Why on earth would a farmhouse sink be more likely to leak than any other kind of sink? That makes no sense. What matters is how it's installed, not what style it is. My guess is that salesman just wants to sell you whatever kind of sink he has.

We currently have a modern cermanic sink with a short side for the garbage disposal and large side for dishes. Water splashes out of it all the time. I also do dishes half the time by hand because I don't like unloading the modern convenience dishwasher. And I cannot easily fit in my large cookie sheets etc.

And I am planning on a 30" Rohl original farm house sink for my remodel which only cost me $700 (which I don't think is nearly the most expensive sink I could have bought in a non-farm house variety).

I think you need to take this lady's advice with a grain of salt. I certainly am eager for the large deep bowl in which I can easily wash my cookie sheets and large pots (which I never put in the dishwasher) and I doubt water can splash out of it as easily as it does out of my current horrid sink. I purchased a farm sink base which is meant to hold the weight of a farm sink and hired a contractor who knows how to install it. I am sure if you didn't properly plan for the installation it could be trouble, but I am not anticipating any.

We have had our farmhouse sink now for over a year--my husband loves it and he does alot of the dishes. We don't have (or want) a dishwasher so everything is washed by hand. I wouldn't trade mine for any other type of sink--I also vote to find another cabinet place.

Our cabinet maker gave me the exact dimensions and the soapstone fabricator also took the dimensions. Exact fit needing no tweaking. Not one problem in almost 3 yrs.

I'm putting one in because I like that they're deeper, and as another poster said, I can fit a big pot in it. I have several friends with farm sinks and not one would trade their's for a regular sink. Actually I've had more problems with leaks with my undermount here in the apartment. Probably because they had someone who didn't care how it was put in.

What a bunch of horse malarky the salesman gave your DH. He probably is getting a kickback from another sink co. and wants to make his kickback. Please tell your DH not to believe everything a salesman tells him.

Too funny, I have my fireclay apron front farmhouse sink in my Adelphi cabinet. It's no trouble, cleans up well and looks great. It's one of the things in my kitchen that people comment on, positively.

I would imagine "they" stopped using "traditional sinks" because builders, who built lots and lots of homes, like the ones most of us live in, could get inexpensive (cheap) stainless sinks, by the truckload.

Good luck.

I've had my fireclay farm sink for a few years now and have often said how glad I am I chose it. We LOVE it. It's so much easier on my bad back than any sink I've ever had.

So I'm curious, let's see what exact critiques this guy offers in his anti-farm-sink screed: The farmhouse sink can be particularly large--twice the size of an average sink--and heavy, making it difficult and expensive to ship.

Shipping for my fireclay farm sink wasn't any more expensive than shipping a traditional drop-in enameled steel sink. And you can order one via any local plumbing or even big box store, saving yourself all shipping costs. (Whose money is this guy really worried about saving..?) New, custom-built versions have to be handmade, which can be extremely costly.

?? Sure, ANY custom-built, hand-made sink would be costly, regardless of the sink style. There are literally hundreds of farm sink styles readily available from commercial outlets. This is a total non-sequitur. Additionally, handmade sinks are difficult to construct within exact specifications, often resulting in small gaps between the sink and the sides of the cabinetry.

Only if you have a mass-market robot for a carpenter. Honestly. Again, it might be a more demanding job for the installer, but this says nothing about the desirability of the sink style for the end-user, the consumer. While the countertop basin design of the farmhouse sink may be beneficial to someone with back pain who doesn't wish to lean forward, it can be detrimental to the cabinet and floor below. Water can easily spill out of the farmhouse sink and damage the face of the cabinetry and the wood structures underneath.

No more water spills over the edge of my farmhouse sink than ever spilled over the edge of my last classic drop-in steel sink. In either case, usually any water flow is halted by the user of the sink, and the worst result is a damp tummy, not destroyed cabinets.

For that matter, we installed a drip rail on ours, and this saves the cabinetry below from any of the minute drips that might splash down every other month or so. I recommend looking at pictures of farm sinks with drip rails to help pacify your husband's nerves. "With time, money and dedication, a homeowner can have a traditional farmhouse sink, but why recommend an impractical fad when there are plenty of other options?"

