# Why are bathroom sinks made of porcelain while kitchen sinks are made of metal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883 "2016-08-15T06:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883/21 "2016-08-16T02:35:14Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Plus “praying to the stainless steel god” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it… Oh I don’t know… Were I to ever form a musical quartet, Stainless Steel God might make an interesting moniker. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883/22 "2016-08-16T02:54:00Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > **brainstall** , there are companies which refinish bathtubs and, at least, bathroom sinks. I believe that it is an epoxy coating so I don’t know how durable it might be. You might call one of these companies and see if they might do your kitchen sink. I am also, not sure what the cost might be. > > Bob I looked into this at one point, and did have my bathtub refinished. They recommended against having my kitchen sink done, however. They said that the glaze would not stand up to kitchen-level use. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883/23 "2016-08-16T14:57:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It could if you dropped it hard enough, but a stainless steel sink will stand up to the impact without denting far better than a porcelain sink would without cracking. A small dent won’t ruin a stainless steel sink, once the glaze is broken on the porcelain sink the ceramic underneath can start to degrade, although it takes a long, long time before a single small crack would matter. Also depends on the quality of the stainless steel sink - better quality sinks use thicker steel (and possibly a higher grade). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883/24 "2016-08-16T15:11:04Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Also depends on the quality of the stainless steel sink - better quality sinks use thicker steel (and possibly a higher grade). Definitely. Commercial stainless steel sinks are made to withstand a lot of abuse. A lot of common ceramic bathroom sinks aren’t very sturdy because they’re not expected to take any big impacts but I’m sure they could be built heavier. **John Mace** mentioned the farm house style sinks that are very popular now, they’re a lot heavier construction than the typical bathroom sink. And I’m sure modern materials and manufacturing provide tougher porcelain sinks now in comparison to times past. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bathroom-sinks-made-of-porcelain-while-kitchen-sinks-are-made-of-metal/762883.md?page=1)