At some point I want to replace my double stainless sink with a single. It's under mount and I have granite counters. Hoping it's not cost prohibitive.

My question is: when are you coming to Chicago? :)

chicagoans:

The way to save money on a sink swap is to find a sink that is as close to the "footprint" of the sink you have now. Maybe it's a little off, but you could live with that.

The bill starts running up on sink changes when I have to cut and polish new edges on stone on site. If you can pull one and install the other, it's a two hour job.

Interesting numbers. Not useful, IMO, but interesting as a look into other people's kitchens (and who doesn't like a wee bit of peeking, LOL?).

I disagree as to the usefulness of the information. In remodeling, there are fads (barn doors) and trends (double bowl sinks when we were kids, single bowl now) and it's important to know the difference. Get the sink you want, but now you know the sink that the people who are going to buy your house someday are going to want.

Only one sink I replaced was nonfunctional and that was only in half of it. This means that these people had perfectly fine sinks that they just didn't like. It wasn't like a roof that you've got to replace no matter what or who, but more like jewelry, just because we want it.

We find that most people that went down the undermounted sink realm ...wish they did not. We have replaced alot of undermounts with drop ins.

The biggest thing with undermounts they need a 1/4 inch pencil round radius to the top edge to stop chipping.

"Get the sink you want, but now you know the sink that the people who are going to buy your house someday are going to want."

Not really......it's showing what people want now, not necessarily what people who are going to be wanting then -- depending on when "then" is. And, regardless, I think people should not be concerned with "Keeping up with the Jones'". Therein lies madness (and money pits).

Its all about the location we go out as far as 500miles in 3 directions with our tops (even further via train for one client) and for the majority of the jobs on the floor I can tell you where they are going just by the style and layout. some areas set the trends others are still behind selling lots of the old style granite you would find in a out dated best western! The same is true for the sinks.

If I had an enamel sink I would have to keep glasses and dishes on automatic delivery.

"We find that most people that went down the undermounted sink realm ...wish they did not. We have replaced alot of undermounts with drop ins."

I've only replaced an undermount with a drop in twice that I can recall and that was on tops made of Wilsonart's Solid Surface Veneer which was subject to a class action lawsuit after it was discontinued. I can't imagine a customer choosing a crud bump unless it was a trade-off.

Drop in enamel here because I don’t want to chip my soapstone. If someone doesn’t buy my house because of the sink (which I hope to never leave) I’ll be shocked.

How about extra large workstation sinks? My kitchen is small, especially by GW standards, but the thing that really makes it a One person kitchen right now is the current sink location and size.

I am thinking it could be changed to a two person kitchen with a 3 foot expansion in one direction. (70 sq. ft to 91 sq ft), but really by either having a sink large enough to have two faucets or two single bowl sinks with space in between.

The thing that I like about double bowls --which is what I grew up with-- is that one had the disposer and the other had a remote drain so you weren't sticking your hand down in the dirty water or possibly grabbing a knife. But I think single bowls are more practical in a lot of ways.

I haven't had a stainless sink in a long time. I had a cast iron in the first kitchen I designed and a soapstone in the second. And we did break glasses.

Especially since I am doing a large sink I will probably do stainless although I actually may just do a stainless counter run.

Stainless steel Is probably the first thing that most people think of when you mention kitchen sink. They come in all shapes and sizes and price points and can be found at every hardware store and designer showroom, so it's not at all surprising that the majority of sinks being installed are stainless. Add to that, the fact that they are light weight and probably easier install than any other kind of sink makes me wonder why I don't have one. Oh yeah, I hate the water stains.

Water stains? What kind of stainless do you have to buy to get water stains? It’s not a fridge front. Opt for brushed stainless and you’ll never see a mark. The one I’m currently working in was original to this 1963 house. It is in perfect condition and will be replaced with a larger stainless sink.

Joe, what do you think of flushmount sinks (Im only interested in single bowl)? I know they are essentially fancy drop-in sinks. I really like them. Do they require a more specialized installation?

Have you installed any with the half height divide? This seems to us to be the best of both worlds between single and double sinks.

wasn't question to me but our sink has half height divide, and also uneven bowls..one is like two thirds, second is one third of the length(or so it seems to me). it's indeed very comfortable in use, very happy we chose this sink. Allows for lots of things. It's Silgranit.

Our answer was- both. We have a large (43") 50/50, and a separate 25" single on the other side of the kitchen. Drop-in SS for us.

Okay eam44, so they're technically water spots. I still hated them. Scratches didn't bother me though.

"Joe, what do you think of flushmount sinks (Im only interested in single bowl)? I know they are essentially fancy drop-in sinks. I really like them. Do they require a more specialized installation?"

Yes. You'd better have an incredibly accurate template or better yet, a CNC machine to get the sink to fit properly. I don't think having your silicone joint facing up is better than having it facing out.

