Have you picked out your counters? If your problem with cast iron is the pan marks, perhaps one of the dark colored ones would hide them. Kohler has a nice navy blue.

Then you'd get water spots....hmmmm....maybe not so good unless you have nice water.

Have you thought about a copper sink?

Andy.

The Blanco sink site isn't let me show a photo just now, but our Blanco Silgranit II Precis Cascade is 28" in length by 18" in width in a 33" sink base cabinet. It's a split sink with low divide, 7.5" on left and 5 1/2" on slightly raised right side. So under-mounted, the greatest depth is 8.5". We love it. Cost was ~$550.00 or less-can't recall.

Have you heard of the Sink Setter if you're going the undermount way? It allows the sink egress from below should their be a countertop problem. I put one in upon advice of GW. Even my fabricator had installed them before.

Thanks so much for the tips beverly27. Definitely useful info!

I'm thinking you might want to consider insetting a giant plastic oil change pan with a hole cut in for a drain. It comes in a very fasionable, durable black.
I"m obviously kidding, but with all your "I don't wants" it's tough to find something that will work for you! [LOL]

Anyway, my Kohler Hawthorne sink is enamel on cast iron and I don't see any of those gray marks. It's 9" deep, but this model's double bowls are too small to put a pasta pan in it. I also have a goose neck faucet, which I love, but I must be careful about what's in the sink splashing. Alone, it doesn't splash, but its depth is shallow, IMHO.

Good luck. I'm really interested to see what you come up with!

Are you trying to limit depth due to back discomfort of leaning into a deep sink? If so, is there any possibility of raising the clean-up run an inch or so? We are doing that.

Carol

Yes, I have lot of "don't wants" -- but I figure a kitchen sink is one of the most used things in the kitchen. But I am starting to realize that I will have to give on something.

OntarioMom -- do you mean that your counters along the wall with the sink will be an inch higher than normal?

Yes, I have lot of "don't wants" -- but I figure a kitchen sink is one of the most used things in the kitchen. But I am starting to realize that I will have to give on something.

OntarioMom -- do you mean that your counters along the wall with the sink will be an inch higher than normal?

Rachelgoldberg, what sink did you decide on? Sounds like we're looking for the same elusive sink.

We are getting a Kohler enamel cast iron -- it's the Bakersfield model. We decided to go with the sink with the best dimensions and deal with the gray marks. We won't be back in our house until January, so I won't know until then if I like it. Aloha2009 -- what sink are you thinking of getting?

I've gone around in circles on sinks.

Since we're very likely going to go with Corian, I wanted an integrated sink. Their depths seem quite nice but the drains were in the center and that was a deal breaker for me. We want to put the trash/recycling on one side of a single sink with the garbage disposal on the other side. We were at some model homes and tested someone getting trash out from under the sink and I barely had to move one leg out of the way. I can live with that knowing I save an 18" cabinet for something else.

From all the reading I have done, I'd like to get a silgranite but as you found the sinks are very deep. I think we're going to have to suck it up and get it anyway. I was hoping that you or someone else ended up finding something else in an undermount.

Glad to hear you found something you like.

I completely support the search for a shallower sink. I had a Whitehaus fireclay farm sink that I adored in every way except that the thing was 10" deep, just deep enough to make my back (at 5'7") ache a bit after a while.

If the marks on porcelain enamel bug you, I don't think copper would be any better as a material, since it's a living finish and marks up & changes color all the time.

One option might be soapstone or slate, although I know that's probably out of your price range. We have an old slate countertop and the thing's indestructible and shows no marks. You might find a vintage long shallow one on Craigs list, or something on sale or discount via soapstone fabricators on eBay.

I too am looking out for a long wide shallow number for my next remodel!