When designing a kitchen, there are endless choices to be made, but none are more important than the style of sink since your kitchen sink is the one appliance that will last the entire life of the kitchen! Since changing a faulty sink is a big hassle and may damage the benchtop, it’s essential to ensure you pick the best sink for your household and kitchen layout.
From small modern apartment kitchens to extensive kitchen renovations in Sydney, the true difficulty is picking the best sink style for you. So, to help you narrow down the options, here is everything you need to consider, from four popular mounting types to common material choices, number of bowls, and a few other sink accessories you can add on.
Top Mounted Kitchen Sinks
Top-mounted kitchen sinks – also known as a drop-in sink – is the traditional and dependable form of sink mounting. The top mount has the most straightforward installation. Using a template provided by a sink manufacturer, a single hole is cut into the countertop, and the sink is lowered from above. The only downside to a top mount is the sink’s rim, which prevents users from wiping messes into the sink, and is a breeding ground
for debris and mildew to gather, necessitating additional cleaning.
Flush Mounted Kitchen Sinks
Flush mounted kitchen sink is supported by the base cabinets and sits flush with the kitchen benchtop. They can look great, but sinks and benchtops are never 100% flat, so even a couple of millimetres difference in surface height between the benchtop and sink will be very noticeable. The material of your benchtop and the expertise of your cabinet builder will impact how well a flush-mounted sink will fit into your benchtop.
Undermounted Kitchen Sinks
Undermounted kitchen sinks are attached to the underside of the benchtop, they are very popular and clean looking. Undermount sinks work well with quartz-based stone benchtops but are not ideal for porcelain benchtops due to the brittleness of porcelain at the exposed edge. An undermount sink not only has a sleek and modern appearance but also makes cleaning up spills and messes a breeze because you can simply swipe every crumb into the sink.
Welded-In Kitchen Sinks
Weld-In sinks have been seamlessly fused with the benchtop, most commonly out of Corian or stainless steel. The benefits of an integrated kitchen sink are the absence of grout lines, making them easier to clean and means you’ll have one less area for grime to accumulate in your kitchen.
5 Most Popular Types of Luxury Kitchen Sink Materials
A sink’s material dictates the quality and durability of the appliance. As some materials are extremely tough and resistant to stains, scuffs, and scratches, while others are more delicate and best suited for mild to medium use.
The most typical kitchen sink material is stainless steel and is available in an extensive range of designs, suitable for any kitchen style. Stainless steel is hygienic and easy to clean but will scratch very easily and develop a patina over time.
Quartz is a natural stone and is the top sink material choice for luxury kitchens due to its stunning contemporary beauty, ultra-hygienic qualities, and excellent durability. At Dan Kitchen’s, we especially like Franke’s Fraginite range, but many Quartz-based stone benchtop suppliers will have a range of matching sinks for their benchtops.
Fireclay sinks are also a luxury choice, popular with “traditional” looking kitchens. Fireclay is a refractory clay that has been coated with a ceramic glaze to make it glossy and resistant to chipping, scratches, and staining. Fireclay sinks are easy to clean, but the surface can chip easily if heavy objects are dropped onto them. Another drawback of these sinks is that the final dimensions are never entirely accurate due to the manufacturing process. This is part of the charm of fireclay sinks, but it makes them hard to install.
Corian® sinks are manufactured solid surfaces that provide a superior and reliable combination of beauty, quality, and hygiene. Although Corian sinks can stain, they are relatively easy to clean, and a qualified technician can polish
scratches off.
Finally, some Sydney kitchen renovation clients request custom made sinks from Dan Kitchens, typically made from stone or Corian. A custom sink is expensive and not always achievable due to material choice, for example, very porous materials which will stain and scratch quickly. However, a custom sink can provide features that a standard sink can’t, like an extra-long sink for serving and chilling drinks or for concealing the tap (see example above).
How Many Bowls Should My Kitchen Sink Have?
A single-bowl kitchen sink can be anywhere from 22 to 30 inches long and only features one drain. A double-bowl sink starts at around 30 or 33 inches in length. The basins of most double-bowl kitchen sinks are the same size, but they aren’t required to be, as a 60/40 or 70/30 split is seen in several applications.
Although the two sink arrangements are dissimilar in many ways, the two varieties share some characteristics. For example, despite the differences in plumbing hookups, both types of sinks are available in various mounting styles, materials, and options for offset drains.
When choosing how many bowls to install in your kitchen renovations Sydney, think about how you use your kitchen. If you are doing a lot of cooking, you will need the practicality of a double bowl sink for washing, rinsing, straining pasta, placing hot oven trays etc. A small single bowl may suffice if you eat out and have a small modern apartment kitchen.
Do I Need a Draining Board with My Kitchen Sink?
A drainboard is a sink accessory that aids in drying dishes, and it is an affixed platform in the sink that allows drips from rinsed items to either drain into the bowl or simply dry in place. Having a drainer with your sink is ideal. Some sinks have built-in drainers, others don’t, so the drainer might need to be made into the benchtop.
What are Sinks with Overflow Holes?
An overflow hole is located on the side of the bowl and is useful in situations where taps have been left on accidentally. The water goes down the overflow hole before overflowing the top of the bowl, avoiding damaging your cabinetry. They are a very popular choice for families with young children.
Start Your Luxury Kitchen Renovations Sydney Today
Now that we have covered how to choose the best kitchen sink for you, are you ready to start your kitchen renovations Sydney? Speak to the expert kitchen design team at Dan Kitchens and get the premium designer look you desire, as well as all the functionality you expect from a high-end kitchen. Our friendly staff at Dan Kitchens are here to help ensure perfect pendant lighting in your next kitchen renovations Sydney.
If you want more contemporary kitchen inspirations, browse our kitchen gallery for more! Dan Kitchens are highly experienced luxury kitchen designers and manufacturers with an unrivalled reputation for expertly made kitchens and joinery in Sydney.
Whether you need a large contemporary kitchen renovation North Shore or a modern apartment kitchen renovation Hornsby, visit our luxury kitchen showroom to see how the finest craftsmanship and exceptional new kitchen designers, coupled with high-quality materials and finishes, can transform your kitchen into a luxury oasis. We offer a fully project managed service, from an initial concept and manufacturing right through to installation. Call us today on (02) 9624 2344, discover how Dan Kitchens uses Danish principles to design impressive custom kitchens.