Lets talk Kitchen sinks... What do you like?

[21hens-incharge]

As long as I'm dreaming big... Look at this kitchen I saw on Pinterest.

Pretty! Love the espresso color on the cabinets with that brick.

I do not like the stove so close to the other counter though.

I like a little space on both sides of the oven door.

 

[ronott1]

I've been on bathtub dishes for almost 20hrs & that's too long. What kind of countertops did you & DW go with when you remodeled?

Quartz or quartzite from home depot. I like the a lot and can roll out cinnamon roll and other dough straight onto it. I can also use a pizza cutter without hurting in.

Here is a picture:

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Quartz or quartzite from home depot. I like the a lot and can roll out cinnamon roll and other dough straight onto it. I can also use a pizza cutter without hurting in.

Here is a picture:

View attachment 1925542

Nice, Ron! Why do you have two faucets? R/O?

 

[ronott1]

Nice, Ron! Why do you have two faucets? R/O?

Yes! The one on the left is filtered water

 

[feathermaid]

Oh, I got here a little late! I'm so sorry to hear about your leak problems... that totally

I was just gonna say I love the Kraus option left by @ronott1 earlier, if you go with laminate counters. But if you have the opportunity to buy new and go with a solid surface, I know you wouldn't regret it.

Our house started with laminate and a double porcelain sink, just like every other setup I've ever had. The sink was chipped and stained (when we moved in) and we finally had the budget to upgrade.

Ignore the backsplash, I'm working on tiling that myself. I have all the supplies, I just have to get myself to DO it.

Our countertop is quartz and I LOVE the simplicity, without all the patterns and veining you get with granite or marble. The large single basin sink is dreamier than I ever imagined! As you can see from my pic, we don't have a problem hand washing. I throw everything in the sink, spray just enough to get the dishes wet (maybe let soak for a while) then scrub everything sudsy. Then I use the sprayer at the end to rinse as I stack on the dish rack. I probably use less water than filling a whole tub of soapy water or rinse water.

I can easily fit half-sheet pans flat in there and a whole bunch of other stuff if I don't have time to load the washer so my countertops stay clear. For veggies and other food prep I have this adjustable wire basket:

I also have a large cutting board that fits flush over the top (sorry no pic). We installed the faucet so the handle is toward the sink, not on the side, so this helps reduce drips from wet hands spreading all over.

We also had all our cabinets refaced, which I realized we could have replaced our entire kitchen for the ridiculous amount that cost, but they did make a tip-out drawer for the front, which has been very handy and now I don't think I could live without one.

But just the quartz countertops, sink and faucet and removal of old counters I thought was pretty reasonable (less than 2500). You can also find a local mom-and-pop supplier or a remnant slab for maybe cheaper. What about something like Corian as an option...?

Most stainless steel sinks these days come with a grid for the bottom, which I found to be more of a hassle than anything, food getting caught underneath and difficult to keep clean, so I got rid of it. I think part of the problem is I was given a choice where the inside edge of the counter should be placed: flush with the sink, wider than the sink or over-mounted, which I chose the latter. The problem with that is the sink opening is smaller than the sink itself so getting the grid in and out is not convenient.

This giant sink (28x17) and the quartz countertops are my favorite part of my house. And after 6 years I still love looking at them, I love using them and I love cleaning them... and that's saying a lot!

 

[Kiki]

Sorry about the wall of text above.

Next question, what type of countertops do you all like? Tile? Granite? Woodblock? Soapstone? Laminate? Something else?

Granite

 

[feathermaid]

Quartz or quartzite from home depot. I like the a lot and can roll out cinnamon roll and other dough straight onto it. I can also use a pizza cutter without hurting in.

Yes, that's what I love too! I use mine as a chopping board sometimes

Is granite different? My mother is very protective of her granite and won't let me set hardly anything on her counters for fear of it getting chipped or ruined. She is a rather uptight lady though, so....

 

[room onthebroom]

Oh, I got here a little late! I'm so sorry to hear about your leak problems... that totally View attachment 1925540
I was just gonna say I love the Kraus option left by @ronott1 earlier, if you go with laminate counters. But if you have the opportunity to buy new and go with a solid surface, I know you wouldn't regret it.

Our house started with laminate and a double porcelain sink, just like every other setup I've ever had. The sink was chipped and stained (when we moved in) and we finally had the budget to upgrade.
View attachment 1925543
Ignore the backsplash, I'm working on tiling that myself. I have all the supplies, I just have to get myself to DO it.

Our countertop is quartz and I LOVE the simplicity, without all the patterns and veining you get with granite or marble. The large single basin sink is dreamier than I ever imagined! As you can see from my pic, we don't have a problem hand washing. I throw everything in the sink, spray just enough to get the dishes wet (maybe let soak for a while) then scrub everything sudsy. Then I use the sprayer at the end to rinse as I stack on the dish rack. I probably use less water than filling a whole tub of soapy water or rinse water.

I can easily fit half-sheet pans flat in there and a whole bunch of other stuff if I don't have time to load the washer so my countertops stay clear. For veggies and other food prep I have this adjustable wire basket:
View attachment 1925546 View attachment 1925544
I also have a large cutting board that fits flush over the top (sorry no pic). We installed the faucet so the handle is toward the sink, not on the side, so this helps reduce drips from wet hands spreading all over.

We also had all our cabinets refaced, which I realized we could have replaced our entire kitchen for the ridiculous amount that cost, but they did make a tip-out drawer for the front, which has been very handy and now I don't think I could live without one.
View attachment 1925545

But just the quartz countertops, sink and faucet and removal of old counters I thought was pretty reasonable (less than 2500). You can also find a local mom-and-pop supplier or a remnant slab for maybe cheaper. What about something like Corian as an option...?

Most stainless steel sinks these days come with a grid for the bottom, which I found to be more of a hassle than anything, food getting caught underneath and difficult to keep clean, so I got rid of it. I think part of the problem is I was given a choice where the inside edge of the counter should be placed: flush with the sink, wider than the sink or over-mounted, which I chose the latter. The problem with that is the sink opening is smaller than the sink itself so getting the grid in and out is not convenient.

This giant sink (28x17) and the quartz countertops are my favorite part of my house. And after 6 years I still love looking at them, I love using them and I love cleaning them... and that's saying a lot!

I love your set up. Beautiful! I think you & Ron have me sold on quartz if I can find a way to afford it. I like the simple colors & the fact that it take take some homemaker abuse.

I want to see the tile you choose for your backsplash. Get on that already so you can post pics.

 

[ronott1]

Yes, that's what I love too! I use mine as a chopping board sometimes

Is granite different? My mother is very protective of her granite and won't let me set hardly anything on her counters for fear of it getting chipped or ruined. She is a rather uptight lady though, so....

The Quartz is much more durable and does not need sealing and etc. When ours was installed, the Installer said that any minor scuffs could be buffed out.

Ours is going on three years old and the only issue is a small chip close to the stove. I suspect someone dropped the heavy cast iron on it. Granite would likely have been cracked by that amount of force though

 

[ronott1]

I love your set up. Beautiful! I think you & Ron have me sold on quartz if I can find a way to afford it. I like the simple colors & the fact that it take take some homemaker abuse.

I want to see the tile you choose for your backsplash. Get on that already so you can post pics.

We got our counter top using the Home Depot 0 interest if paid on time plan