Best Types Of Kitchen Sink & How To Choose Perfect One

There are three basic types of materials when it comes to buying a quality sink. They are

• Metals
• Porcelains
• Composite Stone Materials

Metals are materials like stainless steel or copper, porcelains could be a porcelain-enameled cast-iron sink. Or it could be a fire clay sink.

Fire clay is an interesting material because it’s the same material all the way through. And then of course there are newer types of material that other companies are starting to get into. There would be a material called a composite stone, composite granite, or composite quartz.

KRAUS Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink

People started using stainless steel as a kitchen sink is for a couple of reasons. Mainly because they want a sink that is reminiscent of a commercial kitchen. They want to have it look professional. Now the reason commercial kitchens use stainless steel is that stainless steel will never crack, chip rust. At least if it’s a good quality stainless something like an 18 or a 16 gauge 304 stainless. Basically something with a high nickel content and going to have a little bit of a luster.

The thing about stainless steel though is it will scratch and water spots. So the question you might wonder is who’s going to keep it looking nice? Or do you care about it. You might answer “I don’t care, that’s the maid’s problem” or “that’s my wife’s problem” So the bottom line is stainless steel is a beautiful material but you’ve got to know that something that beautiful needs maintenance.

Copper Kitchen Sink

The other type of metal material is copper. A copper sink is going to start out looking like a shiny copper penny. They take chemicals and they edge it giving it this dark brown or bronze kind of a look. The thing about copper is it will turn green around the drain and it will probably water spot. What you can do with copper is you can shine it up like a bright new copper penny and let it edge
naturally all over again. It is an interesting feature but again something with maintenance or care built into it. If you want it to look the way you bought it for a longer period of time. There are waxes you can use things like that to keep that finish from turning green and whatnot.

Best Porcelain Kitchen Sink

Another type of material is porcelains. The biggest difference is porcelain enameled cast iron is a layer of porcelain on top of cast iron. This means because it’s a layered material, it can crack, chip, or fade. It is something that’s going to happen tomorrow but it’s probably going to happen five or ten years down the road. Anybody who’s had a cast iron sink for more than ten years will tell you. You always end up with these little chips down at the bottom and it starts to kind of rust through. This is what leads to getting them replaced.

Key Features of Porcelain Made Sink

The porcelain sink adds a classic appearance to the kitchen. They are more likely sleek and heavy-duty construction. If you want the clean looks around your kitchen, porcelain made sink is best to pick. Meanwhile, you need to make sure if the item is solid porcelain or made of cast iron with a porcelain enamel finish.

Fireclay Sink For Kitchen

Fireclay doesn’t have to be an apron front. You can do an under-mount or drop-in sink out of fireclay. But it is the same material all the way through and it’s baked to a much higher temperature than cast-iron.

If you want the porcelain look but you want something that’s going to be the same now and 20 years from now, fireclay is an excellent material to consider. It is not going to chip or rust,

Composite Stone Material

Let’s review the composite kitchen sink now. Like the fireclay, the composite stone is a solid material all the way through and very durable.

Some people think it feels a little plasticky. It is a man-made material so it does have some resin in it. You can hear it on if tap your finger-ring.

Moreover, it does have a lighter weight feel as compared to the porcelain enameled cast iron or the fireclay material.

It’s also a little bit more contemporary in it in the way it looks. It is usually a more matte finish although some of them do have some sparkle to them.

It’s not going to be as glossy as a fireclay or porcelain enameled cast iron.

Blanco Fireclay Single Bowl Kitchen Sink

Other Features

Fireclay is the best to pick for a spacious modern kitchen. If you want a light to medium use brands, the fireclay is the perfect type to buy. The fireclay kitchen sink is most common in off-white and white color. However, it is also commonly available in dramatic black and blue shades.

Undermount Vs Topmount Sink

Kitchen sinks have two major types, those are

1. Topmount Kitchen Sink
2. Undermount Kitchen Sink

Top mounts sink for kitchen also known as “drop-in”, which can be placed in the available cavity with the edge being atop the counter. Whereas Undermounts sinks cling to the under surface. When it comes to setting it up, top mounts need less effort than Undermounts.

How to Install Under Mount Sink

There are three basic ways to mount a sink.

Drop-In Kitchen Sink

A drop-in sink is a sink where the hole is cut and the sink is actually dropped into the countertop. The fixture is installed on top of the sink.

Installing Undermout Kitchen Sink

An under-mount sink is a sink where the hole is cut in the countertop and the sink is actually mounted underneath. Your countertop and the fixture is usually mounted on the countertop itself,

Apron Front Kitchen Sink

An apron-front sink happens to be fireclay but you can get them in stainless steel or even the composite stone material.

The most typical way to undermount a kitchen sink is where the cutout of the kitchen sink tends to line up with the cutout of the countertop.

POSITIVE REVEAL

You can have your sink and your countertop cut so that the edge is actually pulled away and you see a little bit of that lip all the way around. This is called a positive reveal.

NEUTRAL REVEAL

You have your neutral veil which is the flush design.

NEGATIVE REVEAL

There is also a concept called negative reveal and that’s not very common in the kitchen. It is a little more common in the bathroom.

The way it looks is the countertop is actually cut so it overhangs into the sink a little bit. What must ensure proper conversations you want to make sure you have with your countertop fabricator before the sink goes in.