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lilsarsf

Experiences with White Kitchen Sinks?

LSSF
9 years ago

I have always had a white kitchen sink - and now that I am choosing a sink, I would like to stay with a white one.

There doesn't seem to be much to choose from, and I read a lot of conflicting reviews.

I am looking for a single basin, undermount, deep sink (it is a small kitchen, so the cabinet width is 27").

So far the only recommendations I have are:
Kohler Enameled Cast Iron Riverby 25" (22" inside, 9" deep)
Kohler Enameled Cast Iron Iron/Tones 25" (21" W inside but it is only around 7" deep)
Rohl Allia Fireclay Sink 25" (10" deep, but the inside width is really 21")

You are are so wondrously helpful - can you tell me your experiences with any of these or other sinks that you could recommend?

Thank you so much!

Comments (21)

  • homepro01
    9 years ago

    I have the larger Rohl Allia, ~32 inches wide outside. I had a double bowl Rohl Allia before that. I have loved the sinks. My current sink is 6yrs old. I had my previous double bowl for 2yrs before I moved. Great quality and I have not damaged one. I have a sink grid in the large single sink.
    Have you considered the silgranit even sinks? I don't know if there is a pure white one but they have gotten great reviews on the forum. The only reason I bring it up is because of your size constraints.

    Good luck!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    I've head a generally good experience with them - better than stainless and easy to keep clean except for the case where the one I had was very old and scratched up.

  • homebodyoasis
    9 years ago

    I originally ordered a Silgranit in white, however I didn't end up liking the "flat" look of the stone and that the white isn't a true white.

    We ended up going with a Kohler white cast iron double bowl undermount (Deerfield model)... I love the look of it next to our Alaska White granite with the two glossy finishes... There is more maintenance compared to the Silgranit in that I have to use Bon Ami cleanser to remove pots/pans marks, but they come right out... The look to me makes it worth a few extra minutes to keep it sparkling like new.

    Not sure what your budget is, but perhaps Franke make a fire clay in the dimensions you want.

  • Mrs_Nyefnyef
    9 years ago

    To echo Homepro01, check out the Blanco Silgranit sinks. They have a "white" and "biscuit" colors. The white is a stark white, and the biscuit is more creamy (it's hard to tell if you look at online photos of the colors). You can call Blanco's 800 number and have them mail you color chips.

    I am on my third Silgranit sink (have had to move three times already and done 2 kitchens in my previous homes). They are very easy care, don't scratch, don't show water marks or pot marks. I'm spoiled and can't go back to other sink materials now.

    Silgranit is definitely a different look than the enameled cast iron you are used to. It's more matte, and has a more stone-like appearance. I linking below a Kitchens Forum thread with pics.

    Also linking the Silgranit sink "Diamond 440176" that will fit your 27" cabinet, and meets everything on your checklist that you wrote in your OP. I am copying this from the website:

    - Bowl Depth: 10''
    - Required outside cabinet: 27''
    - Interior dimensions: 22" W x 18-13/16" L
    - Cutout Size: Template provided with approximate 1/8'' reveal
    - 80% solid granite
    - Heat resistant up to 536ðF
    - Unsurpassed cleanability backed by industry leading 7 patents!
    - Resistant to scratches, stains and all household acids and alkali solutions

    Kitchens Forum Thread with Silgranit Biscuit Pics

    Blanco Diamond 440176 in Biscuit

    This post was edited by Mrs_Nyefnyef on Fri, Nov 28, 14 at 10:52

  • LSSF
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I never heard of Silgranit. I will look into that! Not sure what I think of the matte idea. I will have to see it.

    @homebody oasis: I am a school teacher, so my budget is limited, but I figure this is the last sink I am getting - hopefully maybe forever, so I want it to be a really good one.

    @homepro01: What about scratching and staining? Have you had a problem with that? Can you clean it without bleach?

  • Fori
    9 years ago

    Silgranit is weird. :)

    Blanco will send you free samples of it though, so try it. I had a white sample in the bottom of my sink getting sinkstained for a while. Good stuff! But...bumpyish. I like it.

