I’m getting new countertops, and might as well throw in a new sink. I’m strongly leaning towards dark, almost blackish with swirls and such for the countertops. This would be formica-like, or whatever they call it these days. I can get that for under $100, not corian but about 5% of the Corrian cost. Because it’s formica-like, it will have to be a drop-in sink rather than under the counter.
Sinks. I wanted a blackish one, and a granite one looks cool, but now I hear they stain very easily, ie) coffee and spaghetti sauce stains. (according to people on my local messageboard) can anyone deny or confirm that? (approx $200)
One suggested going back to stainless steel (<$100), either ‘polished’ or ‘satin-finished’. I have one now, and it works well, but it reminds me of my days as a dishwasher, this industrial feeling. Plus I don’t think it looks as sharp as a granite or a…
…porcelain sink. The white is ok, a black would look better though, assuming it’s not too much more.
So, can someone recommend or not recommend one or the other? Are granites holding up well for you? Does porcelain stain or chip easily? WOuld you never buy another ___ sink? Help out a single guy here who changes with the wind.
ps) I am thinking of selling in the next few years, but I’ve been saying that for more than a few years now…
We have porcelain. The former owners of this house went for white everything - cabinets, countertops (laminate) and sink.
There’s a brass ring that is where the garbage disposal attaches. It was originally covered in some sort of plasticky stuff, that has long-since started to chip away. As a result, it looks like crap. The sink looks stained unless we scour it. It’s bulky (sits a half-inch or more above the countertop, as it’s a drop-in). It is a double sink, but the dividing part is so thick that neither side is large enough to wash a large baking pan. In short, it sucks and I hate it. I wouldn’t have chosen it myself but it was a relatively minor flaw in an otherwise nice house. I’d like to replace it but a good stainless sink would be hundreds of dollars and if we do that, why not fix the crummy laminate countertop, and if we do that, why not fix the poorly-configured cabinetry… So for want of a sink, the kitchen is lost
Stainless advantages. They’re, well, stainless. I wouldn’t go for a mirror finish one but the brushed finish ones always look fairly decent even if they’re not freshly-scoured. You can get them in a variety of configurations - one large bowl, two even-sized bowls, two asymmetric bowls… drop-in (the one I elected when we did a remodel at our last house) or undermount (better appearance, easier to scrape stuff off the counter, but obviously not an option for you). They’re pretty well indestructible - the one my parents installed in the late 50s (or maybe early 60s) still looked great when we sold the house last year.
Can’t comment on granite except that stain-resistance would be a pretty big issue for me - it’s one of the reasons we didn’t do granite countertops in our last remodel.
Also not an option for you since you’re not doing Corian or whatever, but they make integral sinks for Corian - counter and sink wind up being all one piece. No lips to catch stuff when you’re trying to clean the counter. I avoided that again because of concerns over what if it’s stained / damaged.
Just a comment about the stainless double sink I installed in my new house:
It’s terrific, looks great, but when you run the garbage disposer, which is supported by the sink itself, the entire kitchen shakes. This doesn’t happen with a porcelain sink.
I haven’t found a solution yet, I’m not sure if there is one.
I had a porcelain sink for 10 years, then got granite countertops and a new porcelain sink. The old one was still in great shape but had to get a different type to be under-mounted with the granite. I happen to really like porcelain sinks. The trick is to clean them a little bit all the time instead of waiting until they get grungy and then trying to scrub the shit out of them. I rarely drink coffee so I must add that daily coffee drinkers will have more a stain issue from dumping coffee down the drain.
I have also had stainless steel, which looks sharp and is easy to take care of.
I have not heard of using granite for sinks. Granite is porous but generally has a sealant to prevent staining, but I’m not sure how well it would hold up under banging pots and pans, forks and knives around a granite sink. It sounds out of proportion to get laminate countertops with a granite sink, though.
I think granite looks beautiful, and I’ve heard that it holds up well, but something to keep in mind is: you will break dishes in there A LOT. Granite is much more unforgiving with glass, china and ceramics than stainless steel or porcelain.
Seriously, I’m in the exact same boat, with a white kitchen, including crummy white vinyl floors that were stained when we moved in. The porcelain sink sits up too high above the counter, so the bit between the sink and backsplash never gets properly clean. The thing gets scuffs every time you put a pan down in it. Worst of all, IMHO, is that the bottom of the sink is almost flat, so as the sink drains everything settles on the bottom rather than getting ‘flushed’ down the drain. I then have to chase sink junk around with the sprayer, trying to get it to into the disposal or drain. And yeah, the divider between the two halves is too damn wide. And the assymetry of the sink means that the faucet sticks out too far over the small side and not far enough over the big side, making filling pots a hassle. God I hate that sink. I’m going to go with stainless steel when we get around to the kitchen remodel.
Given that you’re not going to some kind of a solid-surface for the countertops, AND that you are thinking of maybe selling in a few years (or not), I’d personally go with one of two options.
One, a stainless steel sink. We’ve had one for years and years and never had any probs with them. Plus, the newer ones can have extra-deep bowls, extended areas in the corners to handle pot handles, etc. Avail in undermounts, and yes, kind to dishes.
Second, an acrylic sink. Also a simple drop-in, but I think they may be also available in undermount, too. Not sure. Some color choice, also very light, and also kind to dishes.
Without solid-surface of some kind, I just wouldn’t go any fancier than this.
