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helaurin93

Workstation sinks? Size? Brand?

6 years ago

Looking for feedback regarding undermount, offset-drain, workstation sinks, as part of a kitchen renovation.


1 - Size? This would be the only sink in the kitchen. It's not uncommon even with our current sink for someone to be at the sink (rinsing dishes, washing pots that won't fit in a dishwasher, etc.) and for someone else to want to use the sink at the same time to get water, etc. I've spoken with a few KD's, and it seems that the majority think a 24" sink would be plenty large, and I can say even right now, our current sink (which is a 30" across from inside left to the inside right at the top) isn't large enough for us. I met with another KD recently, and indicated that I've been eyeing a particular workstation sink online - a 33" sink that requires a 36" sink base. The KD gave me a lot of push back, saying that's too large, I don't need it, and that it would make it difficult to center the sink under a pair of windows, and make it "difficult" to properly fill the space between the right side of the sink cabinet to the corner of the kitchen. Frankly, I'm not so sure I need the sink and the faucet to be perfectly centered on the framing where the two windows meet, because if I'm standing right at the dead center between the two windows, I'll be staring at wood framing, rather than looking out the center of either window, but I do want to plan the cabinetry efficiently. So - for those folks who have a single sink in the kitchen, and no other rinse/utility sink in the common-use space on the same level of your home - what size sinks do you have, and do you wish it was larger or smaller, or is "just right"?


2 - Brands? I know I've seen some posts from folks who adore Havens Metal and Rachiele. However, I need to stay within a fairly tight budget - and spending thousands on a sink can't happen. Some of the sinks I am considering:


Ruvati 33" workstation sink

https://www.build.com/ruvati-rvh8222/s1457578?uid=3423743


Kraus 32" workstation sink

https://www.build.com/kraus-kwu110-32/s1631157?uid=3870428





Comments (14)

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I have a SS Ruvatti single sink that is 30.5" x 17.5" x 10" deep (+ 1" depth for quartzite counter). I used the colander and cutting board one time each, and now they live in the garage. Spaghetti went through the colander. Plus the square corners were a pain to clean and it did not have enough holes. Do you do all of your prep work over the sink? I do all of mine at the island so I can see what is going on in the living room or watch TV.

    My Ruvatti's drain was centered in the width (30" side), but it was closer to the back of the sink.

    I love the depth for washing small dogs, and I love the width for washing large pans. I have to use a small tub sometimes so I can have two bowls or I would waste a lot of hot water filling the entire sink up. Be careful which sprayer faucet you buy because of splash out with the deep sink. I pull my sprayer down about 4-5" and that helps.

    I hate cleaning the grid and the square corners of the sink. I will buy rounded corners the next time. I also hate that bleach will leave permanent spots if it splashes on the SS. The grid needs cleaned daily or it gets slimy. Plus, food gets wrapped around or stuck to it. One of the rubber feet of the grid broke during the second year I had it.

    Most important is that my Ruvati does NOT drain well. The bottom surface is so flat that the sprayer just pushes junk around instead of sending it to the drain. Water just sits on the bottom of the sink. My husband has a bad habit of dumping his coffee in the sink without rinsing it. It has slight brown stains if you look closely. Bar Keep's Friend helps some. The sink always has water spots. It doesn't look as clean as a white kitchen sink would.

    Here it is never used.




    I love the little basket, but I had an garbage disposal so it can't be used.


    See the water standing in the 90° crease where the cutting board sits? It is not angled correctly.


    The extras you get to make it a work station is not worth the expense, and they must be washed by hand. Cleaning a wood cutting board is harder than the plastic ones that can go in the dishwasher. You can buy just the sink without the extras, and find a colander and cutting board that fits.

