I've replaced quite a few Blanco undermount sinks. On the other hand, I've installed quite a few composite replacement sinks and gotten no complaints.

Stainless steel. Go for 16 gauge and it’ll last you a lifetime. Neither of the others can make that claim.

We had a double bowl cast iron sink for over twenty years (no grates) that held up pretty well and now we have a 36" single cast iron Kohler Whitehaven for clean up and an off-brand stainless ledge sink for prep. Both are great but if I had to choose just one sink, I would go with a large prep station type sink that could be used for both because I like being able to use my cutting board over the sink. We never had chips or cracks in the old cast iron sink but over time it became more difficult to keep looking nice because the finish started to gradually wear. In 18 months I have only used Dawn to clean the Whitehaven and it still looks brand new. Here's why. We have the bottom grates and I now have room to keep a small tub in the sink to corral the silverware which gets loaded last in the third rack of the DWs. We added a second DW so very little gets hand washed. Since it is a single bowl, there's plenty of room to lay things flat and to move about in the sink without hitting the sides and getting gray scuff marks which are difficult to remove without using some kind of abrasive cleaner which eventually will wear the shiny finish down. In our old double bowl, I was always leaning things like baking sheets against the divider to clean them and the scuff marks were abundant. For that reason alone I would recommend a single bowl sink.

Kohler makes their own brand of cast iron polish. I used to order it directly from Kohler, but Home Depot has it. My sea salt Riverby sink looked great after 17 years. I’m getting the same thing in my new build.

"Stainless steel. Go for 16 gauge and it’ll last you a lifetime. Neither of the others can make that claim."

My custom sinks for my customers are 16 gauge and the Karran Edge series in my home is 18 gauge. There is really no practical difference.

I definitely want single bowl. We bought that when we replaced the silgranit, and I can't imagine going back to divided bowls.

Loved my Whitehaven cast iron single bowl sink! I will be ordering another one for my new kitchen. The grates are key. When I would get a stain, I used Barkeepers Friend with a sponge and it looked like new again. I cooked three meals from scratch every day, for six years, and never had a problem!

When you’re looking at stainless steel sinks, the thickness of the material is measured in fractions of an inch, so a 16 gauge sink is 1/16th of an inch (.0625”), and an 18 gauge sink is 1/18th of an inch (.05”). The thicker 16 gauge is considered more of a luxury item; the thinnest SS sink you should buy is 18 gauge.

Of the three options you listed, fireclay, cast iron, or stainless steel, the only one that doesn’t decay in a lifetime of normal use is stainless steel. Fireclay can crack if you use it with a disposal for crying out loud. Cast iron is strong but brittle, it rusts, and the surface can and does stain (see above), wear and chip. If you chose either of those materials, make sure you also choose an installation that allows for replacement down the road, i.e. not an under mount - unless you live near Joe.

Best of luck with your reno.

I have a copper sink and I love it!

“I love the look of the apron sinks and the cast iron seems so great, but I'm nervous about cracks, chips, etc.”

I agree with you. Have you thought about an apron-front sink in stainless steel? Look at the Elkay Crosstown. I mention the Elkay because its apron has a thin profile (some stainless steel apron front sinks have aprons that are too thick, so I wouldn’t recommend those). I do prefer a 16 gauge sink. Some people say there’s no difference from the thinner 18-gauge, but I think the sound and the feel are better in a 16-gauge. There are other brands too to look at; I just had the Elkay photo handy.

When you are meeting with your designer, you MUST determine the sink width you want. So many other kitchen decisions depend on that.

I’m very happy with my Kohler Whitehaven single bowl. It is probably the fourth Kohler cast iron sink I’ve installed in various homes over 40 years of buying and remodeling homes. I also have a Kohler cast-iron prep sink. Both are white. Like Suzanne, this time I invested in Kohler‘s cast-iron cleaner. I also use a little Soft Scrub. In my previous kitchen remodel, I installed my first stainless sink and prep sink. They were okay, but it always seem to have water spots.

I would say the white cast-iron requires a little more frequent cleaning, but at least you know when it is dirty. It does show. And if you’re not careful with your heavy pots and pans, you can definitely chip the porcelain. I don’t know anything about fire clay, and I am not a fan of composit sinks. I guess I just like the traditional look.

I have had a white Kohler cast iron divided sink for my last 3 homes - 7 years, 4 years, and now 13 years. I have had very few dark marks made throughout the years. I have always used Comet to lightly scrub away marks, and to clean with. Did not take elbow grease to get rid of marks. Never have I had one chip in the sink. The 13 year old still looks white to me. :)

While I like the look of a large continuous sink, I prefer the division so that I can have pans soaking on one side while washing dishes on the other, at the same time.

I do not care for the farmhouse sink look. Makes my under-cabinet too short.

I have never liked the look of a stainless steel sink, and the scratches. However, I have to say that I do like the look of the new apron sink that is pictured above. Can anyone tell me if they also limit the amount of cabinet space, or shortened doors, under the sink?

"Can anyone tell me if they also limit the amount of cabinet space, or shortened doors, under the sink?"

That pictured sink has what's known as a "short apron" meaning the apron is as deep as the drawer front, not as deep as the sink which is a standard 9" or so. Regular apron sinks have fronts as deep as the bowl and require a specific cabinet. A short apron sink was designed to fit in a regular sink base cabinet. No cabinet space is wasted, but occasionally the doors below the apron, and any adjacent doors, may have to be lowered. Depending on your cabinet layout, this may not even be noticeable.

Thank you!

This thread should have a poll! I would vote stainless! So easy to keep clean.

We are doing stainless apron front, no worries about cracks or stains. I am just stuck on one large bowl, or a 60/40 low divide.

With any style of farm sink, I highly recommend pullouts under the sink. Because the Whitehaven has a right side drain I was also able to fit a disposal.

I also have a Kohler cast iron Whitehaven - which I love. I have the grills too, and after 3 years it still requires very little to keep it looking good. Like others have mentioned, I occasionally use Comet and gently rub when needed. I do not let food, especially fruit or fruit peels sit in the sink - every thing gets thrown in the trash or rinsed down the drain in a timely manor, reducing any staining. I have the "short apron" style and so standard doors and standard sink base cabinet. The short apron is the same inside as the tall apron.

Previously I had a cast iron over mount sink for about 20 years. It was in such good shape that I moved it to the basement kitchen. It did stain easier - being much older, but a spritz of Clorox Clean up usually brought it back to shiny white. Also, I never had grills with that sink making it more susceptible to micro-abrasions - which make staining easier.

Oak & Broad, a poll is a great idea, but I'm not sure how to create one.

Polls aren’t really that great a tool on Houzz. Not enough people bother to respond to them because (a) they’re tired of them, and (b) the poll choices are worded in such a way as to be limiting and frustrating. I don’t see that a new thread with a poll will tell you much different than this thread. Your title of this thread asks what material. A poll won’t do anything different.