You could't PAY me to install another stainless steel sink in my kitchen. Ugh, the water spots, scratches, and dullness. They only look good the day they are installed, or perhaps the one minute after they are cleaned. They quickly do not look clean. Unlike other sink materials which are pretty all the time. I recommend you look into instead a Blanco Silgranit sink (there are a lot of Kitchens Forum threads about them) or an enameled cast iron sink. I am getting the Kohler Whitehaven single-bowl sink which is an apron front, but Kohler makes lovely enameled cast iron sinks for undermounts too. Either one of those, Silgranit or enameled cast iron, rather than stainless steel. Cost-wise, the Silgranit sinks are comparable in price to stainless steel, maybe slightly more expensive but not too bad. The enameled cast iron sinks are more expensive, but sinks are a very permanent part of the kitchen, which you use all day every day, so you better be happy with it.

We're on our second (in two different homes) "zero radius" stainless double bowl sink. Absolutely love it, so big & deep, and very well built. It has a pro/industrial look that we really like.
Sold by MR Direct, but since I don't want to be accused of being a shill, I won't post a linky or any further details.
Pro tip: buy the grates for the bottoms of both sinks, it's money well spent.

I would first consider the body mechanics of your sink. An apron sink will bring it closer to you. Also In considering depth, it can be uncomfortable if you have to lean into the sink if working for awhile. Check where your hands fall if reaching into the sink.

I have had silgranite, enameled cast iron(Kohler red one and some white ones) and various grades of stainless. For me the enameled ones show the most scratches and staining and require the most care. I think the ease of keeping the stainless and its looks depends on the grade of stainless used. The ones I have now are very easy to keep. Silgranite is easy too but I had some issue with a cleaning agent causing a film on it. It did come off as time went on though and did not cause permanent damage. My sink was dark so did not show marks.

My favorite sink was my grandmother farm sink. It had a drainboard and was huge. It was only about 5 inches deep so very easy on the back and great for food prep. It was white porcelain over cast iron so it was prone to stains. I would not mind cleaning it if I could get one like it.

How about this sink? I think it is discontinued but I wonder if there is anything else like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: rotating sink

Kraus makes a very solid sink.

(BTW, the kitchen forum on GW gets much more activity than even this appliances forum).

" I think the ease of keeping the stainless and its looks depends on the grade of stainless used."

I am sorry, but that is incorrect. Spotting and film on stainless steel sinks have to do with the water's hardness or softness. It makes no difference what is the SS quality or gauge (thickness). If the water is even slightly hard, it will leave spots on stainless steel. As to scratching, all stainless steel scratches, regardless of quality or gauge. Most people on the Gardenweb say that the sink scratches will blend to a "patina" over time, so that you won't notice the scratches. Also, people use sink grids to help prevent scratches on SS.

As to enamelled cast iron, my understanding from several posts on the Kitchens Forum is that Kohler's latest formulation of their enamelled cast iron is much improved, and does not scratch or show marks. I have no personal experience though. The Kohler Whitehaven and Bakersfield sinks are quite nice looking from the photos I've seen on the Kitchens Forum of people who have them.

Regarding Blanco Silgranit sinks, people have been enthusiastic about them on the Kitchens Forum for many years. I have a couple friends who have them, and love them. Care-free, always look good, won't scratch, won't chip, and cleans up in a jiffy with cheap Bar Keepers Friend.

Also, just wanted to say that the kitchen forum is very active. Why did you think it wasn't?

We have super hard water, no softener, and have never had an issue with our stainless steel sinks having spotting. Only very rarely have we ever had to clean them with anything other than dish soap and a quick rinse.

We also previously had silgranite, and while I didn't hate it, I preferred stainless which is why we chose it for our current home.

Yes, there are scuffs, but they all kind of blend together. Whether this bothers you or not is a personal preference. For me, it doesn't, and I've never bothered to use the grids that came with our sinks. My grandma, on the other hand, made my grandfather pull a stainless sink out of their new home and put in a cheap enamel one (which I'd never select) because she hates stainless scratches. So, to each their own there.

For me, I liked the sanitary, easy to clean aspect of stainless (a little dish soap and a brush clean it up in a second vs needing powder scrub to clean stains off the silgranite) and its relatively neutral look. I also like the different shapes and depths available, at far lower prices, for stainless undercounts vs silgranite. Not to mention that it reacts with nothing. I can use bleach solution (to soak really grimy pots and pans) or whatever other cleaning product I want, with no fear of harming the sink.

I'd, personally, love an apron sink, but the price, space needed and the fact I wanted my island and main sink to match is what steered me towards stainless.

Hey! I thank you for all the replies. I posted about the sink, but never got any replies. Since, I was on this forum for over a year looking at appliances, I thought I would give it a try since I found this group so active!

What is a zero radius sink?

A zero radius sink has square vs rounded edges. Mainly used in modern and minimalist kitchens.

I liked my Julien stainless sink a lot but it was a very expensive brand. It's handmade but I needed certain dimensions for an old cabinet. It was excellent, very deep and I think that a stainless sink is the most practical and durable of all. There are many good brands -- Kraus is popular -- that offer 16 gauge sinks and reasonable prices.