Again I have to ask: whose time, money and dedication is the author really worried about? Honestly: what I see in this article is a lot of silly fear-mongering to dissuade this fellow's clients from asking for a feature that he apparently 1) doesn't trust his crew to have the skills to install and 2) is afraid he'll lose money on.

To summarize my opinion: like a lot of professionals, the author of this article appears to be afraid to offer anything beyond what might be offered in a big-box store, because he wants the easiest route possible to the maximum profit. And you do that by installing cookie-cutter kitchens that even a mediocre installation crew can't mess up.

My 2 cents. :-)

I love my farmhouse sink and warmly recommend getting one if you like roomy washing workspace with easy access.

Thanks for the encouragement (and support!).

I'm not a 'cookie cutter' type person, so, of course, i am drawn to farmhouse, apron sinks and vessel sinks (which i have in my own bathroom). My DH (he wants to know if that stands for 'Designated Hitter' LOL .... keeps referring to the 'cooke cutter' sink as "traditional' and I keep correcting him. :-)

Yes, his 'nerves' are frayed!

He's afraid of investing all of this only to end up with water ruined cabinets and ruined counters and everything needing to be redone.

No, I will NOT be returning to that store! But what's up with me being told one thing and the next day DH shows up (alone) and they read him the 'riot act' on the farmhouse sink and start printing out that article?

That article reinforced his anxiety over it. Yet that same guy who wrote it has photos of all these kitchens with the very same sinks installed in them????? has he yet to write a retraction? Or update the article? Can I find another article (written by someone else) who has Favorable Things to say about the sink? (Thankfully I found this site and you folks have!)

Look how Microsoft gets trashed (daily (hourly? - and for decades!) - and yet the vast majority of computers still use the products???? LOL

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the feedback - very much!

I will still keep looking up articles - but if i show him any more photos of kitchens with farmhouse sinks in them he is going to hit me over the head with one!

Sincerely (and i mean it!)
Cindy

The real reason he told you not to use a farmhouse sink is because his installers actually have to use their brains to install it in the base! It is much easier for him if you choose a drop in. Then your countertop installer can worry about it.
You will come acoss many posts on this forum where the install is hideous. Even my install is horrible, but you have to be on the ground to see it. I love my farmhouse sink and am glad I didn't get talked out of it! Just be there to babysit on the day of the install and it should be fine. My husband had a landscaper show up at about the time for the sink to get installed, otherwise I think it would have been ok.

I guess I'd better re-read and search for more on the installation. It's best to be prepared! - And I like to be as informed as I can. Being able to anticipate problems, and have ready solutions would be ideal - if only my husband wasn't so 'swayed' by the sales person and that article! And he usually isn't so persuasive LOL (at least not with me! :-)

cindy

My carpenter had never installed one. he did a fantastic job. Love my big sink. I will never go back to a double bowl. Never. I work minimum wage. This kitchen update was the first since the '70's with the one before that being in 1950. There is no way I would have spent my money on anything that would get ruined in short order. As long as you build a good support under your sink it will be just fine. There are plenty of instructions on the net. You shouldn't have any trouble finding them. One word of caution. The front must be cut carefully out of your sink base. The sink typically sets forward 2.5 to 3 inches. I don't think any apron front sink has straight sides so the sink hole can't be cut rectangular. It must follow the slope of the sink sides. If you get that cut correctly the sink slides right in and fits into the hole. There have been several threads on here of good and bad installs. I don't know how much luck you'd have searching for them. sometimes the search works and sometimes it doesn't.

I didn't get a farmhouse sink (thought about it based on comments here, but DH didn't care for the look and I wasn't set on it).

BUT, the sink cabinet bases definitely *had* a particular sink cabinet for apronfront sinks. It was made to hold that type of sink, and I couldn't see how that would be that hard to install.

If it's what you want and love, see if your DH can go along for that reason--but it's clear to me that competent
cabinet makers and installers know how to do these.

Yes, I have read a few posts on installations but i don't think enough of them. I'm going to search for more.

My husband is not a 'handy person'. He is not very 'constructive'!

So, I think becoming more educated - I might be able to anticipate some problems /solutions ? Hopefully?

