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jimson11

Let's talk sinks and DWs in islands

jimson11
11 years ago

I'm thinking about trying to fit a sink and DW in a 24" x 60" island. I'm willing to go as big as 28" x 72" though...can a sink and DW comfortably fit in this space? This will be the main sink, not just a "prep" sink.

Comments (14)

  • bellsmom
    11 years ago

    If you have the main, cleanup sink and a DW on the island, you need as much room as possible for prepping there.

    At least in my kitchen, I love prepping on the island instead of prepping facing a wall and upper cabs. I wish I could have made the island wider (with the countertop it is 26'' wide).

    So, personally, if I had to put the cleanup sink and DW on the island I would definitely go for the biggest possible island. And I would put the DW on a corner, then the sink, then the prep area. Prepping over a DW can be unpleasant.

  • rhome410
    11 years ago

    It's usually recommended that you have 2 ft to each side of the cleanup sink, more if you want it to also be a prep area. 30" is the smallest I'd consider for a cleanup sink, but would prefer a 33" sink in a 36" cabinet. So, 24+30+24=78. Better would be 24+36+24= 84", in length.

    Of course, a lot of people have to deal with less than optimum.

    I just noticed that you only plan to have the island 24-28" deep. From the splashes I see on the backsplash and window behind my sink, I wouldn't want that going all over the floor... Wouldn't do it with that little counter behind the sink. I'd want more (preferably 12") to limit the floor splashing, and the possibility of pushing things off the back edge of the counter.

    Do you have to put the cleanup sink and dw in the island? For me, putting the dirty-dish collection area on full display in the center of the kitchen wouldn't be desirable at all. Do you have a layout you could post?

  • jimson11
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Bellsmom, thanks for sharing your first hand experience! Have you run into the splashing that Rhome thoughtfully brought up?

    Rhome, thanks for digging deep on the details. I appreciate your advice. I taped off 80" on the current kitchen floor for fun and noticed it's basically what my sink, dishwasher, end counter are now (24" for DW, 27" for sink, 21" for counter left of DW). To answer your question, it definitely does not have to go in the island.

    Plan B is this (what we're talking about, also involves knocking out an extra wall):

    Plan A is this:

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    My sink base-to-DW run in my peninsula is 66". There's a 24" DW, 13" trash pull-out, and a 28" sink base. Add 6" for a decorative leg and countertop overhang and we're at 72". I don't see that you've accounted for any legs or counter overhang, correct?

    I have 19" behind my sink and will get a few drops a foot or so out. The newer, deeper sinks seem to contain the splashes. There's also less water pressure in my new faucet.

    I sometimes prep in front of the trash pull-out and DW, and I don't notice any difference prepping there than in front of drawers. I put my sink at the end so I'd have a large counter for prepping, groceries, and setting out snacks on Super Bowl Sunday. What will you use the 21" cabinet for? I would recommend you add a pull-out trash.

  • jimson11
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Good call on the trash, May_Flowers. I don't really know what I'd put in the 21" cabinet but I like your dimensions and at least that shows I can fit all of that into 72".

    Do you find it's annoying that the DW is not next to the sink?

    Looking back, would you prefer a sink in the middle and have DW on left and trash on right?

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    My old set-up was DW next to sink, and I don't notice any difference whatsoever of the DW being 13" away from the sink. It was a question I asked my KD and he said it wouldn't be a problem. The smaller sink base keeps me closer to the DW while at the sink. What size sink are you planning on?

    In my peninsula configuration, if the sink was in the middle, the trash would be in the corner, blocking access to the stove. If someone was at the sink, the other person wouldn't be able to get into the trash as easily. In an island, you'd have access from the side.

    I like the balanced look of the sink in the middle, but I'd have to give up the long counter to the left of the sink and hassle with the corner trash. All my other prep areas are less than 30". We saw a long island with a sink near the end at Lowe's, and that convinced us that it looked fine.

    Here's another view. Width is 39 1/2".