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    I have the Kohler Irontones Smart Divide in white for my main sink & the 17x 18" IronTones prep sink which is 7" deep. I don't think you'd be happy with the 25" IronTones for your main sink because of the 7" depth. The Riverby looks like a good option. It is the same depth (9") as my Irontones Smart Divide & I find it plenty deep enough.
    No stains, no chips, no marks. I do have sink racks, which I didn't have with my previous sink (Kohler Cast Iron, 24 years old). I really like the sink racks.
    I noticed the Riverby also has an optional fitted cutting board.
    I also have a Kohler white cast iron utility sink in my laundry room without any issues. I love all my white cast iron sinks.

    This post was edited by romy718 on Sat, Nov 29, 14 at 21:57

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    I have a 20+ year old white Kohler sink. Every now and then I use bleach. For those pot marks, I just use a scrubby sponge. Still looks great. Never used a sink grid, and I do wash most of my pots and pans in the sink.

    This post was edited by nosoccermom on Sun, Nov 30, 14 at 8:04

  • homepro01
    9 years ago

    Last,
    I don't use bleach. The smell makes me sick. I use barkeepers friend when I have black marks but it is so rare. I use bio kleen all purpose cleaner for all my cleaning and never gave any issues.
    Good luck!

  • elphaba_gw
    9 years ago

    I really like my white silgranit sinks. I have one for prep and one for cleanup. I also have the metal grids in the bottom of both that minimize cleaning though I don't like having to remove the grid when I do give it a good cleaning.
    But bottom line - highly recommend.

  • shannonplus2
    9 years ago

    Fori - Silgranit isn't "weird". That word makes it sound like some untested, out-there material. I am glad you also said that you like it, so maybe you say it's weird cause it amazingly doesn't stain even with coffee and wine, and cleans so easily? Silgranit sinks have been around for a decade, and there are so many posts on this Forum from people who love their Silgranit sinks I can't count them. It isn't glossy like enameled cast iron or fireclay, but it also doesn't show pot marks like enameled cast iron, and there have been a number of posts here about fireclay crazing that I wouldn't want to take the chance, even though fireclay is lovely.

  • Fori
    9 years ago

    It is too weird! :)

    It's unlike any other sink material (except for the other brands of it). The texture is different. Not bad. Different. It does look great installed.

    I haven't had problems keeping other sinks from staining, and I'm the kind of person who will forget and let a cast iron pot rust in the sink. The only reason I tested this material for staining (who tests a sink?) was because it's new to me, and I had a sample. It seems like good stuff. Still weird!

    Maybe I'm too easy on judging sinks. I like enameled cast iron. I like stainless steel. I like my little square of Silgranit (which I can absolutely mark up with a pot, but I don't consider that to be a flaw in any way). I even--especially!--like Corian as a sink material!!

    I did have a Kohler Memoirs bathroom sink go crackley on me so I too am inclined to avoid fireclay, but that's also because I'm hard on things. I get the feeling that a properly installed Silgranit sink is unbustable.

    My current CI sink has had the finish worn down so it's a little icky. I blame the POs. It's only ~25 years old and should be fine. (The 60 year old CI pink bathtub still looks new.)

  • LSSF
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I am looking for a showroom to check out the Silgranit this week if I can, but it sounds like cast iron is also a good choice! Thanks for your experiences - and I appreciate the tips on keeping them clean looking! You all are so helpful.

  • rococogurl
    9 years ago

    With a limited budget, a stainless steel sink is by far the best value, most durable, longest lived and easiest to keep clean overall. It's likely that would cost in the $300 range if you shopped thoroughly.

    I've had a chance to directly compare stainless to white fireclay (Rohl/Shaws) when we had two places. For me, the white is slightly more maintenance but just slightly.