    Last problem is that it is very difficult to work under the sink in case you need to tighten up or change soap dispensers or faucets. Your arm must reach around the plumbing, disposal, and sink to go up to the underside of the countertop. (Reach 24" to the back then 10-11" up. So you have to lay on the cabinet bottom, and can't see what you are doing.) That is a long way. We had to replace the tubing in the push button switch for the garbage disposal, and we added Never Mount tubing to our soap dispenser. That was NOT fun!

    My garbage disposal is about 6.5" from the base cabinet. If you buy a deep sink, make sure the garbage disposal and the plumbing lines can go all the way to one side of the cabinet. My cabinets have a 4.5" toe kick so the vacuum will fit under, and they are 36" tall (normal height is 34"). With the countertop they are 37" tall.

    No need for the drop down panel.





    Yes, we have a slight leak that plumbers can't find. Another plumber is coming tomorrow! The white tub is 3.5" tall.

    Would I buy a deep sink again? No. Would I buy work stations again? No. Would I buy SS again? No. Would I buy a single sink? Yes.

    Good luck!

  • 6 years ago

    Peke-

    Thanks so much for the very detailed response. You have saved me a headache and some money.


    I have always have Kohler cast iron and have questioned whether I would want the spotting and other upkeep associated with stainless steel. I had been reading about zero radius and tight radius ss sinks and had already decided they would be a pain.


    My current sink is a 9.5" deep top mount cast iron that sits on soapstone. Depth is perfect for me, so that would translate into about an 8" to 9" deep undermounted sink I think.


    I really like my current sink but fell for the top of the line accessories that came with it when we purchased it many years ago. I very quickly learned that wood accessories and water don't mix. In fact, I am looking for a sink I can use a plastic cutting board with.


    Single sink!? This is the one I may disagree about. I am used to having one large bowl and one quite small bowl. When one doesn't have a prep sink, then this seems problematic to me.


    Joseph--


    I'll take a look at that Elkay, but I really want two drains. Are there any other similar ones you are familiar with? Thanks.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    julieste:


    Virtually no one buys double bowl sinks as a replacement these days. If you insist on two drains, at least get a low divide please.

  • 6 years ago

    I don't put scraps in my disposal because we have a septic tank, so all my prep scraps go in the trash.


    I just bought three bathroom sinks that mount on top of the counter. My kitchen sink is an undermount sink, and I have discovered that I don't like how water pools on top. Evidently my countertop is not level. I guess I assumed that the fabricator would put a slight slope on it, but I was wrong. The 3 sinks I bought all have a raised area on the edge so water drains into the bowl instead of on top of the counter. That is very hard to find now.

  • 6 years ago

    Julieste:

    You mentioned that you have soapstone countertops and I was just curious of what your experience has been. We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and I really love the look of soapstone and I have done all of the research and I am aware of the pro's and cons. How long have you had the soapstone and do you regret it?

  • 6 years ago

    Soapstone counters. We've had them installed for about seven years, and I still love them. In fact, we just bought a second home, and if I can swing it, I am going to install soapstone there too.


    They are virtually indestructible, I don't need to baby them, and I can set hot pans right on the counters. I have never oiled my counters (I am lazy) and they have definitely mellowed to a darker tone. Actually I would probably prefer the more charcoal tone they originally started as (oxidation from the air also causes them to darken eventually). If I get ambitious one of these days I may take a stronger cleaner and give them a good scrubbing to lighten them up a bit.


    Joseph--I know single basin sinks are the in thing, but I really like the flexibility of having two, so I am maybe thinking of a 70/30 divide sink. I am thinking low divide, but my husband isn't so sure.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I purchased and installed the Kraus Kore 30" sink with offset drain this summer. This is our only sink. I think the sink drains well. Larger bits of food do hang around until I spray them into the drain. It has been a process to get used to the grid. Most of the time I like it, but with 2 teens in the house all the time (and eating not stop), by the end of the day it is gross. I really like the roll up dish rack, I have found that we use that the most. I don't leave the cutting board in the sink all the time, but it is right next to the sink in a drawer. I like that I can have the cutting board in the sink using it and there is still plenty of room for someone to use the faucet. I personally like wooden cutting boards better than plastic, but that is a debate for another day :)

    My least favorite thing about the sink is that it has 0 radius seams on the 2 short sides. Is is definitely harder to get food out of the seams on those 2 sides. The longer sides have a slight radius which make a huge difference.

