My drain is rear center (silgranit super single). It functions well for me, but I have a prep sink for all food work. As a cleanup sink, I'm fine with the center drain. If it were my only sink I'm not sure. If I had your choice to make, I'd probably save that money. Not sure. I do know that you'll have other places along the way with that large of a project where you will unexpectedly have to pay more than that for something unforeseen or a mistake.

I chose the center drain because just liked the look of the sink better than the super single with offset drain. And I knew I didn't need the storage underneath the sink for much except sink stuff. No garbage.

I'd ditch zero radius corners before a side drain. That serves no purpose.

Call a local stainless shop and see if they'll build you one cheaper. Never know.

This one is $635, see link

If the size and offset drain are important, I agree on not paying for the zero radius. I've read mixed reviews on that feature.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Have you checked out the Kohler "Vault"? Just saw one today n a showroom and I believe it meets your criteria. I think it was less than $600, but could be wrong. I am in sensory overload on my Kitchen reno planning....

I know Elkay makes a stainless sink with an offset drain in the corner, though it's likely not zero radius. Eh, you couldn't pay me to dig out the gunk that collects in the zero radius corners.

Must you have stainless steel? People love their Silgranit Blanco Diamond Super Single with the offset drain in the corner. Just do a search on this forum for Silgranit Super Single to read all about it. The Silgranit anthracite color is sharp and very contemporary looking.

This post was edited by akchicago on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 17:42

Thank you all for the responses.

Breezy - I know you have done this a million times already, but can you comment further on your silgranit. Looks lovely by the way as does your kitchen.

Lorenzo - I don't think that one has the off-set and appears to be overmount. Will look into further. Thanks for the help. I understand the overload.

Fori, williamsem, and ak - I know I really need to unattach myself from the zero radius, but you know how it is when you get a vision in your head.

williamsem - thanks for that link. I am checking that out shortly.

ak and Breezy - I will check into the silgranit. Every one I see here looks amazing. I know my perception of them is off as I have never seen one in person, but for whatever reason I imagine them to repsond to use, i.e. sound, in a plasticky nature if that makes sense. I think this is because I saw a sink in a friends home a while back that looked like "granite" but was of some other sort of material that acted like plastic so that is what I continue to think of with Silgranit.

Any other info out there?.....

There's true zero radius, and then there are the ones that are not quite 90-degree corners. I have one of those. It's easy to clean the corners with a sponge and soap.

This particular sink doesn't come with an offset drain though, so it only works if you can live with a center drain. Functionally, the center drain works fine, but I'm assuming you'd prefer the offset because of the better use of space under the sink. I would have liked that too. The 32" one is listed at $369.95.

Here's a Blanco silgranite sink with offset drain and not-quite-90-degree corners that might work. It's listed at $396.50. I presume it comes in other colors.

I'll put in a word for the silgranite design in the above post. I have had two (one is a deep utility sink)of them for several years and they look as good as they did when they were installed. If I always had the opportunity, I'd have them again.

I love commenting on my silgranits!! I do love them so. ;)

Silgranit neither feels nor sounds plasticy to me. Please don't judge them by your friend's sink. They don't make the tinny noise of a stainless sink that sends shivers down my spine.

Do you have any plumbing showrooms in your area? Maybe call around and see if any have silgranits on display for you to see and touch. Every showroom even in my small area has them. They come in many colors, but my biased favorite is the metallic gray. It may not work for your color scheme, but I think it's the prettiest of the colors. I didn't like the white and slightly off-white I saw in the showrooms nearly as well. The brown is awfully pretty. If you call or email Blanco, they'll send you little chips of any of the colors you like so you can at least get a small visual and tactile experience.

As you can see above, the super single (both of them) are not zero radius, but they are close enough that they don't set off my rounded corner anxiety twitch.

So quiet, scratch-free, carefree, chip-free, water mark-free, black mark-free, and easy to maintain!!

I love my offset sink, mainly because it allowed me to have a trash & recycling pullout on the left side with the garbage disposal on the right. I bought the Elkay stainless.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: This one is $371

This post was edited by annkathryn on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 20:37

I going to have to go look at some Silgranits. I just never really had them on my radar b/c of the issue above with my friend's sink. That was actually around ten years ago, at the least, and the sink probably was some sort of plastic.

Other reasons I have preferred stainless is because of the five houses Dh and I have lived in over the years (not including apartments) three have had stainless and I just love them. I have only had one with the tinny sound and that is just becuase it was a cheapo model I am sure. They are easy to clean and take a lickin and keep on tickin! They are workhorses. I don't get the waterspots others have talked about before and I like the patina they show after some use. They also remind me of my grandmother's kitchen.

In the other two houses, we had ceramic(?) or cast iron....ah the type is not coming to me right now. Anywho, one was white and one was off-white and they were continually staining, etc. Hated them.

The reason for wanting the off-set drain to begin with. There are multiple reasons. The first is that while I cook I am not always able to clean as I go so I may have a pile up in the sink. This would allow me access to drain and/or disposal if needed. The second reason is that I can scrape plates right into the disposal from table and into DW in one swoop considering there is a pile of cookware in the sink (see above). Lastly, it would give me extra room for recycling. I am going to have trash in the island with a space for recycling but this would allow me to have another container or two (either more rubbish or more recycling or both). Haven't worked out that kink yet.

