IMO farmhouse sinks will be the next dated look and if you can’t find reviews why not go with one that you can find reviews on.

Patricia is right. Farmhouse sinks are fading fast as people find out they are more trouble than they are worth. It is almost impossible to keep the front of the sink from being scratched by belt-buckles, etc., which does not add to the appeal of the fixture one bit. In addition, the look is definitely getting dated.

Tuscan is Menards' house brand. The sinks are made in China and Turkey. We have installed a few and had no problems except one vessel sink that did not drain completely.

I agree the belt buckle thing seems to be an unfounded fear that is bandied about. I also agree that the style is not dated, though I am not so sure about the fireclay versions. They end up being such a PITA to install, and have been shown to craze easily, that the fireclay sinks may have fallen out of favor.

One thing to be aware of with some of the less expensive stainless steel sinks like Kraus (and I am actually a Kraus fan, just not their apron fronts), is that some are made with a very thick apron front. That means that you lose the ergonomic advantage mentioned above, because the fronts are still so thick, they aren't that different from having a counter strip in front of an undermount sink. I'll post two SS apron front sinks to illustrate the different thickness of the apron front, the Kraus and the Elkay.

Kraus KHF200-33 apron front sink:

Elkay Crosstown ECTRUF30179R apron front sink (the corner drain an advantage):

Just found the Menard's Tuscany Farmhouse sink that the OP is talking about. It is $299, then there is a mail-in rebate of $30.

The Elkay pictured in the previous post is $299 on Amazon. Though it does seem to have a short apron height, if that is important. The corner drain is an advantage because the sink floor is not interrupted by the drain in the middle, allowing you to set large pans down without covering the drain. It may need more spraying with the faucet sprayer to sweep everything to the corner drain. The corner drain also allows more room under the sink for storage because the drain pipe is over to the side.

I'm a home cook & have always preferred extra large, extra deep sinks. Don't buy one if you feel you'll not get the proper use out of it. Only you know how your dishwashing habits are & everyone washes, rinses, drains & dries their dishware differently. The sink holds a LOT of water & if you get a one bowl sink, you'll likely use a dish drain that will be on your counter. I hand wash many items but if you don't, you probably have no need for a "farm sink" so installing one will be for looks only but you may end up hating how they function. I have the Kohler Whitehaven but I have owned other large & deep Kohler sinks (that are no longer being made). I like Kohler products & the Whitehaven is reasonably priced. There are no scratches on the apron. Don't get these sinks just because they are in fashion. Get them because you value their function.

The sink holds a LOT of water & if you get a one bowl sink, you'll likely use a dish drain that will be on your counter....you probably have no need for a "farm sink" so installing one will be for looks only but you may end up hating how they function.

Samondragon - you may be thinking farm sink is only a single bowl sink. Farm sinks come in double bowl too. I prefer the single bowl because I feel like a double bowl's divider is in my way and I bang it all the time. Others like the double bowl, but a farm sink style comes both ways.

I've had a single bowl sink now for years, and have never used a separate dish drain and don't own one. Everyone functions differently in their kitchen.

I do not agree it's "for looks only", for the reasons discussed earlier in this thread.

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Thanks everyone for your comments. I was looking at the fireclay version not the stainless steel. I'm thankful for the opinions, there are so many decisions : )

The frequently-reported fireclay problem:

I went back and forth between fireclay and the cast iron Whitehaven. The Whitehaven was about a third more, but I felt more comfortable with cast iron than fireclay. I read too many articles and stories about fireclay crazing - even in the expensive brands. I was doing a kitchen refresh and since I had a functioning kitchen, I decided to put it off till I saved up for the more expensive sink - which only took a few months.

The Whitehaven comes in a "short apron" for a retrofit in a standard sink base cabinet (which is what I did) or a "tall apron" for a farm sink base. Both are the same in the inside. My neighbor has a new kitchen with regular under mount sink and her sink seems just as deep as mine. The Whitehaven also comes in a single bowl or low divide bowl. I have the grills for the bottom and I like them because they protect the sink and make it less deep. I have had my Whitehaven almost 3 years and I still love it and it looks great.

