Hey, Wendy here,
I recently remodeled my kitchen and you’re reading my uncensored review of the best kitchen sink. I want to let you know that I spent many nights hunched over the computer researching the best products for my kitchen (I’m only remodeling once and it better last the rest of my days), including the best kitchen sink material.
Why am I writing this? Well, that's a good question. When I was researching about buying a new sink, there weren’t many real reviews around so I thought I’d write one quickly to help any of you who are in the same position I was. I found a little good information here and there, but nothing that told me most of what I needed to know.
So here it is, but be warned, I’ll be going into both the good and the bad points, so if that’s something you might not want to hear about a sink you are considering, then you may as well leave now because I don't want to put doubts in your mind if you are already dead set on getting something.
Which Material is the Best Material for Kitchen Sinks?
After spending countless hours talking to family members and professionals, this is what I found:
Cast Iron or Steel kitchen sinks – They are finished with a porcelain or glass like material. Mainly offered in white, off-white and black. They can become dull over time and tend to show water spots, especially if you have hard water. If you drop something on them they tend to chip & I didn’t want that, so I passed on these.
Ceramic kitchen sinks or fireclay sinks – These sinks are made from clay, similar to a toilet, with a glazed finish on the surface. I loved the look of these and seriously considered them, but after talking with different professionals and my contractor, I was a little skeptical they might break, chip or crack so I passed (I do not want to replace the sink once it has been installed).
Granite & quartz composite sinks – These sinks are made from crushed stone that is mixed with plastic resin. They say that they are very scratch resistant and heat resistant, but I just didn’t care for the plastic look of these sinks, so again, I passed
Stainless Steel Sinks – I love the look of stainless steel kitchen sinks and that is why I believe stainless steel makes teh best kitchen sink material. They, of course, go great with stainless steel appliances and stainless or brushed cabinet hardware. This is the sink material that I decided to go with, but be warned there are many inexpensive and cheaply made sinks out there. If this is your choice then make sure you read on to discover how to pick the best one.
How to Pick the Best Stainless Steel Sink
Sink gauge – this is probably the most important and most misunderstood aspect to look at when picking teh best kitchen sink for your project. That is why below, I devoted an entire post to just sink gauge. One thing I will say, after talking with several websites it seems that a lot of the internet sites overstate the gauge of the sink, buyer beware! See the earlier post below for more info on sink gauge.
Under coating – Make sure that the sink is fully undercoated. The undercoating helps with noise reduction, it insulates to retain heat and most importantly it reduces condensation of the underside of the sink (inside the sink cabinet).
Sound deadening pads – They do exactly what the name implies, they deaden the noise of pots and pans hitting the sides of the stainless steel sink. If you are installing a garbage disposal, the undercoating will help reduce the noise of it also.
Accessories – I wanted a sink grid to protect the bottom of my undermount kitchen sink. The stainless kitchen sink I ended up choosing came with the grids to protect the sink, a deep strainer with a basket and a stainless steel colander (not sure I needed another one, but it is nice). I do love the strainer; the basket pulls out so that it can be emptied.
Where I Found the Best Stainless Kitchen Sink
If you are curious, I ended up picking a sink called Italia from a website called Stainless-Sink.com, see the link below if you want to check them out. I am sure there are a lot of good sinks out there but I liked the fact that it was made in Italy, it is 16 gauge (very heavy) and it came with the free accessories I mentioned earlier (colander, sink grids and deep strainer). The lady I talked with was very helpful and answered all of my questions. I couldn’t be any happier with my purchase and I would definitely recommend them.
Click here to go to Stainless-Sink.com’s website.
Click here to see the Italia line of sinks (the line I purchased from)
