The Kitchen Sink Is a Crucial Design Element of Any Kitchen

A kitchen sink is a busy place. Your choice of type and style of kitchen sink should fit the style of your kitchen, the type of counters you have, as well as the purpose for which it was chosen. For example, you wouldn’t use a bar sink as the main kitchen sink.

You’ll choose between three types of kitchen sink: drop-in, undermount, and farm sink. One of them should best fit the countertop. It should fit the purpose for which it’s intended, meaning that if you have a dishwasher, then the sink can be used for prep, soaking pans, and washing hands.

Today’s kitchen sinks are trending toward amazing looks in addition to usefulness. Thanks to cable home renovations shows, we now know that everyday stainless steel sinks aren’t all that’s available to us. Now we can choose between natural stone sinks, copper sinks, and many more.

Kitchen sinks come in lots of styles. You designed your kitchen to fit a specific style. Your kitchen sink needs to flow into that style. As an example, you wouldn’t place a stone farmhouse sink in a modern shiny black and chrome kitchen. Let’s examine the styles of kitchen sinks.

Styles Of Kitchen Sinks

There’s a wide variety of styles of kitchen sink that people might choose from. Some of these include: 

• Bar Sinks - Wet bars are fast becoming an established part of the kitchen. With their decorative backsplashes, pretty countertops, and cabinetry, it makes sense to put a just as nice sink in your wet bar. Bar sinks are now available in copper and other metals, natural stone, porcelain, ceramic, and the list goes on.
• Island Sinks - Kitchens need islands like bathrooms need showers. Inside those islands, many homeowners put sinks in addition to cooktops. The sinks aren’t large. They’re generally single basin sinks, but a large basin side-by-side with a small one is common. They’re usually drop-in and come in any sink material you wish.
• Drainboard Sink - Sinks with integrated drainboards and backsplashes went out with our great-grandmothers, but they’re making a splashy comeback. They still come in ceramic, just like grandma’s, as well as stainless steel, cast iron, copper, and other metals. Some have drainboards on both sides of the sink, while others only have one. Either way, they’re a classic addition to any kitchen.
• Corner Sink - Corner sinks are constructed in dozens of amazing ways. Some contain integrated drainboards, others are constructed to the specifications of your kitchen counters, others feature basins kitty-cornered from each other, and endless more configurations. We’ve seen corner sinks in copper, granite, and stainless steel, so choose your favorite material for your corner sink.
• Integrated Sinks - Integrated sinks are made of countertop material and are formed when the countertop is formed. You can ask for an integrated backsplash, dish drainers, single or double basins, as well as having the hardware placed where you wish.

Common Kitchen Sink Materials

There’s a lot of different materials that people choose. Oftentimes the best options fit both decor and use. Some options include: 

• Natural Stone - Integrated or not, natural stone sinks are trending now. Quartz, soapstone, granite, marble, and composites that make the natural stone less porous and resistant to acids and staining are becoming quite popular.
• Metals - Copper, enameled cast iron, and stainless steel are the most common metals used in kitchen sinks. They’re resistant to acidic etching, staining, and chipping. They fit in any kitchen from rustic farmhouse to ultra-modern to retro.
• Porcelain And Ceramic - Porcelain and ceramic kitchen sinks are the go-to sinks for many homeowners. They resist staining and acidic etching, they’re low maintenance, and they come in dozens of colors and textures. They do chip, though, if you toss in your knives, so beware of casually tossing them into the sink.
• Composite Sinks - A composite is a combination of two things that make the whole stronger with better functionality. So it is with kitchen sinks. Composite sinks usually use natural stone combined with resins. This combination increases heat retention, decreases chipping and denting, as well as staining. The composite sink is generally more affordable than a purely natural stone sink. They are available in drop-in or undermount. Composite sinks typically come in black, brown, gray, and white, but can be colored according to the homeowner’s wishes. Some of your choices will be yellow, red, teal, and blue.