That nasty cast iron mess was replaced with a georgous TopZero.

"Those of you with an apron front, does the front get scratched by belt buckles and the like?"

This is myth. I've taken scratches out of a stainless steel apron front sink with a belt sander and matched the factory finish perfectly. So it's a non-issue even if it did happen in the real world.

We replace several hundred sinks a year. 99% are replacing double bowl sinks with single bowls and half of the remaining percent are low divides. It is overwhelming.

Take a look at the Elkay Quartz Luxe sinks please. Unlike cast iron, the color goes all the way through, so a chip would suck, but it would hardly be the catastrophe pictured above.

I’ve had cast iron sinks it three long terms rentals we stayed in for several years, and I love them. Although we cook with a fair amount of cast iron and dont use a grid, we only ever got very faint grey markings on the bottom of the sink. maybe once a month I would do a very light buff with bartenders friend. I never had issues with chipping or noise. In our home we hope to start building this summer we plan to have a double basin cast iron sink. I’ve also rented places with stainless steel but I hate the look. It always reminds me of the dentist’s office. Everyone will have different opinions here, but it comes down to personal taste and how you use the sink. You can buy 80 year old cast iron sinks in prettt stellar condition, so they are no intrinsically designed poorly.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC

I love the look of those big, single basin sinks. It's definitely a nicer aesthetic than the double basin, but I just don't know how practical it is for my needs. I don't keep a lot of dirty dishes in the sink but I often have clean dishes or at least a wooden cutting board drying in one side of my sink and I don't want to have those things piled on a draining board on the counter. I also ocassoinally need to soak a pan or dump or a dirty dish at the same time that I am using the sink for food prep (it will be the only sink in my kitchen) so having the dual basins seems to work best for me. I would love to be convinced otherwise because I do like the appearance of the single bowl but I think it would be a tough sell for my househould.

@E. T.

Thanks. I don't love the look of stainless either. I might not mind an undermount stainless if I were going to have darker countertops and it would be less noticable but my kitchen will be pretty light and airy and I would really prefer a white sink. The granite composite look plastic-y to me but they do seem practical.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC

How does the Elkay quartz compare to granite composite, in terms of heat and stain resisitance, etc. Thanks.

We have a 36” Shaw sink, no divider. We do use the protective grid on the bottom. No marks, veining, nothing. And yes, it’s heavily used daily.

@ci_lantro @megs1030 Everyone seems to have very strong opinions about their sinks but, so far, no clear winner. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

"How does the Elkay quartz compare to granite composite, in terms of heat and stain resisitance, etc."

They are all quartz composites, I don't care what the manufacturer's marketing department says. Natural granite has too much mica, feldspar, and other rocks unsuitable for sink manufacturing. Furthermore, the Elkay Quartz Luxes have the finest composition and finish; much nicer than the Blancos.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC

Thanks!

I had a similar decision recently. I briefly considered a matching soapstone sink basin, but besides being a budget buster, it just wasn’t practical for me. I found an apron front stainless in a black color that blends with the stone and is a good compromise. This brand has other bowl configurations, but I ended up with a single bowl and don’t miss my divided sink at all. I got mine at Wayfair. Look for the brand “Ruvati” Good luck.

@Therese N Thank you. I think I've ruled out stainless for now but I'll take a look at that brand. It looks nice in your kitchen.

The cast iron sink in my house is somewhere between 40-50 years old and I've yet to have a stain that won't come out with either bleach or Barkeepers Friend. The glaze is worn, but it's old. Single bowl. I can put a giant stockpot in it, straight off the stove, without damage. I love it and when we remodel the kitchen I want another one.

My parents have a divided stainless steel. Dull & scratched, noisy, and the bowls are too small.

I too prefer the look of cast iron. When we built an addition and expanded our kitchen 30 years ago we put in a white Kohler double bowl with drainboard sink. When we replaced our countertops 7 years ago I put in a new identical white Kohler sink. The original one was starting to look dull after more than 20 years of use. But, there were no chips and no rust and did not look at all like the horrible photos Joseph Corlett posted.

Yes, I get the occasional gray scuff mark, but those are easily cleaned up with some soft scrub. It takes maybe two to three minutes to bring the sink back to brand new looking. I am not a total slob, but I am also not a neat freak. I definitely don't give my kitchen sink a good scrub every day or even every other day. I do have a plastic kitchen mat in the bottom as a protector. It works just fine, and I occasionally just stick it in the top rack of the dishwasher to give it a good cleaning.

If you are looking for a white color, I'd definitely go with the cast iron over a granite sink because I have read too many comments about discoloration and stains on the ight granite sinks.

@lekhouse - Get a sink with a ledge and then your large single bowl sink becomes super functional because you can change functions according to your needs. I have a "grid" which I generally keep on one side of the sink. It is perfect for draining wet stuff or cleaning veggies or anything else where water can go into the sink. It also extends mly counter functionally as I will use it when I bring groceries or any other way counters are used to store temporary items.

I also have a cutting board for the sink which makes prepping veggies or other items much cleaner as everything drops into the sink.

I would never go back to a double bowl over mount sink. All of the crap that would accumulate under the edge of the sink. And I would periodically spray myself and the counters trying to wash large pots or cookie sheets which wouldn't lie flat at the bottom.

