Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
risforremodel

"Dated" but maybe I need to do it anyway?

risforremodel
9 years ago

Sorry for the long post. We are remodeling the master bath to be followed by hall bath. I am torn on countertops. I was going to go with Tere-stone, which is similar to cultured marble, but supposedly better and more resistant to damage, because I can get the top to have a granite look to it with an all white integrated sink which makes it appear undermounted but without the worry of mold collecting in chalk. Plus the sink could be a recessed oval which means around the sink the countertop lowers creating a ledge to collect water so it runs back into the sink. This was really attractive to me because my family is messy with water and whenever we stay in hotels or at my Dad's house there is a spreading puddle on the countertop that reaches out to items on the vanity top. Very quickly I get a hand towel very wet wiping up this spreading puddle. From reading this forum, a recessed oval sink is "dated." Also, seamless integrated sinks are dated. But I can't stand the spreading puddle and the constantly wet hand towel that then can't be used to dry your hands because it so wet from cleaning the puddle.


A further concern is my daughter who may accidentally leave a curling iron or flat iron on the top. The hall bath currently has what I think is cultured marble or porcelain (how can I tell which?) with an integrated recessed oval sink. So far no damage has happened but that is because she hasn't quite got to the age of hair styling. Soon she will and supposedly with cultured marble, Tere-stone, and quartz you are supposed to put a towel down to prevent damaged finish and also in the case of quartz, fractures. I put my curling iron on it now with no damage, but I am careful that the little metal stand is holding the barrel off the top, but I can't trust a careless tween/teen to do that.


In summary, I am torn because I want the recessed ledge and no chalk of Tere-stone but it is a "dated" look, and I want the no worry about burns from curling/flat irons and nail polish remover spills of granite. But does granite crack from stress of 400 degree flat iron? Quartz seems out of the running because it would mean using a towel to protect from damage of flat iron, so might as well use a towel with Tere-stone and get my recessed ledge and no chalk.

Comments (8)

  • amberm145
    9 years ago

    Seamless integrated sinks may be "dated", but I personally prefer them to undermount sinks that everyone *has* to have these days. I stayed in a few hotels recently with the undermount sink and they were rather gross. I do my hair in the bathroom, and there's inevitably long hairs in the sink. It's my habit to wipe them out when I'm done to prevent a nasty drain clog. Doing this in the hotels, I caught the underside of the counter. The rough, unfinished side of the counter. Rubbing that with damp, hairy hands every morning gave me the heebie jeebies. Now, I recognize that these sinks had negative reveals, and the undermount sink I have bought for my new house I would be sure to have no reveal. But my kitchen sink is undermount, and it has no reveal, but there's still an obvious divot where the sink meets the counter. I'm glad I don't wipe hair out of the kitchen sink. So I am strongly considering taking this sink back to the Habitat for Humanity store where I bought it and getting myself a top mount. The hall bath is getting a cultured marble top with integrated sink. So much cleaner.

    And really, it's more the shape that's dated than the integrated sink.

    The current house has cultured marble tops, and I leave my flat iron on it all the time. I have never had an issue. And just in case, my husband has bought me one of these, and makes me plug the iron into it. Therefore, the iron is never on for more than an hour at a time.

    Belkin power outlet timer

    risforremodel thanked amberm145
  • lam702
    9 years ago

    I put a drop in porcelain sink in a laminate counter in my bathroom. Dated? Yes, probably. But - my husband is a disaster at the sink, water everywhere, all over the countertop, he is the original human hurricaine in the bathroom. I didn't want something that couldn't take the mess, didn't want to be nagging constantly (tried that for years, useless) so I decided to find something that would stand up to his splashing. True, I cannot put a curling iron on top of it without using the little "stand" but I wouldn't do that on any surface anyway. Much too much emphasis on the whole "dated" thing IMO. No matter what you choose, someday it will most likely be dated to a certain extent. Get what you like and what works for you.


    risforremodel thanked lam702
  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Funny, I was just looking at my (now grown) kids' bathroom sinks, which are plain white, integrated into the counter top, white vanity, and over 20 years old, and was thinking, "They do look really clean and streamlined, really not bad at all!"

    Survived curling iron, make-up, nail polish, etc.

    risforremodel thanked nosoccermom
  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    I am all for an updated look when it's also functional. But like nosoccermom, our kids' bathroom in our previous home was completely redone in the mid-80s. Although we had redone the master bath again by the time we moved out in 2012 the only thing we had changed in the kids' bath was to replace the floor tile (because some were cracked) and the full-wall mirror and Hollywood style lights (to two framed mirrors with individual light fixtures). The oak vanity, black (yes, black!) ceramic tile countertop and the overmounted oval white sinks and single hole faucets remained. You know what, it still looked great! I always loved that black tile countertop even though it was nutty to do it in the first place. Although it showed water spots and other stuff, it was also indestructible, and when it was clean, it shone! Do what works, especially if you're not planning on moving soon.

    risforremodel thanked sjhockeyfan325
  • zorroslw1
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am doing a new build and putting integrated sinks in the master and guest bath because they are easier to keep clean. Dated? Don't give a hoot. It makes more sense because it's easier to clean and take care of.

    risforremodel thanked zorroslw1
  • risforremodel
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Zorro, what type of material are you using for the countertop/sink? Will you use this material elsewhere in the room?

  • zorroslw1
    9 years ago

    I am not sure what the material will be yet. I told the KD, who is also doing the kitchen, that I know I want an integrated bowl, but I haven't decided on the material yet. I have the vanities picked out, but not the countertop material yet. She showed me several different materials, granite, marble, some different stones that I don't remember. I was focusing on my final kitchen design. No, I won't be using it elsewhere.