How to Choose a Cheap and High-Quality Kitchen Sink
Today, sinks are available in an array of styles and materials. It’s not uncommon to see porcelain or stone finishes for sinks, particularly in modern homes. Despite being an essential part of the kitchen, sinks are one of the more cheaper components in the kitchen.
The living room may be the most attractive part of a house but it is wholly agreed that the kitchen is the heart and soul of the home.
Being one of the more important parts of a house, the sink handles most of the legwork in the kitchen. Since you’ll be using the kitchen sink a lot, having a high-quality sink is essential for any modern home.
One of the aspects to consider when choosing a kitchen sink is its durability. Most kitchen sinks can last for up to 20 years with proper maintenance; however, they do wear out over time.
The sink may start to chip or fade out which can cause leaks to happen if you do not get it fixed. Corrosion may also occur over time if you handle a lot of acidic stuff in your sink.
Today, sinks are available in an array of styles and materials. It’s not uncommon to see porcelain or stone finishes for sinks, particularly in modern homes.
Despite being an essential part of the kitchen, sinks are one of the more cheaper components in the kitchen. The price may go well into the 4-figure range for higher-end finishes, but most sinks will cost you $300 at most.
In this post, we’ll offer insights and tips on how to choose a great kitchen sink for your kitchen while maintaining a reasonable budget. We strongly believe that you don’t have to break the bank to get a high-quality kitchen sink for your home.
The Material of the Sink
Traditional kitchen sinks are usually made fromgrade-304 stainless steel or from solid surfaces such as cast iron. Choosing the material of your kitchen sink is usually based on a few reasons such as its look and its function.
Stainless steel sinks are also the best option for your kitchen if you want a sink that is balanced in the design and functionality department. Besides, they are also cheaper than sinks that are made from other materials.
If you have a solid surface counter that is made out of stone, stainless steel sinks will look great when paired with it. Stainless steel sinks also have the added advantage of being able to be undermounted in the surface (placed inside rather than on top of the surface).
Shop Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks
Browse our range of stainless steel kitchen sinks.
Stainless steel sinks are also a good option if you don’t want to worry about being gentle in the kitchen. They are strong enough to handle abuse from heavy usage. For example, a ceramic sink may crack if you drop a pestle in it (although that’d be silly of you!)
While you’re shopping for a stainless steel sink, there are a couple of things to keep in mind that are:
- The grading of the stainless steel sink
- The thickness (gauge) of the stainless steel sink
Grade-304 stainless steel sinks are the best quality kitchen sinks for homeowners. Kitchen sinks with this grade are more resistant to corrosion and dullness.
As for the thickness of the sink, the general rule is that the thicker the sink is, the more expensive it is. For stainless steel sinks, you measure the thickness of it by measuring its gauge. The higher the gauge of a sink, the thicker it will be.
The gauge or thickness of a stainless sink matters if you are easily annoyed by the noise of running water. A thicker sink will absorb most of the sound from water splashing on the surface while thinner sinks will produce more sound.
If you are not bothered by the sound of running water in your sink, you can go with a thinner sink to save money.
There are some other kitchen sink materials that you might like such as:
Stone-Based Sinks
Not to be confused with composite sinks, stone sinks are usually made from natural stone such as soapstone. This type of sink can help create an elegant look for your kitchen with its sleek and contemporary finish.
However, stone-based sinks are usually made from expensive materials which make it very costly to install. Stone-based sinks also scratch and chip easily; you’ll need to be extra careful when handling it.
Porcelain Sinks
Porcelain sinks are very common in modern kitchens. Like stone-based sinks, porcelain sinks can add a modern touch to the interior of your kitchen. Porcelain sinks may also come in different colours although white is the global standard.
However, porcelain sinks chip easily and may leave behind stains or marks if you handle things such as cast-iron pans in it. You would also need to be careful while handling heavy things in porcelain sinks as it can crack under pressure.
Composite Sinks
Composite sinks are usually made out of granite. They are popular due to the fact that composite sinks are resistant to corrosion which makes it ideal for outdoor use or when there is hard water flow in your home.
However, composite sinks will need special maintenance to keep it clean. Lighter-coloured composite sinks are more prone to stains from food or other materials.
The Number of Sinks That You Need and Its Configuration
Usually, the number of sinks that you need for your kitchen is decided by the size of your kitchen.
Modern kitchen sinks look beautiful but you need to consider its practicality as well. The size of the room matters a lot when choosing a kitchen sink. Large kitchen sinks, for instance, will look out of place in a small-sized kitchen.
If your kitchen is small but you still want a double-bowl sink, a combination of one large sink and one small sink is an excellent choice. Of course, if you don’t care about the aesthetics of your kitchen, you’re free to do whatever you want!
For your convenience, here are the pros and cons of each kitchen sink configuration:
Large, single sink configurations
What’s good about it? A large, single sink gives you a lot of space to work around. This means that you can fit large dishes or many dishes at once which cannot be achieved with smaller sinks.
For the best results, choose a deep basin that is roughly 35 inches wide and about 9-10 inches deep. Anything shallower and you may find out that there is too little space for you to work with.
What’s bad about it? Having a single sink means that sharing workload is not an effective option. You may also need to switch between two tasks at once since there’s only one sink.
With that being said, you can add accessories to a single sink such as a drainer or colander to make work easier.
Two sinks with varying sizes
What’s good about it? Having two sinks grants you the flexibility of performing multiple tasks at once e.g. washing dishes in one sink and cleaning fruits in the other.
For the best results, you want a sink that is about 18 inches wide while the smaller sink should be about 13-14 inches wide. The general idea around dual sinks is to handle the preparation in one and clean in the other.
For instance, you can soap the dishes in one sink while the other sink is used to rinse off the soap from the dishes.
What’s bad about it? Smaller basins don’t have as much space as single sinks. This means that having multiple or large dishes may be a problem if you are not good at managing your workload.
You are free to adjust the ratio of your sinks’ size to your liking. The general ratio is 60/40; with 60% being the size of the larger sinks and 40% the size of the smaller sink.
You may also go with a symmetrical 50/50 size for both of your kitchen sinks.
Choosing the Best Sinks for Your Kitchen
Over here at Buildmat, we pride ourselves in only supplying high-quality materials for your kitchen appliances.
From a large single bowl sinks to a double bowl kitchen sinks we’ve got your kitchen design needs covered.
Our products come with a 25-year warranty as well as being 100% locally owned and operated. Our products are also quality-tested extensively according to ISO9001 standards.
Related Posts
