Which kitchen sink is right for you? | A material guide

[@tjtexas5130]

Chiming in a bit late here - but recently replaced the original harvest gold double bowl cast iron sink with a single bowl brushed stainless steel workstation sink. Love the change to single bowl! There is so much more room in the sink without the divider. Am able to wash big items (pan from the turkey, grates from my stove top, etc.) soooo much easier than the double bowl. Bought a Rubbermaid plastic basin for those rare times I might need to duplicate the double bowl functionality. The stainless steel part we are getting used to. It shows water spots that we did not deal with on the old sink. However, the old sink would constantly need to be cleaned when pots marked it up. Hoping once the newness wears off I will not be as concerned about the water spots.

[@sonjaswart9866]

Fibreglass sink here. In 30 years and still as good as new.

[@rvmvadati]

I have a stainless steel kitchen sink that was installed nearly a year ago. Recently, I've noticed a synthetic burned plastic smell when using very hot water, specifically due to the black noise reducer at the bottom of the sink. I'm considering replacing it with an iron or porcelain sink that doesn't have any material on the bottom. What would you recommend?

[@denisew7091]

Great info! Can you please share which fireclay sinks are the best? There are so many options! A few I have seen a lot are Ruvati, Shaw, and Rohl. Thanks!

[@TheDecoCottage]

We are moving from a double basin to single basin white apron front sink. I couldn’t be happier. As a bonus we’re increasing counter space!

[@hsdesignstudio]

Perfect 👌

[@kimberlydeguglielmo3011]

Great video...you "dish" out such good information. I love the look of black stainless but the fact that it is easily prone to scratches made me leery. I have a work sink in stainless steel and it does its job. If money was no object I would have an onyx sink. Enjoy your vacation!!

[@hsdesignstudio]

Thank you, I sure did! We all need a little time away every now and then!

[@teri-joscott8279]

I found a black stainless steel, apron front, workstation sink that I hope will be da bomb!

[@hsdesignstudio]

Keep me posted as time goes on!

[@KemmyKemo7]

What brand did you go with any regrets? Thanks in advance

[@dailykaizen8313]

Where can i find the background music??

[@JaneDoe-vi5yc]

Hi! I'm going to get a stainless, but can you talk about whether a single basin is better than a divided basin?? Thank you!

[@HuskyKMA]

Single basin all the way! Hard to wash anything larger than a medium sized pot or pan in divided basin.

[@hsdesignstudio]

This is quite a personal choice. There is also something called a low divided two basin, where the divider only extends about half way up the depth. I have a double basin, but can't say it's better because I have never lived with a big single basin!

[@JaneDoe-vi5yc]

@@hsdesignstudio Thank you! Now I'm going to see if you have a video about what material kitchen cabinets I want and don't want. Thermofoil vs melamine vs wood veneer vs solid wood, etc. Enjoy your time off!

[@dianamcgarry3742]

I have had a granite composite sink for may years. We are redesigning our kitchen and I don't wasn't a dark-colored sink. I see a lot of consumer comments complaining of white to light composite getting hard-to-remove stains. This is regardless of manufacturer, so I'm concerned. What is the common complaint professionals get?

[@ap3008]

I'm having a light granite composite sink and it gets stained with heavy use...or if yiu leave dishes in it. I would not reccomend. Darker composite, maybe...

[@Beati3]

Thank you for the excellent videos. I went through a process considering a brushed brass finish for both sink and faucet, but ultimately I went with brushed stainless steel. I couldn't justify paying extra for a finish that didn't give me any added function. I'd rather pay extra for fancier appliances. My splurge is on a 45cm Miele integrated dishwasher. It's fancy, but also functional, and I'll enjoy using it every day.

[@waiyeec6829]

No composite?

[@hsdesignstudio]

Its in there, last section 👍

[@uoohoo99]

How to know what "manufactured" sinks are made of? I know, research.

[@jonathangarza3386]

Does anyone make wood or bamboo sinks?

[@hsdesignstudio]

Yes actually there are some wood options out there. I just didn't dive into them because they are very niche and generally quite expensive (for the good ones). I couldn't give you a brand name because I have no first hand experience. However, some initial thoughts would be teak or bamboo seem to be a better option because of their compression and durability. Both handle water well and are rather stable too (think teak benches in a shower or outdoor furniture).

[@PeloquinDavid]

I have a question for you as a designer. We're in the planning stage and we frankly haven’t given any thought to options other than a (brushed) stainless steel sink. My own preference is to go with a relatively large, deep and as-rectangular-as-possible sink while remaining unsure about the one-vs-two basin issue. (I have cursed our shallow-ish 32-inch double-basin sink many times while washing large oven pans/sheets, mind you...) I haven't seen this discussed much online, but I wonder about the wisdom - for both functional and resale reasons (which may point in very different directions) of embedding a perfectly functional stainless steel sink into a fancy-looking but less functional countertop surface of a different material. Surely there are good water-, grease- and heat-management reasons commercial kitchens use stainless steel sinks with large stainless steel adjacent drainage platforms with marine edges - as well as stainless steel counters adjacent to and across from cooking zones (ie ovens and cooktops/ranges) and wall-height stainless steel backsplashes behind cooktops/ranges. At the same time, I understand the obsession of many homeowners/homebuyers with scratch and scuff avoidance and with the aesthetics of stone and look-alike materials (including tile backsplashes) in a "show kitchen" not meant for serious, splatter-prone cooking, but in my books different functions call for different surfaces: stone or wood for kitchen-adjacent seating areas and main food-preparation areas and stainless steel for cooking and clean-up adjacent areas. Yet you rarely see such arrangements even in large home kitchens where you might think specialized areas would show up... As a kitchen designer who interacts with a lot of different clients, would you say that most people prioritize "looks" over function?

[@hsdesignstudio]

I would actually say most people prioritize function over looks. I have had very few clients openly admit that they don't cook much and the kitchen just needs to look good. As for commercial stainless steel vs your kitchen. We don't work at home like a restaurant works, no matter how much we good. Any stone countertop will hold up to what we can throw at our kitchens daily. I like a stainless steel sink, they are functional and easy to clean, with virtually no maintenance. The one place we often work in different surfaces is into an island or a dedicated baking center, where there will be a primary use.

[@lauralaforge558]

The basins on commercial three sinks are way bigger than residential ones.

[@lauralaforge558]

I am in the midst of an unplanned reno. I assume you've seen dual basin style with low dividers to get the best of both worlds. I already before this purchased a Blanco silgranit single basin in a darkerish brown. I figure I can always add a collapsible container (stored below sink) to function as a second basin when I want that. If I wouldn't have had that, I might have gotten a Kraus When you say as rectangular as possible are you considering corners? That would seem to impede function.

[@PeloquinDavid]

@@lauralaforge558 That's a good idea that I hadn't thought of. I'll look into options for that here. As for "as rectangular as possible, I do understand the need for edges and corners to be somewhat rounded - especially at the bottom - to make sure you can clean them properly and leave no crud behind. But we've been living with VERY rounded corners in our dual-basin sink for 20 years and this has made it hard to wash rectangular items beyond fairly small ones.