    Haven't had one of the modern Kohler sinks but a call to them might clarify the best cleaning products if you're leaning that way,

    For Fireclay cleaning, Rohl recommended Astonish, which is a little-known English product carried by Amazon. It's a cleaning paste long used for ranges and cookware there and it does an excellent job on anything stubborn (including marks) on fireclay. I've seen posts about cleaning ovens and, while Astonish has some slight abrasiveness, it's the only thing that got the inside of my oven glass clean. Astonish also makes a stain remover.

    As for Silgranit, I don't find it weird and I know it has very devoted fans. I just don't care for the look at all. But many don't care for stainless.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Astonish

  • sahmmy_gw
    9 years ago

    Rococogurl - I almost always agree with you, and admire your knowledgable posts, so this is the first time I do not agree with you - just your sentence that stainless steel is the "easiest to keep clean overall". My experience has been that a stainless steel sink is the most difficult of all materials to keep looking clean. It looks clean for the minute or two after you've cleaned it. As soon as you run the water, or wash your hands, or even do any minor task--much less major pots and pans washing--the sink looks water marked and loses its shine in a second. By contrast, my Silgranit sink in my last kitchen did not scratch, never looked dirty, and as others have posted on other threads, always looked so nice that I had to remind myself to clean it, even after heavy-duty use. I get that the matte-stone look of Silgranit is not to everyone's taste, though I liked it and thought it looked "strokable" :).

    For my new kitchen, I wanted an apron front sink, and unfortunately, Blanco does not make a Silgranit apron front sink. I have purchased a Kohler enameled cast iron apron front sink. I didn't want fireclay for the reasons mentioned here about the chances of crazing or chipping. Kohler claims their enameled cast iron these days has really changed, and is much more durable, so I hope that is true.

  • Debbi Branka
    9 years ago

    I've had a white Blanco Silgranite for 4 years. I called Blanco before I got it to ask what to clean it with. They told me Soft Scrub and a green scrubby pad (Scotch brite I think it is). That's what I use. Yes, I get black pot marks because I use cast iron and also aluminum. They wipe out with the soft scrub without really any elbow grease. The sink is awesome and I would buy it again in a minute. (Also, it is 10" deep.)

  • ssdarb
    9 years ago

    I love my 33" single bowl white Kohler Riverby. I use bar keeper's friend and sometimes a little toothbrush-y scrubber around the drain. We are a large family, scratch cook all the time, pretty messy. Sometimes things sit in the sink a while, we don't baby it. Everything scrubs right out with the bar keepers friend. I don't worry about making it sparkle every day. Whenever it's empty I take the opportunity to scrub it nicely.

    I heard that fireclay chips easily, but I don't have any first-hand experience with it.

    Kohler's warranty seems really good although I've never had to use it for this sink or my previous one. The previous sink was a black, double bowl, Kohler enameled, 20+ years old. It also looked great, no chips or scratches, but we wanted a white, single bowl sink in the remodel.

  • LSSF
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I am looking for a showroom to check out the Silgranit this week if I can, but it sounds like cast iron is also a good choice! Thanks for your experiences - and I appreciate the tips on keeping them clean looking! You all are so helpful.

  • LSSF
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I am looking for a showroom to check out the Silgranit this week if I can, but it sounds like cast iron is also a good choice! Thanks for your experiences - and I appreciate the tips on keeping them clean looking! You all are so helpful.

  • enterprise01
    9 years ago

    I've had a Kohler white enameled cast iron sink for 17 years now. For the first 12 years, it was fantastic - never any stains or scratches and very easy to keep clean. For the past 5 years, it's been a different story. It now requires daily scrubbing (Soft Scrub with bleach and CLR) to maintain the white finish. There is a yellowish discoloration directly under the faucet, i.e., where the water most often hits the sink, not to mention gray marks from aluminum baking sheets and cast iron skillets. Magic Eraser works on the marks, but requires A LOT of elbow grease. The bottom of the sink just looks dingy all the time. One the plus side, there are no cracks or chips and none of the scratches are deep enough to expose the iron under the enamel. I'm building a new house soon and plan to go with the white Silgranit next time.