It’s a marriage. Pick well, and you won’t need to plan on divorce.

I get that. But there must be some better and worse ways of going about it.

Hire the right countertop fabricator., Not the low priced one. And pick a respected national name brand product. Kohler. American Standard. Franke. Blanco. Not an import knockoff one. A sink isn’t something you pick because it’s inexpensive.

What reason do you think would occur in your home that would cause damage to a stainless sink? I’ve had people have fires in their sink from putting flaming grease in it. A couple of dents from dropping a big full out of chili. The sinks were just fine. That’s about it. Stainless is chemically non reactive.

There are so many sink choices, I get lost. What would a knockoff brand be? How much should I be looking to spend on a sink? I see negative reviews of 16 gauge stainless sinks being scratched, even though you'd think 16 gauge should be enough. How do I know that I got a "good" sink?

“I see negative reviews of 16 gauge stainless sinks being scratched, even though you'd think 16 gauge should be enough.”

All stainless steel sinks scratch. Whether you’ve paid $300 or $3000 for it. If you don’t want scratches, choose another material for your sink. Or, get comfortable with the fact that after a few months the scratches all blend in and you don’t notice them.

The Kraus sinks are very good, lots of happy owners on this forum, and you can read the many reviews all over the internet. You will be happy with that brand.

Because a stainless steel sink has no moving parts, and it’s made from stainless steel, and lasts for decades, it is unlikely you will want to change it. That is, as long as you choose the right size for your needs, and the right configuration (which to me means a single bowl). There is a Pro contractor who posts on this forum, Joseph Corlett, who changes out sinks including undermounted ones. The vast majority of the time, his customers are people who can’t stand their double bowl sink to such a degree that they are willing to spend the significant money to change it to a single bowl sink.

With respect to difficulty of changing things out, I’d be more concerned about a fridge. Because fridges' longevity is short these days, and because kitchens tend to build them into cabinets that are a very specific size, a new one several years later has a good probability of not fitting.

When getting a SS sink also get a grid that fits the sink (many sink companies have them under accessories) this can help reduce scratches on the bottom of the sink. You will not go wrong with one. I had a sink with two sides prior to my kitchen renovation and went to a single bowl which I prefer. I can get all size pans in this sink.

Bikertoni - I had a sink grid I got rid of. For me, it was just one more thing to clean. But I know people love them. I think that the grid is one of those "personal taste" things. The Kraus sinks usually come with a grid for free, so if the OP gets a Kraus sink, she can try out the grid for herself at no cost.

I had a large 60/40 In my last house & put a large single in this kitchen. I miss my old sink. The 60 side tool large pans & fry pan with handle leaving the 40 cto drain good knives etc and wash fruit & veggies, especially green. I do a lot more of that than need to place a cookie sheet flat in the sink.

" I’ve had people have fires in their sink from putting flaming grease in it."

I set fire to a stainless steel sink trying to poultice a stain out of the sink edge with acetone once. It went out right away, but I was damn glad the lady wasn't home and there weren't any curtains in the window. Whew.

The sink was unscathed; probably more sanitary than when I started. Got the stain out.

I have this one

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kraus-Premier-32-in-x-19-in-Stainless-Steel-Double-Equal-Bowl-Undermount-Commercial-Residential-Kitchen-Sink/1000954998

I think it's the same as the one you found, without the faucet. I really love it - it blends the best of a divided sink with a one bowl sink. You can still fill one side with enough water to wash by hand if you wish, but the low divide lets you easily manage large baking sheets and pans. The low divide also takes away the gunk factor at the divide line.

I had a single bowl sink in my previous house and didn't like it. It seemed very limiting. I am going for a low divide this time - looking forward to it. And it will be a stainless steel. I don't care if it gets scratches - it is a *sink* after all. And a sink is not terribly visible in a kitchen.

Despite its popularity here, Kraus is a knockoff sink. They “borrow” designs of others, without proper attribution or reimbursement, instead of creating their own. They moved the factory out of China, to avoid the tariffs, but most of their materials are Chinese sourced. The good news is that good quality stainless sinks rarely have issues. Not never. Rarely. There’s a difference in corporate owned facilities productions than the low bidder factories.

But. Plenty of cheap questionable imports are non austentic stainless and actually are not the 304 alloy they claim to be. Those eventually rust when someone uses a bit too much bleach. Or it’s thinner than it’s supposed to be. 16 gauge is actually 17 gauge, and you save a few thousand over a hundred thousand sinks. Or it’s warped. Place it upside down and the rim isn’t flat. Or there’s a pool where it collects water and won’t drain. There’s even been Chinese stainless made with radioactive waste. Not kidding.

There is no stainless sink made that won’t scratch. That is what stainless does. Add in a bunch of scratches and you get patina. Add in 50 years, because it will easily perform even longer than that, and it’s one of the best choices anyone could ever make for their kitchen. Just buy a brand that existed 50 years ago, and that will exist 50 years from now.

http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Kraus.htm

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and advice.

@anyas5, how are you liking your Paperstone counters? Would love to hear!

Post above by Live_Wire_Oak is fear mongering. "Kraus is a knockoff sink". What does that even mean? We aren't talking about Louis Vuitton bags here. And a sink made from radioactive waste also doesn't make sense. Kraus has been selling sinks for many years, and there are so many happy customers.

"eventually rusts when someone uses a bit too much bleach." All the sink manufacturers say to avoid leaving bleach in their sinks. All of them. Has nothing to do with a sink made in China or not.

When Live_Wire_Oak has posted these comments before, we remind her that her peeps Kohler, Franke, and Blanco all sell Chinese-made sinks made with Chinese stainless steel. But they don't offer the transparency of Kraus. Instead they say nothing, charge higher prices cause their badges are on the sink, and the only way you know is to look at the box the Kohler, Franke and Blanco sinks come in and see they are made in China. If sinks are being made in China from radioactive waste, then so will the Kohler, Franke and Blanco sinks made there.