I have a Rohl farm sink, white fireclay. It's 10 and it will likely outlive me. It's easy to clean also but it's not quite as deep as the stainless sink was and overall that's my only complaint.

I've never had silgranite but it's not a material I find aesthetically pleasing. I've seen them -- even in a showhouse -- and I just don't get it.

Posted by akchicago
"" I think the ease of keeping the stainless and its looks depends on the grade of stainless used."
_____________
I am sorry, but that is incorrect. Spotting and film on stainless steel sinks have to do with the water's hardness or softness. It makes no difference what is the SS quality or gauge (thickness). If the water is even slightly hard, it will leave spots on stainless steel. As to scratching, all stainless steel scratches, regardless of quality or gauge. "

You seemed to have misread my post. I said nothing about the gauge or the perceived quality of the sink. I was speaking to the grade of stainless. It has to do with the amount of chromium and nickle in the stainless and will determine its resistance to corrosion which in turn could make it more stain resistant.
Here is a short explanation or the grades.

One "quality" that would affect its ease of cleaning would be the finish, the amount and texture of brushing or polishing. If you have problems with water spots, I'm sure the hardness of the water would be a factor. My sink sees very heavy use and it doesn't have much time to develop spots. The last user dries it out so we don't have the problem.
Of course stainless scratches. I did not say it didn't. In my experience, the enamel sinks scratched more.

I have personally noticed a difference in stainless. I will say that some who are not hard on their sinks and keep them polished might not notice as much difference. I raised 4 boys and they are not careful with anything. That probably accentuates the differences.

"As to enamelled cast iron, my understanding from several posts on the Kitchens Forum is that Kohler's latest formulation of their enamelled cast iron is much improved, and does not scratch or show marks. I have no personal experience though."

That would be wonderful if that were true. If I were buying a Kohler sink now and was worried about scratching I would take pans of various metals and see if it scratched or the metals came off on the enamel making marks. They don't really mention anything like what you are saying on their website and here is the wording from their warranty. It is amazing what you can find out by reading the warranty.

"Kohler Co. further warrants that the enameled cast iron component of the product will not chip, crack or burn for as long as the original consumer purchaser owns his or her home. Gloss reduction, scratching, staining and alkaline etching of the finish over time due to use, cleaning practices or water or atmospheric conditions, are not manufacturing defects but are indicative of normal wear and tear. This warranty applies only to KOHLER Cast Iron kitchen, entertainment and utility sinks installed in the United States of America, Canada or Mexico (North America). "

Here is a link that might be useful: KOHLER® Enameled Cast Iron Kitchen Sink Lifetime Limited Warranty

Not intending to hijack, but can anyone advise me about apron-front sinks? Stainless are lighter, but I worry about scratches on the apron (not concerned about marks inside). If I go white, what material? Thanks!

People are getting too defensive in this thread. I hope the OP can glean there are pros and cons to all of the sink materials, and different people will like one type over another given that type's pros and cons.

I had a Silgranite sink in my previous kitchen and loved it. It was impervious to everything. There was a comment above "vs. needing powder scrub to clean stains off Silgranite". I had my Silgranite sink for 5 years, with two teenage boys living in the house. I had spaghetti sauce left in the sink many times, as well as coffee dumped in and left, wine, even grape soda (my son was on a grape soda kick for a while, so you got the grape color along with the acidity of the soda). Never once had a stain. Everything disappeared easily, usually with just a swoosh from the faucet spray. We have slightly hard water and previous SS sinks showed water spots. The Silgranite showed nothing, and after 5 years of hard use, looked like the day it was installed. I couldn't say that about my SS sinks after even a month or two. I understand that some people don't like the look of Silgranit. That's personal taste just like cabinet color or countertop material, lighting choices, etc. And, for my new kitchen, I am choosing the Kohler Whitehaven - only cause I want apron front sink for its ergonomics, and Silgranit doesn't offer an apron front style.

Addressing another comment above, the major SS sink manufacturers all instruct in their Care & Use page not to use bleach in their SS sinks. (Or steel wool pads, but that wasn't mentioned).

Here is a link that might be useful: Franke Use & Care page

Perhaps it isn't the right size for you at 30 or 31 inches I think, however when I first saw a stainless Franke Orca in person I was blown away -- it is beautiful and functional with its grid ledge. There are lots of threads, and lots of fans of this sink on the Gardenweb.

As for the comments on Stainless above, I have very hard water and our existing stainless sink still looks great and has been very easy to clean. I could easily have kept it, however I am so looking forward to our new Orca -- if our remodel EVER gets to that point!

Juno -- apron front sinks come in a variety of materials. The classic is Rohl/Shaw's, which I have. It's Fireclay and very durable. Downside is that it's handmade so slightly irregular. There are other brands which make apron front sinks with a wide variety of apron styles in single and double bowl. Materials may be fireclay or vitreous ceramic. Just google fireclay or ceramic farm sink. Prices range widely. These are heavy and require a special sink base for install.

Kohler has done an amazing job addressing the desire for farm sinks especially when converting. Their Whitehaven sink is enameled cast iron and this line is made especially for converting an undermount or top mount sink to farm sink. This is also quite durable material and may also come in colors.

