I would definitely seize on the opportunity to follow Joseph's advice and replace that dysfunctional double bowl sink with a fabulous large single bowl apron front sink.

Regardless of cost savings, you are upgrading the functionality and aesthetics of your kitchen and you are saving yourself from the issues of finding a counter that complements your existing stuff. Not having to agonize over the choice of a new counter is priceless :-).

Unfortunately, I don't believe that the staining would be removed with the sink.

I also think the front of the stainless steel sink would be subject to scratching.

I'm also concerned about water getting into the granite from the sides of the stainless steel sink.

Joseph, have you ever installed a white ceramic farm sink in this situation?

Joseph, my entire sink cabinet width is only 31 3/4". That is the panel plus trim on either side. My countertop depth is 25".

I have an apron front sink and there aren't issues with scratching.

Not sure why you think there are potential issues with leaking from the sides. Sinks that are mounted over the counter were the norm until solid surface counters became popular because you can't do under mounted sinks on some older counter materials like formica. The edges of the over mounted sink are caulked and periodically they are re-caulked just as caulking is redone in other areas.

The downside to an over mounted sink is that you can sweep everything into the sink with one fell swoop as you need to cup it into your palm. I just remodeled and being able to just sweep is great as well as not having schmootz can caught in the edges of the sink.

Yes you could Do a wnite sink. Check out kohler replacement sink

I can't tell from the photo above (of the Kohler stainless steel sink) if the sink butts right up to the cabinet doors, or if there is a remaining cabinet piece above the cabinet doors (under the sink). My entire height for the sink depth would be 9 1/2" if you came right down to the doors. I would think we would want a little separation? Also my current is an undermount one piece (not double). Therefore, the current granite cutout is only 23" x 15" so the granite would have to be trimmed back also. (see photo below)

Here is the Kohler white apron front sink. It looks like it should fit fairly easily in your space. You can see in the questions that the apron piece is just under 7” tall, leaving you room for your lower cabinet. The granite will have to be trimmed, so to speak, but that should be a LOT less expensive and more desirable than completely replacing stone you like.

https://www.build.com/kohler-k-5664/s1125054?uid=2701584

"Joseph, have you ever installed a white ceramic farm sink in this situation?"

I've retrofitted a Kohler Whitehaven several times:

How much does your countertop overhang the cabinet fronts? If you've got 18 3/4" or so from the cabinet front to the back of your cutout the Kohler K-6486 can be retrofitted.

On second thought the K-6487 with the tall apron may fit better.

Apron sinks are great. We went from an in-set sink to an apron sink when we remodelled, and I like the experience so much better. No more clean up on that narrow section of countertop that always gets into the way. Also, I just like the looks of an apron sink better.

I have so far not had any problems with scratches on the apron. But honestly, if scratches happen, that's fine. It's normal wear and tear. We have stainless countertops and they obviously scratch up all the time. If I feel sufficiently annoyed, I get out a red Scotchbrite pad and refinish them. Takes some elbow grease, but other than that it's a simple maintenance task.

I understand the appeal of undermounts, but for several reasons we decided on a topmount instead. Turns out, you can have some really beautiful and very functional topmounts. It's just a question of good workmanship and design.

Most people these days seem to favor undermounts though, and that's OK. As Joseph has repeatedly demonstrated, it is entirely possible to do a very clean job when retrofitting an undermount apron sink. It does require a skilled installer, though.

Replacing the sink seems like the best option, but if you do use the quartz, you need to find a color that matches the base color of the granite - not gray.

calidesign, the base color of the granite is a biscuit with a lot of gray veining running throughout. I want to pull out the gray and i'm beginning to think if I have to replace, the Suede Quartz Silestone would go nicely.

Is the sink area the only problem? Or do you have staining at other points in the countertop?
The sink exchange idea IS the least expensive if that is where the problems are. The front apron of a stainless steel Kohler would not scratch that easily. You need to shop the sinks that will fit (mostly) in your available space and on top of your existing cabinet. (Farmhouse sinks usually require a special cabinet underneath them. ). And you need to find someone who can do this job. Your stone is quite beautiful so if you can keep it, I would try that first.

I would go with the biscuit base color. You need to decide based on the color overall that you see from a distance, not just the close up bits of color in the stone.

