"Maybe it's less about DIY versus pro and more about knowing your limits and the quality of materials you're using."
Exactly this. I've seen epoxy repairs hold up great, but prep is key—cleaning, sanding, proper mixing... skip one step and you're asking for trouble. DIY or pro, shortcuts rarely pay off.
Totally agree on the prep part—seen plenty of epoxy jobs turn ugly fast because someone rushed it or skimped on sanding. Couple extra points I'd throw in:
- Epoxy kits vary wildly in quality. The cheap ones from big-box stores can be hit-or-miss. If you're going DIY, spend the extra few bucks for a reputable brand with solid reviews.
- Consider sink material too. Porcelain or ceramic sinks usually bond pretty well, but I've noticed fiberglass or acrylic can be tricky. They flex more, and even a good epoxy might crack again down the line.
- Also depends on where the crack is. If it's near the drain or faucet hole, constant water exposure and pressure can shorten the repair lifespan significantly.
Bottom line, DIY can definitely work if you're thorough and realistic about expectations...but sometimes biting the bullet and calling a pro saves headaches later on.
"Consider sink material too. Porcelain or ceramic sinks usually bond pretty well, but I've noticed fiberglass or acrylic can be tricky."
Yep, learned this one the hard way! Last summer, my cousin called me over to help him fix a nasty crack in his fiberglass sink. He'd bought one of those DIY epoxy kits from the hardware store—pretty sure it was the cheapest one he could find, knowing him—and we spent a good couple hours prepping and sanding. Honestly, it looked pretty solid when we finished, and we were patting ourselves on the back thinking we'd saved a ton of cash.
Fast forward two weeks later, I'm at his place again for a barbecue, and I hear him swearing from the kitchen. Turns out the crack had reopened, and this time it brought friends—tiny spiderweb cracks everywhere. Looked like a roadmap of regret, haha. We figured out later the sink flexed slightly whenever you leaned on it (fiberglass sinks seem to do that more), and that tiny bit of movement was enough to ruin our masterpiece.
So yeah, totally second your point about fiberglass and acrylic being tricky. Porcelain is way more forgiving in my experience, but even then, location matters big-time. Anything near the drain or faucet hole is just asking for trouble eventually.
Honestly though, if you're handy and patient (and willing to splurge a little on quality materials), DIY can still be worth a shot. Just don't expect miracles—especially if you're dealing with a flexy sink material or a spot that's constantly wet. Otherwise, you might end up like my cousin, who ended up calling a pro anyway...and paying extra because they had to undo our "handiwork" first. Lesson learned!
I've actually had decent luck with fiberglass sinks, but the trick was using a reinforcing mesh beneath the epoxy. Most DIY kits skip that step, but without it, you're basically just patching the surface—doesn't hold up long-term. Worth trying before calling a pro, imo.
"Most DIY kits skip that step, but without it, you're basically just patching the surface—doesn't hold up long-term."
Good point about the mesh reinforcement. I've tried a DIY epoxy kit before (no mesh included), and honestly, it looked great...for about three months. Then the crack slowly reappeared. If anyone's going to try this route, make sure you prep thoroughly—sand down the area, clean off any residue, and definitely use that reinforcing mesh underneath. Otherwise, you're probably better off biting the bullet and calling someone in.
