After multitudes of client meetings here in our showroom, I find homeowners are almost all looking for the best information they can get about all the materials for their new kitchen. Almost everything they are purchasing is expensive, visible, and has to last a long time with daily hard use, often by many family members. No other room in the house will have so many items that are so difficult to change later.
Everything you select is critical to the overall satisfaction with the finished kitchen: Appliances (the power tools), Countertops (the work surface), Floor (daily grind), Cabinetry (beautiful storage furniture), Hardware (function), Good Lighting (absolutely crucial).
The missing link- Plumbing fixtures (water appliances)
I like to think the cabinetry is a priority, and all the other vendors of various materials think the same way about their products. But truthfully, there is nothing else in that finished room that is more important than that sink and faucet. If you did a time/motion study of how you use your kitchen the sink rates close to 70% of your time. Even a bachelor who doesn’t cook will stand there to open take out food, put it on a dish, then rinse the dish and put it in the dishwasher. All sink work.
If you have lots of room and want double bowls, get at least one that has 21” of width inside so you can lay a roasting pan or cookie sheet flat to scrub or soak there. If you have room for only one bin, consider getting the largest single bowl for the space you have available. I had one client take her largest cookie sheet to the plumbing supply showroom to make sure it fit into her new sink. Smart cookie!
Stainless steel is a natural material for this constantly used fixture. For now, we will concentrate on sinks made of this durable material. Even when it’s dirty it looks good, and when it’s clean, it looks fabulous. There is a cheap stainless steel version (hello $50.00 Big Box sink) but you’ll find the alloy has so little nickel in it that it can actually rust. Not a bargain. Very hard to change later. Better sinks have a high ratio of nickel to steel, have a smooth easy to clean surface, and are thicker gauge. You may find more insulation and padding underneath as well, which really cuts down on noise from vibration when you run the disposal.
If you use stone or solid surface for your new countertop (anything other than plastic laminate) you want an under-mount sink. This eliminates that icky edge that catches grime and causes you to get out a tooth pick every once in a while to dig it out. Yuck. Think also carefully about the depth of your new sink. Although 9-10” deep seems fabulous, (your current one is maybe 5” and you know that’s awful) keep in mind it will be lower when it gets under-mounted into a 1 ½” thick countertop. To scrub your sink or reach items on the bottom, you will have to bend way down. Not comfortable. 8” is plenty deep, and keep in mind, your new faucet should be a good pullout one, effectively giving you a garden hose for a faucet. You can fill a bucket, the coffeemaker, or a tall vase sitting on the counter now!
-Julie Hendrickson