You may want to check out Top Zero sinks.

"Have you installed any with the half height divide? This seems to us to be the best of both worlds between single and double sinks."

Yes, probably three or so. I agree they are the best of both worlds.

"What kind of stainless do you have to buy to get water stains?"

I think we agree we are talking about water spots. But in any case, they are not a function of the kind of stainless, or whether you have a brushed or glossy finish. They are a function of the hardness of your water. I have a custom-made 14-gauge stainless steel sink that shows water spots the second the water dries on the surface. My water is slightly hard, but it's enough to create the spots. I don't like the water spots, but know that they are part-and-parcel to a stainless steel sink. In the scheme of things, and in life's events and challenges, water spots rank low on what is important.

The SS finish has a role with respect to scratches. All SS will get scratches, regardless. You can protect the sink with a grid, or just embrace the "patina" of scratches. However, a glossy SS finish will show the scratches more glaringly than a brushed finish, but both will scratch.

"I agree they [half height divide sinks] are the best of both worlds."

I respectfully disagree. Just MHO. The biggest advantage, to me, of the single bowl is being able to set down large items like baking dishes, roasting pans, cookie sheets to soak without using a lot of water. In a single-bowl sink, a baking dish gets filled with water, laying flat on the sink bottom, or a cookie sheet needs a 1/2" of water in sink at most. A semi-divide sink on the other hand still forces you to prop a baking dish/cookie sheet against the divide, and fill the sink high enough to cover the propped-up item, and you may not be able to cover it completely as it is lying against the divide. For those who want separate bowls, I'd advise to try to fit in a 36" cabinet base for the sink, and that way get a 2-bowl sink in which one side is large enough to lay down flat larger items to soak.

Joseph, do you have an opinion in regards to Blanco sinks?

Blanco makes fine sinks and other products.

Hey Joseph- you know off hand the single bowls sizes?

Top zero sinks are great for some one who makes a living off service calls. Not so good for homeowners. Their installation instructions tell you to fill the lip of the sink with knife grade and shape it this means your zero radius edge is made of polyester glue which does not bond very well to stainless and if you think chipping your quartz sink edge is easy imagine having a thin pencil edge of knife grade hit with a pot or pan, it’s not chipping it’s coming off in chunks. Also knife grades bond breaks down in wet locations. The instructional video is lacking in today’s technological methods of fabrication it’s pretty old school the way they show you how it’s done. Finally the top zeros I have done are terrible quality right out of the box. Where the divider meets thin walls it’s all warped and your supposed to bend this in place with tension bars while your glue sets, this is going to want to pop back into place once the bond starts to let go. The square corner bowl and a half are so crooked in the corners that you have no choice but to put your stone off square , it looks like a drunk person installed the sink. Finally every double sink I had from them only has one drain assembly with it lol.

"Hey Joseph- you know off hand the single bowls sizes?"

Many are Kohler 22x33s, which would make a bowl size of 16" x 30" or so. That's about the size of the Karran Edge series too. I've done some in 36" so the bowl is around 16x33.

granite guru:

I agree. Ever since I first saw the Top Zero at a trade show, I've had differences with their specified instructions. I'd use their sinks, but never put them in the way they recommend.

Thanks Joseph!

I just wanted to thank you for the GREAT info!!!

Good info - I've begun considering laminate countertop rather than solid surface - any special edging required for undermount sink; or do I have to go with a top mount?

Thanks for the feedback.

You can easily undermount a Karran Edge series sink in a plastic laminate top. They are great sinks.

Thanks for the post. I don’t love stainless steel sinks as I used to on a commercial bakery and SS sinks make me think of the hours spent scrubbing huge piles of baking stuff. But glad to know it won’t be viewed by most that way as that’s my plan for the sink in our guest cottage.

My kohler cast iron sink cracked after about 10 years so won’t go that route again. I replaced it with a silgranite sink and have loved it. However, I still managed to break my favorite hand blown $40 wine glass in it recently.

Mind blowing... thank you for all your generous and intelligent information. It has made me think of sinks in an entirely new way!

I've only had to live with two over mount sinks in kitchens and have always hated them. But they were cast iron and that lip added even more height for me to fight with at my barely over 5 foot height.

DH is really innovative and handy so we changed out to under-mounts long before they were all that popular. He has even taken drop in sinks and made them into under mounts.

Fast forward to the present day and I went with an apron sink in the kitchen. I had originally bought an under mount stainless for a temporary fix that we never got around to using. It's still in the box and will become a laundry room sink farther down the road. Wasn't planning on a stainless sink quite that large in there but that's how things roll when you always have some work in progress. I was impressed with the build of the sink and it cost a lot less than the small cast iron I one I had planned for.