    I do agree with Peke about 2 things- I have noticed that water does not drain off of the ledge that the accessories sit on. I just wipe it down in the evening. Annoying but not the end of the world. If you need to get to anything on the back side of the sink, it will be a huge pain! I do have the Never-MT on my soap dispenser and it was a pain to get in it especially since with the offset drain my disposal is right in front of it .

    I do really like having the offset drain, as the left side of my cabinet is where the trash is.

    Over all I am very happy with the sink and love having all of the room and the ability to do multiple things at it. I highly recommend this type of sink.

    helaurin93 thanked kiniyagirl
  • 6 years ago

    kiniyagirl--


    Thanks for the detailed review of your sink. I know I said up thread that a stainless sink probably isn't for me, today I saw a ledge workstation sink in person, and I was intrigued. A couple questions: Do you have the Kraus version with just one bowl or the low divide two bowl? How is the sink for looking good vs looking kind of grubby--water spotting etc.? When you say the sink has zero radius seams on the short sides, are you referring to the bottom 16" seam running from front to back that joins it to the vertical side? This is a 10.5" deep sink, so if it's undermounted it will be about 12" deep. How do you feel about this depth?

  • 6 years ago

    Julleste--


    I have the Kraus KWT310-30. It is a single bowl, which I LOVE. I will say that I don't baby the sink in any way, there are 4 of us home during day due to COVID, so the sink has gotten a patina faster than it normally would have. The previous sink was a stainless one, so I was prepared for the scratches and such. It does get water spots, and I ignore them during the day. The sink gets wiped out and dried with a paper towel at the end of the night and looks great when I do that. I noticed the water spots more around the faucet handle on the deck of the sink. The water spots are easy to get off, but that may be more a function of the water quality/hardness.


    As for the seams, yes I am referring to the 16" seam that runs from front to back. It is noticeable that it collects a bit more junk than the 28" seams which have a bit of a radius.


    My sink is a drop in, so the depth is great for me (I am 5'4"). My kids have convinced me to not use the bottom grid for the week and it may stay out permanently. It does get gross and is a PITA to clean.


    Since we have only 1 sink, what I love is that with the cutting board on the sink, it frees up the limited counter space to be used by one of my helpers during dinner time and the sink can still be used to put stuff in or use the faucet.

  • 6 years ago

    Kiniyagirl, I hear ya! My Never Mount tubing is loose, and we have soap dribbling down the tubing. I can't reach the tubing without taking out the disposal. For now, we have the tubing dripping over a bowl.

  • 6 years ago

    If you use a dishwasher, you will vastly prefer two faucets in a single large 30 inch sink with offset drain, over two drains. The drains take up space under the cabinet and prevent you from having a pullout trash there. I keep a collapsible tub under my sink (in the drain half), for when I want to soak dishes or pots. I have that in my small kitchen and we often have two people using the sink at the same time for washing, getting water, rinsing, etc. Also I have a tapmaster on one of the faucets with the tap set to hot which makes it really easy to rinse/wash dishes.

  • 6 years ago

    Two faucets is a really interesting idea that i have never thought of. I am trying to envision how this works out if one person is trying to drain something messy like the liquid from a can of kidney beans of pasta water . This only works because the dishes are being done in a dish pan. Right?


    Do you have a disposal too? My husband is trying to visualize under the sink how the trap and disposal are integrated.



  • 6 years ago

    My Rachiele sink is 42". That's a good workstation sink size because there is still some room after installing the cutting board and colander holder.


    No ceramic coating.

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