least stressful option is to get a new block of them, get a new sink of your choice that fits into the 36” cabinet (undermount or otherwise), and get on with your day.

Another option for butcher block or any countertop for that matter, is this genius little trick by Devol Kitchens, who if you haven’t discovered yet, you will fall madly in love with their kitchen designs.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by deVOL Kitchens (@devolkitchens)

In a galley kitchen, they used a butcher block countertop and apron front sink, but instead of mounting the faucet into the butcher block, they put a piece of stone behind the sink and put the faucet into that. So basically creating a ledge behind the apron front sink. It looks amazing!

They do this in several designs and it’s a really brilliant look.

PS – YOU CAN DO THIS WITH A COUNTER ASIDE FROM BUTCHER BLOCK.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by deVOL Kitchens (@devolkitchens)

You can easily do this with the HAVSEN, IKEA’s quasi replacement sink for the DOMSJO, and leave your existing countertops as is. Just get a piece of stone or marble cut out in the dimension between the sink and the wall, and slot your faucet into that.

3) Design idea from Beginning in the Middle

Catherine and Brian from Beginning in the Middle have the most amazing kitchen, and they have their sink in an island. It is a combined marble and walnut surface island. This is something that can absolutely be done to accommodate a new sink around the sink cabinet. 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Catherine + Bryan (@beginninginthemiddle)

3) Get a wall mounted vintage sink instead

Choose a new 36” apron front sink and create a shelf behind it, similar to this one that Jean Stoffer Design did in this laundry room. A lot of people do this with wall mounted vintage sinks when their countertops are not deep enough to accommodate it.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jean Stoffer (@jeanstofferdesign)

Which is in itself, a very cool look with the wall mounted faucets.

There’s a company called nbi Drainboard Sinks that makes a 36″ x 24″ one. This way you you can fix the front of the cabinet to mask the apron front and get a new wall faucet instead.

(NOTE: they do not deliver to Canada)

4) Have a matching or custom piece of countertop added behind your new sink

If you have a stone countertop and cannot afford to replace the section with the sink (which is about 90% of us), your best bet is to choose a 36” wide apron front sink with the deepest sink depth you can find, and get a matching piece of countertop cut out for behind it.

Then hire someone who is an expert at installations and get them to install the matching piece and minimize the seams on either side of your new sink, as much as humanely possible.

I hate seams, so if you’re like nope, that’s not what I want, I understand. But it is more economical than replacing an entire section of counters, until you can save up money to replace that section with the sink.

5) Find an old DOMSJO second hand online

Keep checking Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji. People are always renovating and changing things up. Post a notice saying you’re looking for a DOMSJO sink so that people can find you if they’re getting rid of one. It’s a long shot, but it’s a big world.

ADVICE FOR KITCHEN RENOVATIONS 

I feel like this is a good lesson to keep in mind for any kitchen renovation, in that finding a sink that has common measurements and is offered by different brands, is a HUGE deal. Because farmhouse style, apron front sinks are known to break and chip.

And if you ever need to replace one, IKEA or otherwise, you need to be able to find one. 

We never think they’ll get damaged but it takes one bad cast iron pot to slip out of your hands, and you’ll find yourself in the depths of sink replacement hell.

IKEA BREDSJON SINK

IKEA has come out with a stainless steel, counterdepth sink called the Bredsjon. It is not available as a top mount, apron front in North America. I asked in the comments if it was and so did someone else, but they were advised against offering it here.

It doesn’t matter anyway as the measurements do not match that of the DOMSJO. Click right on the Instagram image to see it.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Anki Holmqvist (@ikea_kitchen_stories)

I do hope that IKEA comes out with a new full counter depth sink in the future, made of better materials. One that actually replaces the DOMSJO. I think if you’re going to offer a 25 year warranty, you should have a comparable product to honor that. 

In the meantime, if you’ve come across any sinks or solutions to this or have experienced this yourself, leave a note in the comments and let us know what’s out there or what you did to solve this issue.

PS – If ours broke tomorrow, because we have butcher block, I would just get the HAVSEN and do the Devol trick above. Then I can finally get the bridge faucet I have coveted for years. Until then…