Thoughts on kitchen sink

[pinkytoe]

We need to replace the kitchen sink and I don't have a clue which way to go - enamel, stainless, composite. One bowl, two bowl, blah, blah, blah.
I am thinking one large bowl since I cook a lot and can never hand wash great big pots easily. Also considering the kind with a little bowl on one side and large on the other.
What would you buy? Of course, I am always considering price; it needs to be under $200 if possible.

[Mrs-M]

If I were designing a brand-spanking new home from scratch, I'd go with either stainless, or composite (although I know nothing about it), and definitely a deep double-basin setup. As for the existing home we live in, deep double-basin stainless.

Washing/rinsing dishes by hand in a single-basin sink would be a PITA IMO, plus, with a double-basin design, if you have one side tied-up, the other is free for other things, like setting-out meats/freezer goods/and things for thawing, etc.

Additionally, a high faucet style to ensure maximum entry/exit when draining/washing larger pots and things.

As for working with a $200 budget, that does complicate things somewhat.

[Miss Cellane]

I would take a big pot to a home store and see which sinks it fits in best.

Currently, I have a smallish double sink and I don't like it. Yes, it's fine for handwashing dishes. But pots and cookie sheets? They don't fit in either side. So it depends on how you use your sink. I'd say either a big single sink or the tiny sink plus the big sink would work best for me.

I'd go with stainless. Easy to clean. The enamel ones can eventually get scratched and then they are difficult to clean. The stainless ones develop a patina, so they will not look "showroom new" after they get used, but they are easy to polish up.

Are you getting a new countertop or are you able to cut the existing countertop to fit a new sink? If not, then you will be limited to what will fit in the space of your current sink.

[pinkytoe]

We are not replacing the countertops so this will just be a drop-in. I am leaning towards stainless small side/big side. Our current one is in sad shape. Unfortunately, we live in one of those inner-ring neighborhoods where developers are drooling over houses to tear down and sell to upscale buyers so that will be its ultimate fate I'm afraid. Makes it hard to know what to fix up or not since we can't afford that lifestyle.

[goldensmom]

I went through this same process recently. I decided on a large single, granite composite sink. It's big enough to wash big pots and pans, roasters, etc.. If I want to wash/rinse like a double sink set up I use a dish drainer on one side....wash, rinse and put in dish drainer. It cleans up nicely and does not stain (even blueberries or grapes) and it quiet as opposed to stainless. I had stainless in a previous home and found it to be noisy and hard to keep free of water spots. Drawback, our sink cost $600 but maybe you could find one smaller for cheaper. Sure like my granite composite sink.

[SteveinMN]

When I remodeled our kitchen, I went from a beat-up "harvest gold" enamel double sink to a smaller single granite-composite sink and I have never regretted the move.

I really needed some counter space, so I went from a 33" (standard) double to a 25" single. Now instead of two 14" wells, I get one 22" well, which works much better with stock pots and the like. I also went deep -- the sink is 10" deep rather than the 6" or 8" of the double sink. I added half a foot of counter space and it was cheaper to buy a single than a double (though it did cost more to go deep and buy granite composite).

I guess I use my sink differently than most. First, we have a very efficient dishwasher, so we tend to use that even if dishes sit for a couple of days. Second, I don't leave food out to defrost. It either goes in the refrigerator or is defrosted in the microwave. Finally, for the items which cannot go in the dishwasher, they either need to soak or they sit in the sink or sink-side for no more than a day until I wash them by hand (in batches: rinse/shut off water/soap & scrub items/turn on water/rinse/repeat as necessary). The sink is deep enough that even good-sized pots and pans can sit in there to soak without being very visible in the kitchen.

I will admit that my sink (Moen; white granite composite) does tend to show stains. If I had it to do over again, I'd pick a gray color to hide more. However, it has never chipped in 9 years of use, water does not splash much, and it's quiet. And it's not hard to clean when it needs it. I'd go with granite in a minute if I could afford to.

My second choice would be stainless steel. The cheapest SS sinks are shallow and noisy, but spending a little more buys you a much better sink. Stainless seems to go with about everything. Look for thicker steel and better soundproofing.

Also consider going on-line. I bought my sink on-line because I could not order it locally for less than list price (which I thought was ridiculous). That may be your best bet (besides a lightly-used sink from a remodel) to keep under budget.

[EDIT]I also looked into refinishing rather than contributing another item to a landfill. At least at the time, it wasn't that cheap and it wasn't that good. Sinks get hard use and few companies would warrant a new coating for very long. As it turns out, I put the sink on the boulevard with a sign marked "Free" and it was gone in a day. :)

[Rogar]

I have a single basin sink in my smallish kitchen. If I had a larger kitchen with more available counter space I would prefer a double sink with two ample basins. But a double sink with a smaller size on one side was not working for me and I like the single better. Mine is composite and it is fine but tends to require some extra maintenance to remove stains. I've had stainless in the past and IMHO it doesn't look too good after a couple of years of scrapes and scuffs.

[Mrs-M]

I don't fancy the double-basin combo, that has one large basin, with a smaller basin off to the side. The smaller basin IMO is good for not much.