I WOULD add a kick-butt faucet and a hotwater dispenser as long as you’re under there, and a dish soap dispenser, though.
I’ve never liked the look of stainless steel-- too industrial. That’s what my sink is now, and though I appreciate the low-maintenance aspects, I still hate the look of it.
My mother-in-law has a porcelain sink, and loves it. She has a rubber pad in the bottom of it to keep the bottom from getting chipped of cracked from a dropped dish, and she doesn’t have any problems with staining. (After five years, it still looks brand-new.) Now, she probably has less problems with staining than most people because she’s not one to let dishes sit in the sink, or pour something down the drain without rinsing well afterwards. Secondly, she’s a person who always buys the highest quality, so the durability of hers is probably different from mid-range sinks.
The Big Cheese, if you’re considering reselling, I would caution you away from black in the kitchen, unless your entire house is ultra-modern. You want to stay as neutral as possible in semi-permenant changes. An unusual paint color buyers can forgive, because they’ll likely want to paint anyway, but anyone who doesn’t like a black kitchen would have to consider spending big bucks to get it changed. It might keep them from buying the house.
We recently installed a granite sink. It is not really granite, but some kind of resin that is mixed with granite. It is not much like real granite at all. I haven’t had any problem with staining and I haven’t broken anything in it (if anything, it seems more forgiving than porcelain). My wife and I like it a lot.
I’ve got a thermocast sink (I think that’s what it’s called - it’s a synthetic material) and I wish I’d gone for porcelain. I like the size and shape of my sink - it’s 9" deep, which is almost too deep. But it took one baking dish hitting against the center divider just once to knock a big chunk out of it - only months after we bought it. So now I’ve got a rubber pad hanging over the divider - looks real classy, I tell ya…
After we finish our bathroom remodels, I’m going to shop for a proper porcelain sink for my kitchen.
I vote for a porcelain sink in off-white with a granite countertop. Though, as Beadalin has warned, I’ve chipped the hell out of my Pfaltzgraf dinnerware. I’m actually going to switch to Corelle here soon, because it’s granite-proof, plus it comes in nice patterns now (it ain’t your Mom’s Corelle).
You might also consider an overmounted sink because if you don’t like your undermounted one, it’s a bugger to get it replaced.
You mean like Comet? I use that all the time on mine.
Thanks for all the info. I’m leaning towards stainless steel now, and rethink the black. It’s dark, not totally black. Maybe I’ll go with the sand/khaki colored one. I hate these decisions, it’s times like this I really wish I was married. It took me all of 2 hours to buy a new $1400 mountain bike saturday, but sinks…??
Before I get to your actual Q, I want to recommend a deep sink and a faucet that arches high over the sink. You don’t often have to wash a stockpot or fill a bucket, but when you do, you don’t want to go to the bathtub. Get the spray rinser, too.
In porcelain, you can get p-coated steel, p-coated cast iron, and all porcelain. They have their differences in price and noise. Ask a dealer, or a plumber. I have chipped a coated sink, and when I was a kid I dulled some porcelain sinks by scouring. Once you scratch up that glaze, it’ll never be shiny again.
Stainless steel can be cleaned easily with acid, ranging from vinegar to Lime-A-Way (phosphoric acid.) That dissolves the water spots and crusty lime. I like the satin finish, because you can use a scrub pad and still have a satin finish.
Whatever you get, use a perforated rubber floor in the sink. It protects your dishes and your sink.
I thought it was scouring powder. A friend of my parents cleaned the sink with some abrasive and then everything started sticking to it. Maybe it was something else.
Our sink is a cast iron sink with a porcelin overlay.
It is a gray-white flecked coloring. It was a warehouse remnant from a trade show display that we got for $100 but a shitty faucet that needed interior pipes replaced. ( After a year or so we got a new faucet anyways. )
I love my sink. It is my favorite thing in the kitchen. It is deep, large and solid.
( Ooooooh, sexual!)
Every once in a while there is a need to scrub the crap out of it as we have well water and the minerals put a tinge to it all, and then there is the flotsam of lifes daily ickies that cause yucks. I won’t fool you, the porcelin is slightly absorbent to Life’s Yuckies, and there is a certain amount of upkeep involved depending your level of Anal Retentiveness. ( I am about a 5.5 out of a 1-10 scoring. Which flares up to a 12 minutes before guests arrive for a party cause you know I will be judged by how bright and shiny my sink is, don’tchaknow.)
I just use Bar Keeper’s Friend I think this is better than Comet. or I fill it partially with hot water and put in a little bleach and let it soak. ( This is usually done if we go away for a weekend.) And I’ve just discovered the joys of Lysol Foaming Hospital Grade Cleanser. Toxic, smelly and fantastic and cleaning. Cleaning and germbusting in the same bottle!
I am envious of Stainsteel sinks and their low maintenence , but I have never seen a sink of this size in stainless steel. The right side is huge and the left size
( where the disposal goes) is about six inches across. (then again, I haven’t really looked since 1993.)
When the garbage disposal runs, it sounds solid and connected. I never really noticed it before until the above doper mentioned it. Everyone else’s GD’s sound like they are some tasmanian devil trying to break free from their under the sink cage. Mine sounds like a lion underneath just roaring away at all the goodies I cram down it.
I haven’t had any problems with chipping of the porcelin. I’ve broken a few glasses and dishes in the sink, but that could have happened with regular stainless steel too. A sink mat has helped considerably.