I've had some preliminary experience with farmstyle apron front sinks. We ordered a Rohl/Shaw's sink in biscuit, and our cabinetmaker was building it into its cabinet when we determined that the particular shade of biscuit was all wrong for our kitchen -- very pinkish, like the Duravit "Pergamon". The cabinetmaker also observed that the Rohl sink was very irregular, part of its charm no doubt. We exchanged it for a Porcher biscuit apron front sink, which was less heavy (parts of it are hollow, unlike the Rohl), more regular in its dimensions and less difficult to fit into a cabinet -- but the first two that arrived at the plumbing supply place were broken! All is well, now, and the cabinets are being delivered tomorrow. But the (very lovely) representative at the plumbing supply store must have shuddered everytime she received an e-mail from me, because it took awhile to get everything straightened out. I will say that the Porcher people were also very responsive when we had a problem. Both the Rohl and the Porcher sinks are beautiful. Can't say whether the extra weight of the Rohl translates into extra durability. Rohl sends along instructions for fitting their sinks into a cabinet.

Lynn

I wasn't fond enough of the look of farmhouse sinks to get one myself, but as far as I can tell, the functionality is great. I see no logical reason why a farmhouse sink would result in any more splashing or dripping than any other sink. I'm still trying to figure out the author's thinking on that one! It just makes no sense.

I really wanted a farmhouse sink for the ergonomics. With an undermount sink you have several inches of countertop between your body and the sink, which causes you to lean ever so slightly over the sink. That lean will cause a backache in people with back problems. The apronfront sink means your body is directly against the sink, and no leaning. However, I ended up with a Silgranit undermount sink. It was solely a question of cost. The Silgranit sink (rectangular single-bowl) was half what the farmhouse sink would have cost, and my contractor was going to charge more for the installation of the farmhouse sink, as has been already discussed in this thread, cause it's more involved. My budget was really tight. I was literally looking to shave off even a hundred dollars wherever I could, and the difference between the two sinks was considerably more. So IMHO, the ONLY reason not to get a farmhouse sink is budget.

Of course, after all was installed, I learned on this forum that there are stainless steel apron front sinks (Kraus makes several beautiful stainless farmhouse sinks), so that I could have had my less expensive apron front sink and an easier installation too. Too late. Sigh. But maybe it's an alternative for the OP to think about. Oh well, I like my Silgranit undermount sink just fine since it doesn't show water spots.

Although nostalgic, our Farmhouse Sink drips water down the front onto the cabinet beneath. (I've never experienced this problem with drop-in sinks). Because the front edge of the farmhouse sink does not have a lip - like a countertop - the water drips down and actually pools on the upper edge of the lower cabinet doors. It's very annoying. Even though it's an expensive sink, I'm thinking of replacing it when we remodel.

Melton, that's the first I've heard of this happening to anyone. What is the brand and style of your farmhouse sink?

My lower cabinet doors don't protrude from the frame, so this wouldn't be an issue in my own design; if that much water did run down, it would run over the drip rail and down the sides of the doors themselves.

If someone is splashing that much water so high onto the front edge of the sink, I guess I don't understand why one wouldn't have the same issue with a drop-in or undermounted sink -- the strip of countertop would be soaked too -- and unless the countertop has a marine (raised) edge, wouldn't water drip down from it just as much?

-our Farmhouse Sink drips water down the front onto the cabinet beneath. -

I can't visualize this happening. Where is the water coming from?

It's a Kohler Hawthorne cast iron apron-front undermount sink. The door frames protrude out further than the apron so water collects on the top of the cabinet doors.

As to the origin of the water itself, it may drip off my gloves as I wash dishes. But it slowly collects and makes a mess below the sink. I have to open the doors, wipe and dry routinely.

Those are gorgeous and very functional sinks!! I am sorry, but the collective wisdom on this site trumps the random cabinet guy. Truly, many of these guys simply want to deal with what is easy to install and totally standard (anything different = trouble). Try to find someone who is interested in YOUR vision and will work with you to accomplish it. These are the craftsmen, and generally they are excited for a (reasonable) challenge and take pride in the finished product.

(The best thing I ever heard my GC say - was to several of the subs: "This is all about what Laura wants and you all need to make her happy." I still wish my husband has heard the lecture!!)