Something to think about Re: stainless, it lasts forever, and is quite literally, indestructible.

[fidgiegirl]

We had a single basin in one house that I rented and I'd never have another. Too hard for rinsing and awkward for drying rack.

[bunnys]

When you say composite are you talking solid surface? I don't think you can get those in just sink. I think they come as part of your countertop.

I have a solid surface sink. I have one large sink and another, shallower, veg prep sink that the garbage disposal is in. I have to say I use this sink all the time as I put dirty dishes in it to soak b4 moving them to the dishwasher. I also like that I don't have to reach so far down into it like the other, larger sink.

I don't think you could do that for under $200. But it is VERY easy to clean and mine usually looks pretty good even though I am a sloth when it comes to housecleaning.

[goldensmom]

When you say composite are you talking solid surface? I don't think you can get those in just sink. I think they come as part of your countertop.

Comes as sink only. Blanco is one manufacturer that makes a granite composite sink that drops into an existing countertop. Also availabe in undermount but ours is a drop in.

[Rosemary]

When we replace our standard stainless double well sink I'm leaning toward a small/large split stainless that is significantly deeper than what we have now (6" - water is always splashing everywhere).

[iris lily]

I like stainless, it is inexpensive, and our stainless double bowl sink has been around for decades. It's just fine.

You can spend a whole lot more, but I actually like may of the qualities of stainless steel for sinks.

When we finished this house I asked for only 3 things: double sink, shower head, dimmer switch in the dining area.

[SteveinMN]

When you say composite are you talking solid surface? I don't think you can get those in just sink. I think they come as part of your countertop.
Composite and solid surface are different. There are sinks made of polymers (acrylics and some Astracast), granite or quartz composites like Blanco, Swanstone, and Moen, and solid surface sinks made of Corian, Hi-Macs, and other brands of surfaces. The solid-surface sinks are made to undermount to the countertop and become seamless. The composite ones can be either undermount or drop-in. Undermount with a decent sink will be very difficult to do for $200.

[lmerullo]

We have two homes so I have a contrast. Both have stainless, and we are quite happy with it's performance. In our current home we have a stanard double bowl. Nothing fancy and does the job. In our vacation home I had the bright idea of going slightly upscale. We opted for the extra deep. Well I'll not do that next time. In concept it allows for more items to soak or easier washing of taller items (I was looking for easy fill pitchers at the time) but - I am tall and find myself continually stooping to fish stuff off the bottom. The north one does have insulation too, which both quiets it as well as keeping hot water hot longer so that's something I would definately opt for again.

[pinkytoe]

I am pondering all your answers...it occurs to me that double bowls must have come about when people used one side for washing and one for rinsing - maybe before garbage disposals even existed?
Hmmm...I am recalling the original sink in my mother's 1920's house. It was one bowl and she would just put a plastic tub in it when she hand-washed.
Maybe that makes the most sense?? The space is 33" though so a single bowl would be huge.

[iris lily]

I am pondering all your answers...it occurs to me that double bowls must have come about when people used one side for washing and one for rinsing - maybe before garbage disposals even existed?
Hmmm...I am recalling the original sink in my mother's 1920's house. It was one bowl and she would just put a plastic tub in it when she hand-washed.
Maybe that makes the most sense?? The space is 33" though so a single bowl would be huge.

I find double bowl sinks very useful because during dinner prep one side can always be "dirty" holding veg scraps, etc. The other side is for cleaning, rinsing, etc. Their simultaneous use is not for the same purpose.

[nswef]

I like 2 bowl, we have a little dishpan in one side to catch water which I used to use in the garden, but with the new dishwasher I now use it to flush the drain after the low water flow dishwasher does its job...but leaves a funny smell. Of course, one bowl could be used with the dishpan. I do not like tall faucets, I think they splash too much. I like the stainless steel as well. Easy to clean and shows nothing. Good luck, it's so hard to choose something permanent like that.

[CathyA]

I have a 2 bowl stainless. If some things don't fit under your faucet, get a taller faucet. If you really want one big sink, you can always use a dishpan in it to have another place to peel veggies, rinse, etc.
When we remodeled an old condo we rented that had a single sink, we asked the realtor which people like more......a single big sink with a little more counter room or a double sink. He said a double sink absolutely.
That doesn't matter.....if a single sink is what you want, but I just think a double sink is so much more functional. I'm fine with stainless steel too.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am pondering all your answers...it occurs to me that double bowls must have come about when people used one side for washing and one for rinsing - maybe before garbage disposals even existed?
Hmmm...I am recalling the original sink in my mother's 1920's house. It was one bowl and she would just put a plastic tub in it when she hand-washed.
Maybe that makes the most sense?? The space is 33" though so a single bowl would be huge.

That, with a built in drain board, is what I have used for years. A rearrangement of the kitchen, would allow for a double (probably stick with a wide single) and more cabinetspace (the same, if I added a dishwasher). That said, the stainless sinks I have looked at, have what appears to be rubberized car, undercoating. It won't help with the thin issue (dent), but I wonder if adding more would help with the noise.