I "produce" a lot of produce waste while cooking. I plan on having a precise spot for this prep with a prep sink (no disposal in this one); however, I might could get away with a center drain in the main sink as long as I have my compost bucket near the prep sink. Also, I have never had a single bowl sink nor a prep sink (except while growing up) so I am thinking through these methods of use in my head. This last paragraph is primarily me talking to myself and working through the kitchen. Any more words of wisdom on how you use your sink/sinks?

I'll ramble about various thoughts that struck me from reading your last two.

If you have a prep sink, you won't really be working much in the big cleanup sink to really notice where the drain is. Now that I have a prep sink and am not prepping over dirty dishes, I rarely notice where the drain is or isn't.

The way my space is set up, after meals we walk from the table past the island to get to the cleanup sink with dirty dishes. I usually have the compost bucket still on the island from prep so it's easy to scrap in to that on the way past to the cleanup zone. If its not out already, it's quick to grab it from under the prep sink.

I feel silgranit is a workhorse material also. There is nothing to baby. It also cleans easily, doesn't stain, and takes a beating. Hot water, heavy pans, tomato sauce, anything. I can't imagine silgranit can't do anything stainless can do, except not scratch or have constant water marks. ;). They are nothing like cast iron or porcelain either. I'm sure I said it already, but my sink material is one of my most favorite things about the new kitchen.

Don't judge silgranit by a plastic sink you saw 10 years ago!! They are not anything alike.

I compost almost every bit of food, but am really, really pleased to have GDs at both sinks. I'd hate to be dumping out a grungy drin basket full of bits of grossness from the prep sink. If anything, I think I generate more gunk at the prep sink than cleanup.

I have a double can Rev-a-Shelf garbage pullout. It's another of my most favorite things in the new kitchen. I thought it was 15" or 18", but just went to measure. The drawer front is about 16.5" but I think the actual mechanism is 15". Most of the house's garbage and all of the recycling (we have mixed in our municipality) is handled here. I find it plenty for us so didn't need an additional can under the cleanup sink. My garbage is close to my cleanup sink, but, as I mentioned, plates get scraped into the compost and not the garbage.

As I mentioned, having a center rear drain on my super single doesn't bother me. If I had to do it again now knowing what I know, I'd probably do the offset drain.

I've never had a prep sink or a single bowl sink either so this is all new to me. I sure do love it though! Having a separate prep zone with sink makes an enormous difference in the way my kitchen functions and how I function in it.

P.S. I like the way you're focused on function and are trying to work out all the little details now. OCD is good. :)

A rear corner drain is significantly better than a drain in the center or the rear center. With the rear corner drain you can lay cookie sheets, large platters, pots and pans in the sink without covering the drain. You can also wash on the right and set off on the left. Can't do that with the drain in the center or the rear center.

Check out Nantucket sinks. Mine is zero radius, single bowl and has the drain on the right. Made in US, too (big plus IMO!). I "think" it was about $500 or so (found a discount code for the supplier). Had to order the sink grid seperately. I really like mine- and I was dreading going with ss.

Zero corners aren't the easiest to clean, but I've learned a bit of bleach added to the water in the bottom, soak a while- and VOILA! clean corners plus sanitized sink.

Breezy, thanks for taking time to measure your cabinet. That really helps. As for recycling here, I am ashamed to say that I do this on my own as our city doesn't have a recycling program. Gasp, I know. It is ridiculous. We are the last to do anything productive, responsible, worthwhile, etc. This means that I sort myself at home and drive to a local business that accepts products for recycling. So because of this, I thought it would be easier to just have enough bins (I think three will do) so that it will be pre-sorted. By the way, I have been working on this for six years so it better be perfect when done ;)!!!

Drachiele - I totally agree.

luckymom - thanks so much. I had not heard of Nantucket sinks. Those totally look like an option.

Thanks,
Shannon

One more thing - if a single bowl sink has a grid in the bottom, you never have the issue of cookie sheets or whatever covering the drain. I never even used a grid in anyone's sink before I got mine last year, and now I'm a total convert. I also love that I can set the mixer bowl on the grid for washing and not have it tip over on a slated sink bottom. Funny the little things that are so satisfying.

Agree completely with suzanne on the handiness of the grid. It did take a while to make peace with it, but it makes such a big difference when you have just one single bowl sink for everything.

Annkathryn - Do you have your sink in a 33" or 36" base? I was looking at that one but I have a 33" base and although my KD said it would fit, I'm afraid there won't be enough room for the garbage disposal.

I'm another person who has the Blanco supersingle with the offset drain and a grid. I thought of it immediately when I read your title. I do love this sink, and I like having the grid, too. It's easy to keep clean, and takes hard use without any staining, chipping or cracking. I can't ask for any more than that! It just functions well in my kitchen. I have a silgranit prep sink, too, and like it just as much. The material is not at all plastic-y in sound or feel. (shudder)

Cj

So those of you with grids, do you find them easy to keep clean? I always imagined that they would get "gunky" like things getting trapped or wrapped around the feet (cooked spinach, etc.).

momand3boys my sink is in a 36" base, but there's plenty of room on either side of the sink inside the cabinet. The garbage disposal is small and right under the drain, so it doesn't need any more room than the sink itself. Hope that helps.