Who is your dh going to sleep with tonight? Nuff said...

btw - IKEA makes a very pretty and well priced farmhouse sink that can be used just like any other one. No need to drop the big bux if your budget is the issue.

just a wild guess here but if the water is dripping off your gloves onto the cabinet doors beneath, getting a different sink isn't going to stop that from happening. Ditch the gloves.

Melton, do you have any photos of your sink installation? I'm just curious because of your description of the protruding doors - all the farmhouse sinks I've seen extend a few inches above any cabinet doors below. Perhaps the sink is set a bit too far inwards for your washing habits and it's making you lean forward too much (and then dripping when you revert back to a more natural posture)? In any case that stinks, & I'm sorry it's not working well for you. :-/

But all the cool kids have one!!
Casey

So far all I'm reading here is people worried about a little water spilling over the edge of the sink...NOT what you should be worried about with this style of sink. The way it's made (or any sink that's mounted over the counter for that matter) can have an issue with water, dirt, food etc all getting into the seam between the sinks edge and the counter top. Yes! I fully understand that this "should" be sealed with a calk. But caulking breaks down over time...the saying is...water will find a way. So why give it one? Sinks mounted under the counter...or in a best case made as part of the counter are and always will be the best way to go

The Trouble With "The Trouble with Tradition":

I respect Mr. Yatron's opinion. He has the qualifications and experience to have one that should be paid attention to. I simply disagree.

His primary objection to apron-front sinks is that they were designed for a by-gone era when large sinks were used to not just wash dishes, but for laundry and to butcher meat and de-bone fish. Since we have dishwashers and clothes washers and no longer butcher or de-bone in the sink, they are, in his opinion no longer needed and the extra size, weight and installation challenges usually cannot be justified.

Everything he says is true, plus, apron-front or farmhouse sinks were not all that common in actual late Victorian or early Craftsman/Mission homes. Much more common were sinks that hung on the wall with integrated drain boards on both sides supported by legs that screwed into the bottom of the sink (see picture).

The only thing going for farmhouse sinks is that people like the look, and if you like the look, there really is no substantial objection to using them. "Modern" apron-front sinks are usually designed to fit a standard 36" sink base, but not usually one you can get from a Big Box Lumber Store. You will have to go a little upscale on the cabinets to get a base suitable for an apron-front sink.

They are heavy, and need special support. There are a lot of threads in this forum arguing the merits of the various commercial sink supports on the market, but we build ours out of 2"x 4" boards in about 10 minutes for $4.50, and they will support four times the weight of any fully filled sink. It's a task easily within the skill set of any competent carpenter.

As for spillage, you can slop water over the edge of any sink. I can find no actual evidence that farmhouse sinks are more prone to spillage than other styles. This is a nonsense argument.

One thing to be aware of though is that ceramic or "fireclay" (they're not really made of fireclay) sinks have a fragile exposed front apron that can be damaged fairly easily. If you are opting for an apron-front sink, think porcelain on cast iron for the best durability.

The first thing that came to my mind while reading through Cindy's problem and my fellow commenter's posts was "Thank God I'm single!!!" LOL but true! I can't even imagine allowing some guy whom his wife describes as not handy around the house to have any input into a kitchen I bet he never works in (i.e. cooks, washes dishes, cleans). Same with all the other commenters except the one who said her husband is the primary dish washer. Of course, I've been divorced twice so y'all might not want to take my advice, hahaha!

I'm getting an IKEA farmhouse sink and cabinets. They make special bases for both their one bowl and two bowl sinks. I have a disability and I sit on a stool to wash dishes, so an apron front sink gets me closer to the dishes. I also think they look really cool, which is a perfectly good reason to choose something for your kitchen. :-)

I love the farm and we have a farm kitchen that already had a single sink that I would love to replace with an apron farm sink. Looking into one, the only cons I found on SOME brands were, scratches easily. So you might choose wisely and make sure it's installed properly. Check out some videos on installing Farm kitchen sinks.

My builder said belt buckles mess up farm sinks. They scratch and ding the finish. Any truth to that? I have a 90's kitchen. Any trouble retrofitting farm sinks where standard sink was before (re: cabinets below)? Thanks.

Kohler Whitehaven makes a short apron sink that doesn't involve modifying the existing cabinets. I just had mine installed last week.