Hello,

I have a sloped drainboard in my granite, it is not runnels. Just a sloped surface towards the sink. It does not eliminate the need for a dish rack (if you are used to using one). It eliminates the need for the tray that holds the dish rack, but not the rack itself.

I don't have granite, but have short(ish) runnels. Sometimes I use a wire drainer, but not always, and the system works well, especially for a few items that I don't put in the DW. They also work well to drain fruits/veggies that I'm prepping on the counter. It seems that 1/4" unfinished grooves would be difficult to keep clean and 'yuck'-free, unless you were using a toothbrush. Most runnels are a finger's width, making it easy to wipe them with a damp cloth.

I don't know if it would be worth the $$$ to you, but I love my runnels.

I, too, love the runnels we have. They work for draining water from both dishes and produce. Mom2sethc is right, though, that they don't eliminate the need for a dish rack. I also agree with Mama_Goose about the dimensions of the runnels and cleaning them.

You might go a search on the Kitchen Forum for runnels as there were a couple of threads not all that long ago about what kind, how many, how long, how deep. Plus you'll find pictures of both runnels and sloped drainboards. Someone, though I don't remember who, has a drainboard on one side of the sink and short runnels on the other. It's a nice look and the reports were that it was quite practical. A nice marriage of form and function.

I sure wish this thread had popped a week and half ago! I desperately wanted runnels but couldn't find anyone in my area (D.C.) who would do them. I even asked here on GW for a fabricator in DC. No luck. I was told the machine to do them properly costs about $400,000 and that is the reason no one does them. You can get them unpolished, but heard then they are a breeding ground for bacteria.

Mom2seth---did not even think of sloping the granite toward the sink and my fabricator never suggested it. What a great idea! That would have been perfect for me. My granite was just put in last week--too late now. I'm totally bummed! Just bought a new clear drainboard hoping the beautiful granite will show through!

joaniepoanie - I had given up on it, it was my dh who originally wanted the runnels. We found out the same that you did about the runnels. When the templating took place, I wasn't there, dh was. He talked to the fabricators and they told him that they could do the sloped drainboard. I do love it, we paid around $400 for it.

Those of you with the runnels. Do you get the sloped drainboard AND the runnels?? My main reason for doing this would be to eliminate the dishrack and it doesn't sound like I can do that. However, putting a colander down or veggies or a wet pot to drain would be awesome too. Thanks for your feedback.

Love our runnels - one of the best things in the kitchen! We don't have the sloped drainboard. I don't even know where my dish rack is. We use the runnels for pots and pans and other items that don't go in the DW. We also have a Shaws sink with a grid on the bottom. The grid also works as a dish rack (that's where wine glasses dry). If I have plates that have to be hand washed (not very often) someone is drying at the same time.