Choose the deepest double stainless steel sink you can find that you like.

Your island will become the focal point of your kitchen, if it is not already, so you could choose a more economical countertop for the rest of the kitchen -- something that will be less likely to stain than granite or quartz. Have you considered a more solid gray color countertop -- a gray from within your island countertop -- using Corian?

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/14496030023756424/?lp=true

Favoritedog- all I can add is that if you are looking at any quartz in a matt/suede finish I'd do a lot of research on it if you haven't already. By what I've read on Houzz threads that pertain to these finishes, they tend to not be carefree as manufacturer's have led us to believe so better to be well informed and know what possible drawbacks are of this product before you install it.

For what it is worth, I personally feel that your granite is beautiful (and not trendy) and adds more value to your kitchen than what a plain quartz will. If it was me, I'd exhaust every possibility to see if there was an alternative, such as the sink, before replacing the granite.

Good luck.

Joseph Cornett, based on my measurements which sink would you recommend? I’m not looking for a huge sink; however I really need to go wide since the stain is all across the width of my current sink and a little beyond. Thanks for your input.

If you like the Whitehaven, I made a link in my second to last post. There are plenty of sinks that will work.

Thanks Joseph Corlett, LLC. There was one complaint about the Whitehaven, where a white sink was stained from a hot frying pan. I'm more inclined to go with stainless but having a tough time finding one with all the right dimensions. I can't go deeper than 9" for the apron. The outside width should not exceed 29 1/4" (panel width). The cabinet width is 30 1/4". Depth should be about 20 1/4" going to where my faucet is now.

I agree with others...replace sink if at all possible. If you go that route, another benefit - you don't have to worry about backsplash.

What is the name of your granite?

Shivakashi

You could buy a 100% custom sink from www.rachiele.com, and it still would be cheaper than getting a new counter top.

Those sinks are amazing and well worth their money. And their customer service is outstanding.

But realistically, there is bound to be a cheaper off-the-shelf option, if you're not prepared to pay that much. So, keep looking

Here's a stainless steel apron front sink that is specifically designed to be retrofitted into existing cabinetry, so the apron is just under 7".

https://www.build.com/signature-hardware-931025-27/s1486138?uid=3489113

And one with a depth just under 8"

https://www.build.com/elkay-eluhf2520dbg/s498197?uid=1654275

And a Kohler that's just a hair under 9".

https://www.build.com/kohler-k-5417/s1085114?uid=2668412

There may well be more, but this should be a good start.

" The outside width should not exceed 29 1/4" (panel width)."

You can rip the top of your cabinet sides so the sink flange can go over them. You'll be replacing the ripped cabinet sides with sink when you strap the sink in place. I don't care if the sink is 31 3/4" wide flange to flange, it will fit. I do this regularly to get Elkay Quartz Luxe sinks, 35 7/8" wide flange to flange, to fit into 36" cabinets.

I set a Rotozip into the bottom of that dado and remove the cabinet side top so the sink flange will go over.

Historically, when people felt that they wanted double (or triple!) bowl sinks, they discovered that large items such as cookie sheets or roasting pans no longer fit. That's how we good deep bowls.

But at the same time, the population as a whole has gotten ever taller and standard kitchen dimensions haven't really been adjusted for that. So, now, we see all these deep bowls getting grids to raise the bottom up again.

With a properly designed single bowl sink, you'll find that you don't really super deep bowls. A shallower bowl is probably preferable.

And for completeness sake. If you were doing a full kitchen remodel, you wouldn't need to keep the apron size identical to the bowls depth. Half-height aprons are a thing. But only Joseph would be able to tell us, if that is something that can be retrofitted. My guess is, the answer would be no.

I had thought the Kohler Whitehaven sinks that can be easily retrofitted come in stainless steel too?

As an aside, just about SS apron fronts scratching, that has been debunked on this forum several times. No one can find any evidence from a real person, or even anecdotal evidence (“I knew someone who...)“ that a SS sink’s apron front scratches.

The bowls in short apron sinks are deeper than the aprons. That doesn't stop me from retrofitting them.

The house my son bought came with a stainless apron front sink and the front is badly scratched. So yes, it does happen.