My is a farmhouse sink and there are no scratches on the front.

@julieste Thank you. You may have sold me. Do you like having a double bowl? It's what I'm used to and I can't really imagine doing dishes without it TBH. But people seem to really prefer the single basin these days.

I have a few large pans that are awkard to wash in the double basin but I'm used to it and I don't want to leave dishes out to dry all over my (limited) counter space.

Some of the choices in a sink boil down to what size the sink can be. Do you know what your sink base cabinet size is?

“but I often have clean dishes or at least a wooden cutting board drying in one side of my sink and I don't want to have those things piled on a draining board on the counter.”

If you are concerned about having an area to dry dishes at the sink, you could get a single-bowl workstation sink that provides accessories and a ledge to do that. But I’d want one in 36” width or greater.

I too am a double bowl person. We are doing a kitchen in another house, and I am thinking hard about this Kohler smart divide sink. In many ways it seems like the best of both worlds; you have the two separate bowls and yet a long handle pan can extend into the smaller bowl when doing dishes if need be. My reasons for wanting a double bowl don't have as much to do with clean up as with having a second bowl available for prep.

Kohler Iron/Tones Top/Under-Mount Double-Bowl Kitchen Sink, 33"x18-3/4"x9.63", White · More Info

@M Miller

My sink base is 36". I did think about a single bowl with little metal basket insert that could be used to drain dishes but then I figured I would also need a little dish basin if I wanted a basin full of water for washing dishes. When it was all said and done I realized I would, in effect, be going out of my way to recreate a double bowl sink. So maybe I had better just stick with that to begin with.

@julieste I have seen those too. Because I leave clean dishes to dry in one side of the sink I wondered if I would be constantly splashing/spraying soapy water over the low divide. I think I need to go look at one in a showroom and get a real feel for the height of the divide becuase it does seem like a good idea in theory.

I actually love my 2 basin sink... but I made sure it had a low divide -- so in can fill it all if I need to, ie to clean a turkey pan etc. I also went with a 70/30 % divide (or some similar percentage, could be 60/40...) - wide side holds the stock pot.

I also went with the composite granite - which Joseph informs us here is actually some type of quartz composite.

@artemis_ma Are you happy with the composite? If you have a lighter color, have you had any issues with staining?

I went with dark (charcoal black), so I can't answer about lighter colors and staining. But yes, I am happy I went with this.

Really a minor note, but the only (very limited) disappointment I had with this material was that I could not adhere suction cups to the edge of the sink. A little too rough to stay put. Turns out that is fine, I have other and better (anyway) options than having an extra sponge and soap spritzer in such a a suction cup container.

I always install Kohler cast iron when I can. I love that creamy, satiny look and never clean with more than BKF. I have never seen a Kohler finish wear out, not saying you could not do it. I have hated every stainless sink I have ever had. That said, the Elkay is gorgeous. As to bowls, I went to a single in this last reno and LOVE it. I keep a small white silicone mat by the sink for draining those items I do not instantly dry. I keep a pop-up dishpan tucked under the sink for that rare occasion I might need to soak and drain at the same time. I have needed it twice in 2+ years. My only regret is I installed a 33” and didn’t need it. I could have gone with a 30” or prob even a 27” and saved precious cabinet space. The Kohler Whitehaven bowl is huge.

@Therese N How is your Ruvati black stainless sink holding up? I love the look of the black stainless, but I worry about scratches. Has yours scratched much? Do the scratches show up as the lighter stainless steel color beneath the black coating?

Love love love my Kohler white cast iron sink. It is the Kohler Whitehaven. It looks brand new after 8 years of use. Previously I had a white Kohler cast iron (don't remember the model name) and that one looked new after 15 years of use. I only changed it when we remodeled the kitchen because I wanted a different bowl shape. I think cast iron for sinks is far superior to stainless. I have hated every stainless sink I have ever had.

@Caroline Hamilton - do you use a grid in your cast iron sink? There have been frequent comments on this forum that a grid is necessary in a cast iron sink, for example if you dropped a heavy pan the grid would prevent a chip from that. However I am not a fan of sink grids, due to too many nooks and crannies that collect gunk, and also forks and knives fall through the grid. I know many people love their sink grids, just not me, so I was curious if you have one in your Kohler Whitehaven.

I have a double divide 60/40 Kohler Whitehaven. It has a low divide and I can wash large items. I purchased the grids just to protect the sink. They are a pain to clean around, but I am still glad I got them. I would NEVER have a single basin sink. I don't know why people like them. I always have something draining or sitting in the second bowl. I can't comment on the long-term use of it because I have only had it for a year and I baby it! It is the star of my kitchen.

M Miller, I have never used a grid with either of my cast iron sinks and have never had an issue with chipping. I cook with cast iron all the time, it has never been an issue.

I have white cast iron Kohler sinks in two different homes. To protect the bottom I use an inexpensive silicone mat (maybe OXO??) in one. This one I throw in the dishwasher when it needs cleaning. In the newly installed low divide Iron/Tones I did buy the grids Kohler sells for the sinks. I don't have any problems with them and things getting stuck or going underneath the grid at all. They also don't seem to get cruddy or require much cleaning at all.