What do you mean by mats? Do you mean the metal grills or something else?

I am considering a silgranite sink (after changing my mind again). I know they are highly regarded by most in here, and their owners seem to love them. I am interested to see what they have to say.

Silgranite lover here. . . I've only been using it for 5 weeks with a stainless grid on the bottom. Mine is 10 inches deep not including the 1'' for the granite counter so the grid helps to raise items that are on the bottom. I also don't but my sponge/dish cloth away, but let them dry out on the grid.

I've had stainless and cast iron and they both get scratched and dull after a year or so. Those who have had silgranite for years don't seem to have that complaint. My son has had his for 2 years and he said it looks as good as mine that's only 5 weeks old. I also bought mine online which saved quite a bit of $$$ and it was delivered in less than a week. The plumbing store nearby told me 6 weeks for delivery. So don't hesitate to buy online.

Where did you buy yours online? Sounds like you had a good experience.

Yes, I did. I bought it from Plumbers Surplus. When the sink arrived it sat in the box for almost 4 days before I opened it. The outside of the box appeared to be damaged so I was a little nervous opening it and sure thing when I did, I found the sink had a huge crack. I emailed the company and called them to report this. They said no problem a replacement will be on its way in about 7-10 days. They had to put in a claim with UPS, so that's why it took about 10 days. They didn't even want me to send the cracked one back. I couldn't have been happier with their customer support and the price I got it for.

I mean the grid, I guess. Do I really need a grid?

I don't have one, but my SIL does and she does not use a grid. Seems to hold up fine to me.

You don't need a grid but they seem to make it easier to reach items if the sink is really deep or you are tall, and provide a good spot for things to dry.

I'm still debating if I am going to get one or not.

I've had my Silgrant sink and grid for about a year and I'm so glad I got the grid!

• It keeps things (dishpan, dishes, sponge), off of the gunk on the bottom of the sink. It allows you to have a full sink AND have water run freely underneath. (This is my personal favorite.)

• It can be used as a drying rack.

• It raises the bottom of the sink - a plus, if you think your sink is too deep.

• It protects dishes from crashing against a hard sink.

Sorry, I can't address your hot pot question. I just have never put a hot pot right from the stove into the sink.

Here's a good link. People offer some pros and cons of getting a grid. It really depends on your style of working in the kitchen.

Purpose of sink grids . . .

I permanently leave a dishpan in my sink. I talked to Blanco in Canada who makes the Silgranit sinks and they said I must definitely use a grid in that case because leaving ia dishpan in the sink will eventually mark the sink without a grid. They also said the same goes for stainless steel. For me that settles the question - I am going to have a grid.

HomePerfect.com had the best price on mine and no shipping -- ordered on Monday arrived on Friday! Don't have it installed yet but it is beautiful!

I've had my Silgranit (metallic gray) for 4 years. It will get fine scratches over time, and you can chip it if you drop something sharp. I have a few miniscule 1/16" chips. One from a chef's knife that landed point side down, and a couple more from rinsing a heavy Kohler drain strainer basket and dropping it on its edge. Get the grids.

-Babka

They kinda replace the dish drainer, after rinsing dishes you can just set them on the grid and they stay off the bottom of the sink and the air can circulate around them. The sinks are super durable, I've had mine over a year. The grids are also kind of a barrier between my hand washable china and hard as stone sink.

Like the other poster in this thread, I'd like to know not where you bought your sink but where did everyone buy your sink GRIDS??? I have a swanstone granite sink and they don't seem to make a grid specifically for it, or at least I can't find one, so I too was hoping to find one to fit it.

Bought my sink from Faucet Depot and it was excellently packed and arrived with no cracks. Their price was the best out of stores that had the BlancoPrecis Super Single undermount sink in stock and ready to ship. (Not including ebay, because I just didn't want to bother with going that route.) Ordered at 3:45 on Wednesday and got it at 12:40 on Friday -- I paid for 3-day express shipping because I need it for my granite guy this week. No grids yet, but planning to get some -- I can't wait to see it installed!

Slc2053,
I got my Blanco Silgranit sink from Faucet Direct and my grid from Faucet Depot. Good prices and good service from both.

Which Swanstone sink do you have? I've seen some Swanstone grids online, but they call them "basin racks".

HTH.

This message prompted me to review getting the grids -- the spec sheet for my sink (found at blancoamerica.com or at Faucet Depot, where I got the sink) gave the item number for the coordinating grid. Then I googled that number ("Blanco 221-206 grid") and with the Faucet Depot "blanco2009" 10% off coupon, it looked like they had the best price. Still, they aren't cheap, but they should perfectly fit the sink I got... Maybe I will try a cheap one first to see if I like using one in my sink before I spend $81 on it! :)

On the silgranit subject, I read here a while back that even though the sink is supposed to withstand high heat, a couple of folks had their sinks crack after they poured boiling pasta water into the sink. I got one anyway, and plan to be careful when draining pasta. No sink material is perfect, but hopefully the silgranit will withstand the scratching and staining that I had trouble with in my previous sink! Just something to consider...

Huh. Does not seem that you should have to be careful draining pasta water. That sounds ridiculous. Hmmm. I might have to rethink my leaning towards silgranite.

I have a swanstone silgranite and drain pasta a couple times a week, also, cleans up like a breeze, no staining, mine's been in for a little over a year. No grids either, although I thought I'd like to get them sometime. HTH :)

Are you sure the previous posters didn't have cracks caused by shipping? That, I've heard of. I've never heard of the boiling water from pasta cracking a sink! I've drained lots and lots of boiling water in my blanco silgranit and that is not a concern. Neither is stainng and I have the lighter color (biscuit). Love it!

I'm so sorry, but I couldn't seem to find the original thread where I heard of this problem. Perhaps the sink had a hairline crack that went unnoticed until the boiling water caused a problem. Presumably they didn't previously know the sink had a crack or they wouldn't have installed it. In any case, no sink material is 100% perfect, but the good reviews outweighed the bad on Silgranit, which is why I ordered it. I was intending to be informative, but sorry if I complicated matters!

I also have a silgranit sink (cafe brown/super single) - bought both sink and grid from qualitybaths.com (sink-$296 and grid $70) - super fast delivery also and packed like it was being shipped overseas !! Happy with both and yes, I also pour boiling pasta water and leftover boiled water from tea kettles right in. What good is a sink if you have to baby it.....wouldn't work for me

I bought my silgranit sink online from blancotogo, for a very good price. Free shipping, and their service was great-I ordered on a Wednesday, and the sink arrived on that Friday. My local stores wanted $200-$300 more, and 6 weeks for delivery.

Here is a link that might be useful: blancotogo