As has been mentioned, apron front sinks have been around for over a hundred years in Europe - more like over 300 years. I watch the BBC Father Brown mysteries which take place in 1950's - and there is a "butler sink" - what we call a farm sink - in the rectory kitchen.

I have had both good and not so great experiences with Menards goods. My original cast iron sink I bought 20 years ago held up great. My Medalion cabinets have held up great. There was a mild flaw in my new quartz counters, but I am not sure it it came that way or if the installers were at fault.

Ughh that's not good...

The Kohler Whitehaven enameled cast iron apron front in the 33" size is going to be approx. $450-500 more (depending on tall or short apron) than the Menards fireclay apron front you mentioned.

Shannon_WI.......I am aware that farm sinks come in a double bowl. As I mentioned in my post, I have had a variety of Kohler sinks over the years, all oversized & deep including one & two bowls. I am a home cook & sinks are a big kitchen issue with me so I am aware of just about every style. Now I have the Whitehaven single bowl as the double bowl version was more money than I wanted to spend. I also agree that farm sinks are not just for looks & said so in my post. They have a function but if it doesn't work for any particular person, don't buy one. I am curious how you drain your dishes with a one bowl sink? Do you put rinsed dishes on a towel on your counter, dry them & stash them immediately away in the cupboards? I come from a family of cooks & we all have our own way of dishwashing but I find it difficult to work with wet dishes piled awkwardly on wet towels on the counter like my brother & sister do. Please tell me your secret. I have one of those wooden drying racks that don't look so bad on the counter. My kitchen is clutter free but I don't mind seeing a dish or glass on a wooden drain rack. I have beautiful kitchenware so its like kitchen art to me.

The “secret” is owning a dishwasher!

samondragon - I also cook a lot - with pans that are not supposed to go in the dishwasher, and I also recycle a lot - and recyclables need to be rinsed so I need a dish drainer. I would have bought the low divide Whitehaven and used the smaller side as a dish drainer, but the smaller side was on the wrong side for how I use my sink and load my dishwasher. I don't think the low divide was more expensive, but the Kohler Cast iron double farm sink - the Hawthorn was much more expensive. I have a wooden dish drainer but I also have an in-sink dish drainer by Simplehuman. My sink is 36" so quite large inside, and I put the dish drainer on the left side.

This is not perfect because when I bought the grills, they interfered with the legs of the drainer, so I removed the legs and it rocks a bit if I don't have it just so. Really not a problem, but I am on the lookout for a tub with a flatter bottom.

Farmhouse sinks aren’t going anywhere =). My 36” whitehaven in my recent DIY complete kitchen remodel. That sink install was one the easiest parts of the entire remodel. The single basin and large interior make hand washing large pots/pans/woks a breeze!

I am curious how you drain your dishes with a one bowl sink? Do you put rinsed dishes on a towel on your counter, dry them & stash them immediately away in the cupboards?

I use my dishwasher for all dishes, glasses, cups, silverware. I handwash pots and pans and knives (some of my pots and pans are DW-safe, but I handwash them anyway because they take up a lot of room in the DW; sometimes I need to soak them first which is another reason to prefer a single-bowl because there is room to set down things to soak in the sink). To dry them, I either dry them right there with a dishtowel and put away (as an aside, I am always surprised at the reluctance of people to do this; it takes about 30 or so seconds per item), or I put a towel down and let them air dry which takes about half hour and then I put them away.

catinthehat what sink do you have? Its beautiful!

Jamie_rentschler - catinthehat said her sink is a 36” Whitehaven (by Kohler).

I don’t have the Whitehaven sink, but have always admired it. It’s beautiful. One thing though I remember a Houzz poster saying was that the Whitehaven’s sides are more sloped inward than other sinks, and in the smaller sink size, this was an issue because as a consequence the sink floor was not as spacious as expected. I just am not sure if she was referring to the 30“, 33“, or both. In the video linked above, I don’t see the sloping sides, nor in jhmarie’s pic above. If you decide you are interested in the Whitehaven, it would be worthwhile to see the size you want at a showroom.

I think the "sloping sides" are that the sides are rounded to the bottom of the sink and not squared off. Makes it easier to drain and clean but you might lose an inch of sink space at the bottom and all those cookie sheets everyone is using will be so hard to clean now. I have the 36" smart divide and think it is great.

