# Let's talk kitchen sinks: Granite, porcelain or stainless steel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264 "2006-03-06T17:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/21 "2006-03-08T15:27:52Z")
I just installed a big porcelain sink from Ikea. 3’ wide, double bowl, farm style (slides in from the front, not a drop in), weighs about 100lbs, and cheap as dirt. They also sell a smaller drop in porcelain for $99, and tons of cheap SS sinks, check them out if you have one in your area. Sound wise, the disposer hums, you could practically forget it’s on, I thought the thing was broken when I first tested it. On the minus side, it’s gotten marked from my pans being put in it, so I think it will be more work to keep clean than stainless. If you don’t want to work to keep it clean, go stainless, that’s why it’s used in industrial settings, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/22 "2006-03-08T15:39:08Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > 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. I scrub mine with Brillo pads, and I haven’t really noticed any ill effects. Any teflon-like coating must have worn off years ago, because it’s certainly not a non-stick surface. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/23 "2006-03-08T16:09:35Z")
Go for the stainless. Professional use it for a reason. It is cheaper, easier to clean, shows crud less and lends a nice appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/24 "2006-03-08T17:14:42Z")
We recently installed granite countertops and purchased a black granite composit Pegasus kitchen sink. It’s a double with deep bowls and has a slightly rough rather than smooth finish. We bought it at the depot for around $200. I love it. It is easy to clean with just plain dish detergent and I have had no problems with staining. It’s very dramatic looking with the brushed stainless faucet we bought. I was told to avoid contact with anything containing acetone (like fingernail polish). ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/25 "2006-03-08T18:22:18Z")
porcelain is EVIL… It gets chipped very easily, and after a couple years, it becomes icky… The once-smooth surface gets mottled and rough, and you can never get it clean again. The chipped spots absorb stains, and even after a lot of hard scrubbing, the have a different color than the rest of the sink. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264/26 "2006-03-08T18:30:39Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > …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.)… Asymmetrical stainless steel sinks are actually quite common - [this](http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/blanco-501-107.jpg) is pretty similar to the one we installed at our last house. The larger side was big enough to fit a 13x9 baking pan easily - I don’t recall whether my entire roasting pan fit there though. We decided to put the garbage disposal in the _large_ side - the contractor argued that most people like it in the smaller side but we felt we’d be happier on the other side. That’s where more crud goes when washing dishes etc. My sister-in-law had undermounted sinks, two separate bowls, and had the disposal on the smaller side, and _hated_ it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-kitchen-sinks-granite-porcelain-or-stainless-steel/347264.md?page=1)