So did he replace the sink, or was there something he could do to fix the scratches?

I guess there's no sink that will be damage free. That's why I got the undermount in the first place. However, I will have to go with the stainless farmhouse since my granite section must be replaced and I really don't want to have to tear out cabinets to get it out.

you can break out that granite without touching the bottom row of tiles. just protect them from scratching if you do decide to take a hammer to it. (we did it with ours). If the new countertop is taller or shorter, you can redo the plywood base to adjust for that so the new countertop fits under your tile.

or, just do what joseph recommended.

They will replace the sink when they replace the counter and paint those cream colored antiqued cabinets. They replaced all of the flooring and painted every room in phase 1.

If it's minor scratching, get a red Scotchbrite pad and gently buff it out by hand. Just make sure to follow the existing grain.

If we are talking about major damage, get a random orbit sander and again some red Scotchbrite. This allows you to take out all the scratches and will leave you with an even grey surface.

If you want to, you can now restore the old grain by hand. Or you can just leave it the way it is.

It might take a few hours of work, depending on your skill and on the amount of damage. But tools and materials should only cost about $50.

And if the future, don't scrape your knifes and forks on the apron. In normal use, there really isn't much excuse for damage to the apron.

Stainless is easily restored to factory finish.

Hey M - beautiful sink. What is it?

It's a custom-built sink from www.rachiele.com. Can't say enough good things about @Rachiele Custom Sinks. But I am sure I already sound like a broken record...

It’s gorgeous. Thanks!

So are you guys saying that an undermount double sink can be replaced without replacing the granite countertops? I was told by a contractor that it is impossible without breaking the existing granite.

Find a better contractor. This absolutely is doable. Joseph does this all the time, and you can find pictures of his excellent workmanship all over Houzz. He apparently can do this with most types of sinks; but I mostly see pictures of undermount apron sinks.

If your contractor isn't quite as skilled and if you don't mind paying more for the sink, then Dino Rachiele makes great retrofit top mount sinks for this exact purpose. They are really straightforward to install, as they go over the existing front of the cabinet. And of course, Rachiele sinks are awesome anyway.

I don't know if any other manufacturers make retrofit sinks. But Joseph is sure to chime in and let us know. He is a fount of knowledge

Granite cracks on sink replacements occasionally, once every 50 jobs or so, but it mostly depends on existing sink type and layout. If you've got a cast iron Kohler and a thin perimeter side rail, you are more prone to cracking during removal.

Fortunately, granite repairs fairly inconspicuously.

@favoritedog totally off subject but how did the granite stain? Just curious as I’m looking at similar granite and thought it couldn’t be stained.

I wouldn't go with gray quartz but rather with something lighter that would let the granite take the most attention. I would consider Frosty Carrina or Pure White from Caesarstone. Their soft, creamy shades would support your granite wonderfully, I believe. But, just in case, I would bring samples home and compare them against the granite and make sure I like the combination. And, by the way, quartz is great as a backsplash, too.

I'm also curious. Was it because of water seeping into the granite because the sealer no longer sealed (it should have been reapplied or wasn't properly applied or didn't work)?

I don't think sealer is sufficiently reliable to keep out 100% of all moisture. Water always finds a way. Joseph has a whole big spiel about how metal rods in front part of the granite are really challenging and a potential point of failure.

He has some additional information here: https://ihatemysink.com/curing-countertop-cancer/

Usually, the blame isn't on the homeowner for failing to reapply sealant, but the problem started much earlier. The rod should have been made of either fiberglass or stainless steel, and it should have been embedded in water resistant epoxy. But those materials are more expensive, and fabricators often cut corners. That comes back to bite the homeowner years later.

And, by the way, quartz is great as a backsplash, too.

Yes, slabs of any type of material can make great backsplashes. We have a solid ceramic backsplash and love the clean look of it.

But you need to be careful, especially when using quartz. Unlike its sound-alike quartzite, quartz is a manmade material with large amounts of resin. And resin is generally not heat resistant. This is fine, unless you put backsplash behind your stove. There are plenty of reports on Houzz of quartz scorching or even cracking, when used in that application.

"There are plenty of reports on Houzz of quartz scorching or even cracking, when used in that application."

This is designer, not installer or manufacturer error.