If you are doing this as a retrofit, the short apron Whitehaven should be the only option on your list. If you are doing it new, the tall apron Whitehaven should be the only one on your list.

In new construction, where you use the taller false panel apron sink base, scribing one of those irregular fireclay sinks to that false panel can't be done by just anyone. It takes some time. And extra money for that extra time. Whatever you "save" on a cheap Chinese sourced farm sink, you will more than spend on the better installer and the extra time it takes to install. Plus all of the extra risks associated with chinese imports and the falsified documents that plague the industry.

Kohler Whitehaven all the way.

I have a Whitehaus fireclay farmhouse sink and I love love LOVE it! I am another who wants a big, one-bowl sink. Its not about aesthetics, it's about practicality. How do you guys wash big pots and pans and give larger items a good soak in a dinky multi-compartment sink? I had a stainless one-bowl put in my other house (not farmhouse style, it wasn't as deep) and once I discovered how easy it is to actually get things thoroughly washed in there without splashing all over the place, I couldn't imagine ever going back to a two-compartment sink. As luck would have it, the house I bought had a big, deep farmhouse sink. It ties in nicely with the rest of the kitchen, and the kitchen ties in with the rest of the house, so it all works beautifully aesthetically. I have zero scratches on the apron nor on the bottom of the sink -- I have a stainless grid for the bottom which protects against that. Agree with above -- don't scrimp, pay for a quality item, you will have good ROI.

mxk3 you have different needs for your sink than I do. I have the smart divide and it is great. That is why Kohler makes both. Whatever your needs, kohler makes a fantastic sink.

I just finish a remodel with a relatively large copper farmhouse sink.

Mine has a ledge so it holds accessories that effectively extends my counter. I have a grid which I can use as a drainboard when necessary as well as using it to hold meat and veggies after being washed. I also have two cutting boards as one had a cutout hole that holds a large stainless bowl For prepping

Mine is simgle bowl. I have never filled up a kitchen sink in my life to wash anything My drain is rear and to the side so anything I want to leave in the sink can be left at the other end without hampering access to the drain and the garbage disposal.

I dont know why a farmhouse sink would go out of style. It’s a classic look in my Arts & Crafts/Prairie inspired kitchen so if it goes out of style, my whole kitchen would be out of style as well. AS IF I CARED LOL. I designed it solely to please me aesthetically.

My wife wanted this sink, It looks very pretty, but scratches so easy. If you put a metal pan or tray on the edge of the sink and just move it, it scratches the metal. I used a worn out green scrubber to wash the bowl of the sink and it left swirl marks on the metal. Very disapointing. The metal must be very soft to scratch so easy. This was just a normal 3m type pot scrubber thing. It was worn out and should not have left scratches like that .

Although the sink is very pretty, is is not practical because it scratches so easily

don't do it. mines a week old and already worn through the porcelain.

don't do it. mines a week old and already worn through the porcelain.

Kelly:

Please be more specific. What model and brand of sink and pictures please.

At Menards I see two Tuscany Farmhouse/Apron Front 33" White Fireclay Single Bowl Kitchen Sink sinks- SKU 6721100 and SKU 6721142. Size and weight differences seemn slight. Price diff is 100$. I cant't figure out the differences . Want it to mount in a new sink cabinet purchasing from Menards.

@Dean Conrad - just looking on the Menards pages for those two sinks, and just looking at the Specifications box about 2/3 the way down...the more expensive 672110 says it is 9" deep (which I prefer to 10"), weighs 120 lbs, and does not mention the manufacturer warranty. The less expensive 6721142 specifications box says it is 10" deep, weighs 108 lbs, and has 10 year manufacturer warranty.

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to share my experience in case someone else is looking at this sink now. We installed the Tuscany Fireclay farmhouse/apron sink (from Menards) in 2019. It's in our weekend cottage, but it has gotten heavy use over those 4-1/2 years with a lot of entertaining, as well as washing iron skillets and Le Crueset dutch ovens. We also lived there most of the time during the Pandemic. We have always used a metal grid protector on the bottom of the sink, and there no chips or scratches, it still looks like new. Once in awhile we'll clean with Barkeepers Friend, but not often. We're doing a kitchen remodel in another home and I'll use this sink again if we go with the apron style.