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Guide to Kitchen Sinks | Tips from Your Trusted Carrollton, TX Plumber

Guide to Kitchen Sinks | Tips from Your Trusted Carrollton, TX Plumber

For new home owners, or people who are looking to renovate their kitchen, you may have trouble deciding how to make the best use of the space you have for a stylish, functional sink. With the sink being the cornerstone of many kitchens, the decision to install without a plumber‘s recommendation can be daunting at first, but to decide on the best fixture for your Carrollton, TX kitchen only needs a foundation on the features a sink can have. This guide will focus on the types, materials, configurations, and other amenities a sink can bring.

Sink Materials

Not all sinks are created equal, and depending on the material your Carrollton, TX sink is made out of, it can bring different pros and cons for different kitchens.

Stainless Steel

One of the more popular materials for plumbers to install, stainless steel is a neutral material that’s available in a variety of finishes, and levels of thickness. They pair well with granite, and wood countertops, while being more affordable than other materials. The drawbacks to using stainless steel are its noisiness when in use, and its tendency to show water spots over time. The noise produced by stainless steel can be reduced by sound-softening coatings.

Copper

A durable metal that has many positive features, copper is another popular material in many rural homes, in farmhouse-style kitchens. Copper doesn’t tarnish like iron or steel, and has an antibacterial property that makes cooking safer. On the other hand, because copper sinks typically feature thicker gauges than materials like stainless steel, they’re more expensive, and don’t blend with more neutral, modern kitchen aesthetics.

Fireclay

By firing white clay with glaze at very high temperatures, you get a durable enamel that resists scratching and stress better than other materials, without fading or discoloring over time. Along with the durability is a relatively long life as a kitchen fixture. Because the method to creating fireclay can be complex and time consuming, fireclay sinks are usually expensive, time consuming installations, requiring more plumbers than a simpler stainless-steel sink. Repairing them is also difficult in the event of a crack, so even though they can last a long time, replacing them may be the only practical solution. They come in a variety of styles and colors, though white and off-white are the most common.

Composite

A blend of quartz dust and acrylic resins, composite sinks are prized for its similar appearance to stone sinks, at a fraction of the cost. Composite sinks come in a wider variety of styles than other sinks because of its ease of installation, and ability to go without additional sealing. Though composite is stronger than stainless steel, or other metal sinks, its method of production leaves it vulnerable to extreme heat, such as a pan just off the stove, causing its surface to warp and crack. Composite goes well in both, country, and modern styles of kitchens.

Types of Sinks

While plumbers may advocate for one sink over another, deciding on the style of sink for Carrollton, TX residents have can affect how your kitchen both looks, and functions.

Drop-in Sinks

One of the more inexpensive and easy to install styles of sinks, a drop in sink is simply fit to a hole in the counter of a home above the pipes where the sink goes, and installed so that the flanges on the outside of the sink support it on the counter. The sink is easy to re-caulk and has the appeal to work with most styles of counters. The downside to installing a drop-in sink are the flanges that support the sink, because they are raised somewhat from the counter, cleaning around the sink can get difficult and grime can collect really easily.

Farmhouse Sinks

With a deep bowl that is installed between the counters, a farmhouse sink is a simple one or two bowl sink that allows for more room to wash dishes and cook with. The downsides to a farmhouse sink are its special installation, which requires for the front of the sink to face outwards, meaning not only less room for cabinet and plumbing space, but the cabinet faces themselves have to be lowered.

Undermount Sinks

A sink that is installed, then raised into place by a plumber from underneath the countertop. As opposed to a drop-in sink, there’s no lip that rests on the counter, making cleanup easier, but installation both more expensive and time consuming. Undermount sinks go well with more modern kitchens for its more subtle look in a kitchen, but usually doesn’t go well with certain materials.

Corner Sinks

Because plumbers usually don’t install plumbing to run into the corners of the kitchen, a corner sink, while having the advantage of additional space, may require for additional pipework to run from one side of the kitchen to the other. Corner sinks can either be undermount, or drop in, but don’t have the space for a simple farmhouse style sink.

Different Sink Configurations

With the type and material of a sink decided, the number of bowls, depths, and types of accessories your Carrollton, TX sink can accommodate should be decided before installing to limit the amount of additions a plumber would have to make in the future.

Number of Bowls

While single bowl sinks are better for either smaller spaces, or more space to cook and clean, a double/triple sink can divide the bowls to create room for simultaneous cleaning, soaking, or cooking.

Size/Depth

The depth of your sink is informed by how deep the sink base can be under the counter, deciding how much room your plumber has to work with, or what cleaning supplies you have under the sink, should be balanced by how much room you want to give yourself to cook and clean with. Some styles of sinks can have basins of different depths, consult your bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of North Dallas to decide how much room to leave under each sink bowl, if you have separate basins.

Accessory Compatibility

While most sinks have room for a faucet and little else, deciding to have room for additional devices such as a built-in soap dispenser, or a cup to hold brushes can make less work for your plumber in the future.

Photo By Dean Drobot at Shutterstock
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