I don't have that particular sink but I have a story to relate. I have had a franke double bowl sink with a stainless steel but silicone coated sink grid for the past 10 years. The sink grid was not great. The silicone stained.

Now I have a new Franke double bowl sink. And, 2 new sink grids - same as the last. I feel that I'm down the learning curve on this one and I will not set hot pans on the grid, thus staining it. Today I asked my KD to order a new sink grid for The island prep sink. Turns out I can't live without them!

Thanks for responding - it does seem that everyone who gets a new sink is using the grids. I'm just wondering if anything would happen to the sink if I didn't, as they are supposed to be durable.

I use the sprayer to clean both the grid and the sink bottom at the same time, I don't lift the grid out unless there is really something stuck which isn't very often. I love that sink grid like crazy.

I have been wondering lately exactly what is the purpose of sink grids? I can see where Elbal is coming from. Seems like another thing to keep clean. I like to hand wash dishes. Only use the DW when we are entertaining. Could someone shed some light on this sink grid business?

I do like my sink grid but have noticed that it tends to get dirty. I think cleaning it is a challenge. Does anyone have a handy way to do this? I wonder about soaking it in Clorox solution?

I used to have one, but will not with my new sink. I was going to order one, but I recall more often than not that things like food/lettuce and such will get stuck on it as I try to dump them in the waste disposer. And then cleaning that off you need to use your hands or lots of water from different angles.

We'll see, maybe I'll get one just to see if it still bothers me, it's been about a year and a half since I lost mine (when I moved moved).

I used to clean the metal grid in the dish washer, and then occasionally soak the rubber feet in hot water with a dab of bleach to whiten them up. I was never really convinced how clean they were.

-OCJeff

We have a single bowl SS sink in the new kitchen. Reading about them here I though a lot about ponying up the money for a grid from the makers of my sink. After trying to justify it I decided not to waste the money. Can't figure out what they are supposed to make easier or what labor is being saved. They get in the way if you need to get at the disposal. I can't sit dishes on them to drain as its a single bowl and people still need to use the sink. Seems like I would be spending way more time fiddling with it than having it actually make life easier. Of course if you are obsessed with trying to avoid the natural patina that SS sinks pick up then maybe a grid would work for you.

I have a Blanco Silgranit sink with a grid. I wasn't sure about the grid, but it came with the sink when I ordered it. Now that I have it and I'm using it, I like the grid and will use it. I rinse the sink down with the handsprayer, and when I decide to clean the grid, I fill the bottom of the sink with hot soapy water and soak the grid. I love the grid for draining large pots in the sink after washing, and I never worry about setting a hot pot or cookie sheet in the sink on the grid.

I compost, so am not using a disposal, but I haven't found the grid to be a problem. I haven't tried it in the dishwasher but that's not a bad idea!

I got the sink from on online site that included the sink and strainer basket at a good price, so it felt to me like I got the grid for free therefore was ok with experimenting.

I have a blanco silgranite in black with the sink grids (I have the 1 3/4 sink). I feel that the sink grids have pluses and minuses. Pluses: The sink is deep, and it raises everything up about an inch, which is nice on my back when I'm doing dishes (I'm average ht). Nice to drain dishes on. It keeps dishes in the sink from blocking the drain. I like that the bottom of a pot doesn't get all wet when I fill it with water (I have an electric range and I don't like that sound when water is on the bottom of the pot). Hot pans can go right on it (mine is stainless).

Minuses: The biggest for me is when I want to peel a fruit or veggie into the sink. The peel pieces get caught on the grid. I hate that. I usually try to take the grid out before peeling (one of the rare times that I take the grids out), but often times there are dishes in the sink, making things doubly bad. I don't find cleaning it a problem (I just use a brush on it quickly when I was dishes by hand) except for dried on shredded cheese. It does make cleaning the sink a bit harder, but like mabeldingeldine, the sprayer usually takes care of everything. I keep the grids in the sink when I do hand washing, and it takes more water to get the water level above the grids.

I got the sink grids based on the recommendations here, and although we don't love them, we will leave them in the sink. Would I get them again? Probably.

Mine came free with my sink...if I don't like it, under the sink it goes.

Ditto comments from Mabel. I have the deep, large Franke SS sink with grid. In addition to all the pluses listed, it is level whereas the sink itself slants towards the drain. The grid gives me a flat surface for many functions. I too use the pray function on faucet and at least once a week fill the sink with a couple inches water and oxyclean. Soak, rinse and the SS is shiny.

I've actually rarely even used a sprayer, as I'm left handed, and the sprayers have always been on the right - awkward. Think I'm getting the rohl country faucet with pull out sprayer, though, which would work for anyone doing dishes (even though that "anyone" is practically always me!). I put hot things right in the bottom of my stainless sink when I need to - hearing that might not be ok to do with a silgranit sink? It will be a large single sink, and I do have a dish drainer that is always out for handwashed items. So I'm still not hearing anything that makes me "want" a sink grid, but want to know with a sigranit sink if I would "need" one? I don't care about scratches in my stainless sink, it's probably over 40 yrs old, but we do have hard water, and thought a silgranit might look nicer. But if I need a sink grid with it, I might just go back to stainless - decisions, decisions! Thanks to all who took the time to reply so far!

Spray
"...the sprayers have always been on the right..."

You must be talking about a separate spray rather than a pullout or pulldown. A couple of things...