There are stainless steel farm sinks as well plus farm sinks in copper, marble, granite and soapstone. The stone sinks are generally custom and logically at the upper end of the price spectrum.

My sister has a Franke Orca and loves it.

The link below is to a variety of sink articles.
Additionally, here is a link to the Shaw's site which has a lot of background. Scroll down to the video on how the sinks are made.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sink Articles and Info

"Posted by Sahmmy
People are getting too defensive in this thread."

????

I don't understand disparaging other's posts by calling them "too defensive". I thought the idea of a forum was to give our opinions and the reasoning behind them. The only way the OP can determine pros and cons is to hear diverse opinions. I would rather hear "I like/dislike xyz because _______", rather than "I hate xyz." which is not all that helpful. Each person uses their sink in a way that is specific to the way they cook or whatever else they do with them and so each opinion with is valid. It does not take away from your opinion.

"Posted by Juno_barks
Not intending to hijack, but can anyone advise me about apron-front sinks? Stainless are lighter, but I worry about scratches on the apron (not concerned about marks inside). If I go white, what material? Thanks!

I have not had issues with scratching but if you wear a belt buckle or some other metal, you might.
If I were to go white, I would probably to go for Kohler enamel over cast iron as opposed to the Rohl fire clay as the fireclay seems more likely to chip if I drop something heavy while the Kohler might also chip, it is warrantied against chipping/cracking. On the other hand, the Rohl fireclay is guaranteed against staining and fading for 10 years. With any brand, you need to read the warranty.
Here are a few comments by Consumer Reports about the various materials. Go to page 3.

Here is a link that might be useful: CR sink buying guide-features

I would never recommend, or suggest, that anyone go against manufacturer instructions, but I will note that if you have a stainless steel sink that can be damaged by bleach ... It's not a very good quality stainless steel.

Also, if you get a high gloss, chrome-like finish on a stainless sink, versus matte, yeah, I agree you're asking for trouble if you ever plan on actually, you know, using it. But almost all I've seen are matte or stain finish, where scuffs and scrapes just blend right in--at least I think they do.

And, your mileage may vary, but we have water so hard our dishwasher only lasted five years ... Yet, I've never had a water spot in my sinks. And, nope, I don't dry them after use either.

One of the other things (besides cost) I didn't like about the apron sinks I saw, in terms of function, is how shallow they tend to be. I love a VERY deep sink (10"+), and for that, the only option seems to be stainless steel. Don't get me wrong, apron sinks look amazing.

We got C-Tech sinks throughout and I've been quite happy with the quality. Been using them since fall 2007.

agree applnut that farm sinks could be deeper. I adored my 10-inch deep ss sink. OTOH, the ability to pull the farm sink forward is just wonderful as it pretty much eliminates any leaning in at all. I didn't care for the set back on the ss sink. Farm sink comes out to you.

Have never had any issue with anything on the front of it. It doesn't scratch and any marks can be removed with Astonish cleaner.

How about one of these ?

They look better with use, but are not cheap.

Here is a link that might be useful: German Silver SInk

Wekick - I apologize for my comment. It was never my intent to get you so agitated.

" Posted by Sahmmy
Wekick - I apologize for my comment. It was never my intent to get you so agitated.

so agitated???? :-)

Consider the idea of making comments without the use of demeaning language. ;-)
People here often have strong diverse opinions and and can state them and usually not have hard feelings. It is a discussion about preference of a sink not politics or religion. :-)

I had hoped for Wekick's graceful acceptance of my apology for the one sentence I wrote that s/he did not like, but that did not happen. My comment was never meant to demean anyone. According to the dictionary, "demean" means "cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for (someone or something)", My sentence about people getting defensive about sinks was never meant to cause anyone a severe loss in their dignity, or indicate a lack of respect. I apologize to all the readers on this thread if that is how it sounded.

I'll copy Wekick's format:
"Posted by Wekick
Consider the idea of making comments without the use of demeaning language. ;-) "
Wekick, I have apologized twice now. You have humbled me, and I will never again violate the standards you have set for Appliances Forum etiquette.

This post was edited by Sahmmy on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 20:12

Sahmmy,
I most certainly will accept your sincere apologies for any comments that were directed toward me.

xedos -- you see that type of sink in homes built during the 1920s around here. They were used in butler's pantries. First time I've been them new. Very interesting link -- thanks.

Thanks, guys! I purchased the sink before all these comments came back. I got a 32" Blanco stainless for a great price on build.com. It will be great for our modern home. And yes, I definitely got more feedback on this appliance forum!!

I purchased a 32-inch Vigo SS 16-gauge sink. I was hesitant to go with a brand that wasn't the top - like Blanco, or Kraus, but it was a 16 gauge, and it's absolutely beautiful.
I got the 15 deg. radius, because I had read that others said a zero degree was hard to clean.
I really love it - and it so well priced. I would have paid more, but why? 16 gauge, and fully undercoated and padded with unique multi layer sound eliminating technology,which also prevents condensation.
I am really pleased with it.

This post was edited by sgriffen on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 15:30