Kitchen Sink & Kitchen Faucet

My opinion as to the exact center of a kitchen is the kitchen sink. Think about this, the refrigerator keeps food fresh. The stove cooks the food.

In the majority of the cases, everything that must be prepared goes through the sink. No I’m not talking about food you pull from the freezer and pop in the oven. That is already prepared food.

Think fresh vegetables and meats. Then after the meal is consumed the dishes pass through the sink on their way to the dishwasher.

The garbage disposal is in the bottom of the kitchen sink. The trash can is nearby and the dishwasher should be right next to the sink. Therefore it is the focal point of the kitchen.

There are a great variety of sizes and shapes, types of materials, and even the option of how many bowls you want: 1,2 or even 3.

I think the oldest and most durable is the porcelain enamel cast iron kitchen sink or pressed steel sink with a baked on porcelain enamel finish. Both of those types are available in many different colors. The white one, however, is the most common.

I have seen sinks 50 years old kitchen sinks that look great and five year old kitchen sinks that are ready to be junked.

The trick is to take care of what you have. If you drop a cast iron skillet in the sink, I will almost guarantee it will have a chip or at the very least a crack in it, then it will rust!

Stainless steel sinks are very popular and once again come with various features and the costs range. A good stainless steel has a high content of nickel and chrome and is, therefore, NOT magnetic.

An economical sink has a high steel content and often displays surface rust. Some kitchen sinks are very thin and have no sound dampening material on the bottom or sides. Other kitchen sinks have some padding on the bottom.

The better quality kitchen sinks are made of 18 gauge material. Ask your supplier to explain the differences.

I always love to watch their expressions when I ask “Would you use this sink in YOUR house”. Watch as they formulate a good sales answer. If the response is delayed by more than a few seconds, move on.

Stainless steel sinks are easily integrated into a solid surface countertops such as granite, marble, tile, slate, even tile.

They can be mounted under the countertop or self rimming (flush mounted). They can also be mounted using old technology of rimmed. This is where a metal strip holds the sink to the countertop. It usually appears to look like a band strap.

One of the newest types of material is solid surface sinks. These sinks can be molded into the countertop making the sink and countertop one.

This creates a seamless unit that is very easy to keep clean. Most of these solid surface sinks also offer the advantage of being easily repaired. If minor damage such as scratches incur, you can simply sand the damage out.

BEFORE you make a final decision as to which countertop and sink you would like, pick out the faucet. Whether you shop at your local plumbing supply store, big box or on-line supplier, you will be amazed at the options that are available to you. The days of limited choices are gone.

Now you can choose from a single lever with a separate sprayer (two, three or four holes); a single lever with pullout sprayer (one hole); or a double handle with sprayer (four holes). Perhaps you are looking for a high gooseneck for filling tall items such as pitchers, large pots or flower vases.

Color choices are another endless option. Chrome may be typical, but it is amazing how different that same faucet appears when it is finished in pewter or tan or ?. The choices are almost endless.

I’m partial to name brands because I know that somewhere along the line I will need a replacement part. It’s a bummer when you are forced to buy a new faucet because the special gasket is not available.

There are several other options for you to consider for your kitchen remodel:

• Pot filler: This is useful for filling large cooking pots already on the stove. This should be incorporated into the wall behind the cook top. The faucet swings out to fill large pots.



• Water filter faucets: They have a filtration system is mounted under the sink and features a separate faucet to fill items such as the coffee pot.



• Instant hot water faucets: These are becoming more popular. They are specialty faucets and provide hot water instantly when the faucet is turned on. They are perfect for hot chocolate, tea, soup, anything that needs hot water in a flash.

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