First, Pullouts & Pulldowns are much better!

• The require one less hole in the sink or counter,

• There's one less hole to clean around,

• They're ergonomically better,

• They have more features:

  • Most lock in whatever mode you're using (stream or spray)...i.e., there's no need to hold down a lever to keep the spray turned on

  • Most "remember" the mode you left it in when you turned if off

• Water pressure, from my experience, is better, and

• They're "ambidextrous"!

Second, if you must have a separate spray, then just install it on the side you want it. If you prefer it on the left, install it on the left. You don't have to do what everybody else does!

I've used all three kinds as well as no spray. I currently have one pulldown and one pullout in my kitchen.

My personal preferences, in order of preference:

Tied for first place, depending on what I use it for:
(1) Pullout
(1) Pulldown

(2) Side/Separate spray - only as an absolute last resort!

(3) No spray - I'll never be "sprayless" again!

Sink Grid

I never used a sink grid until now. Grids came free with my sink (Ticor S405D) so I figured I'd give them a chance. I was so pleased with them that I ordered one for my prep sink...and it wasn't cheap!

I do think the stainless steel grids are far superior to the vinyl coated ones. I have SS in my cleanup sink (two bowls/2 grids) and a vinyl coated one in my prep sink.

Yes, the vinyl does stain and I am careful not to put a pot directly from the cooktop into my prep sink. However, I don't hesitate to drain pasta, etc. in the sink and over the grid.

In my cleanup sink, I put anything/any temperature on the grids...love them! (I wish I could get SS for my prep sink!)

The one big advantage I haven't seen anyone add is that when I drain pasta, there's no more backwash into the colander! Other advantages:

Biggest advantages to me:

• Water doesn't backup into the colander when draining pasta (mentioned above) and

• When I rinse down the sink, items in the sink no longer block the drain or block the "way" to the drain so I don't have to "chase" specks of food, etc. around the sink!

Other advantages:

• There is less scratching of the bottom of the sink (this is minor to me since I don't mind the scratches)

• When I dump something in the sink, whatever I've dumped doesn't wash all over everything sitting in the sink....whatever is dumped goes straight down the drain

• If I'm handwashing dishes, I can use the grid tines to hold things up, especially plates & bowls...similar to a dish drainer

• I can rinse and drain dishes on the grid and still run water in the sink w/o running it all over the items again

• Things lay flat on the grid (no slope like in the bottom of a sink bowl)

• If your sink is too deep for you on a daily basis,...

mabeldingeldine, thanks for the follow-up - I just saw your kitchen pics from the other thread - yeah for you, and glad to hear you are happy with your sink! That thread started me considering that sink. But if you didn't want to use the grid for some reason, would you be afraid that your sink would get damaged in any way?
Buehl, thanks for your thorough response. Yes, I always had a separate spray on the right and don't want that anymore - now will get the pullout faucet. Based on your prior posts about the Ticor, I have looked at their S112 & S115. Good to know the stainless grids are better than vinyl. Guess I should look for free grids and keep my options open!
p.s. I'm also looking at Omega/Dynasty cabs based on your prior posts recommending them.

Haven't actually gotten an answer yet to the original question: "Does anyone have a silgranit sink and not use a sink grid?" I'd really like to know if one is required to protect the sink, thanks.

My BIL has a sink like that and does not use the grids. His sink still looks great.

I got SS grids with our new porcelain sink. I can see the benefit for me because I am always concerned about chipping the porcelain. Most of the time they'll be living in the tray cupboard, though.

Elba, the Silgranit is heatproof to 500+ degrees, according to the documentation. It is also extremely scratch resistant. At a local kitchen center, the Blanco sink on display had one scratch, which the staff made when testing this sink for scratch resistance. The made the scratch with a piece of broken granite tile, and it wasn't much of a scratch.

I guess I'm not really worried about scratching the sink, but as I got the grid for free, and find it useful to drain cooking pots and pans, I will leave it in the sink. I do MUCH prefer this sink to the stainless sinks of my past, which I was polishing constantly.

Hi Kellied and mabeldingeldine thank you very much. Guess I'll try to get one included with the sink, knowing I won't have to use it if I don't want to.

Thank you, Buehl! Great photos for me to happen to see right now. Was looking for sink advice, put am still in final decisions on counter. Have narrowed it to leathered uba tuba, or a black/charcoal caesarstone(or similar). We're putting in med. dark wood floors, white cabinets, stainless appliances and hardware. This is in a basement bar/kit./entertainment area. What do you have on the counters in your photos? My other decision is to use ss or black sink of some sort. This will not be our main entertaining area. Mostly for the teens actually.Thanks!:)

My vote is for the black (Anthracite) Silgranit sink. We just had one installed yesterday in our new build, it was a "must have" with both me and my hubby who usually does not care about these things, lol.

We had one in our last home and loved it, so easy to clean, no scratches and beautiful. We are also having one installed in the bar area downstairs, had to order it in.

We did not have the grids, and may get them for the new sink but they are not nessary to prevent scratches.

Elba, I bought my sink as a combo deal on eBay, it included the sink, grid, and the drainer basket, FYI.

Thanks mabeldingeldine, I'll check that out. The best price I've seen on-line from a reputable co. so far is AJ Madison for $339.68 free shipping, no sales tax (but also no grid or drainer basket).

Mine was $380, free shipping and no sales tax.

Thanks - that's a good deal - those drainer baskets alone are like $30!