  • windycitylindy
    11 years ago

    Our old kitchen had the sink in a peninsula that was 33" deep. We never had a problem with water sloshing off the back. However, I'd be very, very leery of putting a sink in a 24" deep island. That would, depending on the sink, give you only about 4-6" behind the sink to catch any splashes or anything that sloshes out the back.

  • scrappy25
    11 years ago

    Mayflowers, some might consider that you 90" in your run because you have another 24" to the right of your sink that you can prep on adjacent to it. That said, it looks like a great setup and perfect in this situation, thank you for showing it. What sink did you use in your 28" cabinet?

    This post was edited by scrappy25 on Wed, Feb 20, 13 at 15:23

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    Yes, it's 90" on the DR side, but I gave jimson the sink base to DW run. So imagine cutting it off at the corner and shoving it down a few feet, and you've got an island of about jimson's length.

    I used the Blanco Vision, scrappy. It's 23 x 17 x 8, but it has an inside edge that uses up two inches. I wish it didn't. The length is fine but it could be wider. It was either that or use the D sink, which I was afraid would be too deep. You guys had sold me on the Silgranite, but there was a Kohler sink I really liked too. This one works for just the two of us as long as we put things in the DW instead of piling them up in the sink.

  • blfenton
    11 years ago

    One option to consider is, in plan A, to put the DW around the corner next to the lazy susan and then put the pull-out trash where you currently have the DW located. It will help to separate prep area from clean-up area.

    I know that configuration is a no-no here however it is what I have and works really well.

  • islanddevil
    11 years ago

    May-Flowers. My layout and appliance positioning is similar to yours except the wall behind my sink is raised. Our small family room is on the other side of that half wall and i'm hesitant to lower the wall because then dirty dishes willbe on display. To the right is our breakfast nook our dining room is behind the fridge wall.
    Can you please tell me what you have in those spaces and what the length is from the front of your sink cabinet to the cabinet across from it on the fridge wall?
    Also can you please post more pictures of your kitchen?Trying to get an idea if my space is similar because I like yours! Thanks May Flowers.

    Sorry for the hijack Jimson! But for what it's worth I too would be leary about a primary sink in a small or narrow island. I need splash guard protection!

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    Island, click the below link to see our before and after photos on SmugMug. We couldn't change our lay-out much because the hallway and garage are on one side and the outside wall on the other. Powder room is behind refrigerator wall. We have a small dining room on the other side of peninsula. From sink cabinet to fridge wall countertop is 87 1/2" (includes the counter overhang).
    I'd like to encourage you to take down the raised bar. That's what we did. The sink is deep enough to hide dishes, and we use the new DW for much more than we did the old, like wine glasses and more fragile dishes.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen remodel

  • islanddevil
    11 years ago

    Thanks May Flowers your kitchen looks great! Can you please tell me what area is across from the kitchen to the right in your pictures? What's directly across from the range? Windows, another room, or ?

    I wouldn't think twice about lowering the wall behind my sink from bar height to cabinet height if I could have seating and if my family room wasn't right there and I mean RIGHT there. The distance between that wall and the back of my sofa is only 3' or so, the same width as the entry to the FR from the hallway. It's the way into the FR and primary way into the kitchen.

    Unlike yours mine isn't a bar top. The higher area is only about 6" deep or the thickness of the wall. It's not wide enough to have seating and still won't when we remodel unless we want people sitting in the walkway and right over the sink.

    Will need to play with the layout, but don't think I want any more kitchen exposure to my small family room. Wouldn't bother me if it was a dining area like yours. That makes sense in a kitchen and no one lingers in our DR, but I think it would bug me to view meals in progress or the aftermath from the FR, but may change my mind once we get to the design.

    Everyone is going for more open, and I would love that, but unfortunatly some spaces just don't have that in their DNA.

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    The hallway and garage is across from the open U of the kitchen. It's a small L-shaped first floor. Hall, powder room and kitchen are the long leg of the L, DR and LR are the short leg. Garage is inside the L.

    If you need a large piece of counter space, it's worth the trade-off of someone seeing dirty dishes. I needed a place to roll pizza dough, make cookies, etc.

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