Kitchen Sink Replacement
We need to replace the kitchen sink. What we have (came with the house) is an acrylic sink and I hate it. It is scratched, cracked and pitted, and just plain ugly. The design isn't bad, but the surface is awful (it came that way). OK, so I need to keep it fairly inexpensive, but want something durable, too. So far, I've narrowed it down to cast iron or composite, but can't decide between these two. Cast iron I know about, but not composite. Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with this type of sink?
ETA: I should note that I don't think stainless steel would work in this kitchen. All the appliances are black, the counters are black granite, and the cabinet hardware, outlet & light switch covers, and current sink faucet, which I like) are venetian bronze. Stainless steel would look out of place, I think. The current sink is white, which is also not a good choice, IMO. I'm thinking either black, or a tan color, which would match the backsplash tiles and the floor tiles.
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Lowe's had a SS sink for about $240 and I LURVE it!! http://www.lowes.com/pd_102-94094-027OTH115STS_0__?productId=3608968&Ntt=sinks+stainless+steel&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dsinks%2Bstainless%2Bsteel&facetInfo=
i don't use the small sink at all, but it's great for storing cleaning supplies under the sink, I use the strainer and cutting board most every day and it works excellently.
we replaced a 'silstone' double sink and i'm amazed at how much quieter the disposal is with just the small amount of sound proofing on the new sink. and as someone mentioned, Bar Keepers Friend will keep SS looking great!
it's such a pleasure to be able to set my largest pots flat in the sink for scrubbing I can't tell ya!
Last edited Mon Feb 18, 2013, 10:30 AM - Edit history (1)
here's a bad pic of the 'silstone' sink the new one replaced back when we first moved in. it was speckled tan and it was horrible! we were re-grouting the kitchen when that pic was taken (long story)
the new American Standard has the colander, small sink and cutting board. it was very easy to install and we actually cleaned up and re-used the plumbing parts from the double to plumb the single bowl with no problems (YMMV) with our existing garbage disposal
i was quite surprised how quiet it is as stainless can be a bit noisy IME but the AS has good soundproofing it seems. the only part we needed to get was the rubber gasket for the disposal drain as on SS you don't use plumbers' putty like on silstone or porcelain
i don't use the small sink (which i figured i wouldn't and it kept me from buying this for a while) but it makes a very nice container under the sink for all my cleaning stuff and it might come in handy some day 
I love the colander but am still on the fence on the cutting board, seems like bamboo isn't as smooth as regular wood for that application. but i'm using it often and so far so good....
and no problems with the disposal on one sink that we can see. I really hardly used the second sink on the old unit anyway.
I also had a hi/lo porcelain sink in PHX (where i replaced a double bowl SS sink)
it was nice also, much harder to install (weighed a TON) and with our coffee loving lifestyle harder to keep clean than the stainless
all in all, i'm very pleased with the AStandard sink and am so glad i did it !! looking at your other choice, i'm thinking the one i got is better. the kohler looks to have all the downsides a regular double sink would have without enough upside to recommend it. and did you read the reviews? wow, got some real bad feedback on that one.
edit to add, we did need to snip a tiny bit of tile out for it to fit, take good measurements on your granite! and don't forget to pick up some oil for the bamboo cutting board, you'll need to cure this unit's board before use
I could swear the name was Staccato but ours were two bowls the same size as opposed to one large and one small.
We did one in our house, three in building neighbor's, another for a friend and two for my boyfriend's mom (old house and new).
When we did ours, the cutting board wasn't included but we swiped mom's cutting board when she sold the old house as she was getting a new board with the new sink. I love the cutting board feature. It's now included.
Mom's old house with new sink and Kohler Forte faucet(we always seem to pick that faucet):
Same counter top, sink and similar black appliances. And oak cabinets. Same lay-out too.
Old folks - set in their ways. LOL
It's a single bowl sink. So far I really like it. Here it is:
Used to have a stainless steel sink; I hated it - could never seem to keep it clean.
Last edited Sat Mar 16, 2013, 07:19 PM - Edit history (1)
I am still debating what to do about the dang sink. These pics are from about 3 years ago, so some things have changed, but I'll explain.
This is a close-up of the sink area. We don't have the traditional set-up with a window behind the sink. Previous owners built a 2-car garage on the other side of the wall, so the window was taken out. We have a geometric design tile backsplash.I added the round filigree decoration to soften the lines.
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Here's a close-up of the granite countertop:
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This is what's above the sink. We took the doors off the cabinets above the sink and made them shelves instead. There's crown moulding around the ceiling in the work area of the kitchen. Yes, it's black, and the cabinet is green.
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This is below the sink:
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This is from across the room. The table and rolling islands are gone. They are being replaced with an island that we are working on right now (creating ourselves because we can't find what we want). The stove has been replaced with a black one and the big black microwave has been replaced with a black hood (microwave didn't work right and I hated it).
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This shows the view to the right of the sink. Keep in mind that the stuff in the center is gone now, to be replaced with an island with a wooden top--will be work center and breakfast bar with stools. The stainless steel microwave is still there, and the crockpot with the stainless base is still there, but is now to the left of the stove. The silver radio is gone.
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This is a view of the rest of the room from back beside the refrigerator. There is a buffet along that long wall now, that is color-washed/antiqued in the same greens with a wooden top. There are nice french doors that go into the family room, which has lots of windows, so that's the main source of natural light in the room, although we are considering putting in a skylight above the sink area. We did the woodwork around the door. It was HORRIBLE when we bought the house. The doors will remain white. They have oil-rubbed bronze handles. The alcove to the left of the french doors is the landing for the stairs that go up to the attic (which is finished off into rooms).
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Here's a close-up of the decorative wooden accent above the french doors. It's color-washed.
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And one more... this is also visible from the kitchen. A hallway opens up to the left on the long wall that goes to the office and guest bath. There is a coffee bar in that hallway on top of the white cabinet. It stays. There's another tall, white built-in cabinet in the hallway (to the left) that's visible from certain angles.
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OK... so now you've sorta had a tour. It looks rather busy in the photos, I suppose, but doesn't look that way in person. It's quirky and eclectic, and mixes old and new. As you can see, the sink is a focal point, so I want to make the right choice since I'm gonna have to live with it for many years.
The white sink looks OK, because it brings in the other touches of white in the room (french doors, shelves on the long wall, coffee bar cabinet). It also looks traditional. This sink has to go, though.
I love the functionality of the single-basin stainless steel American standard sink we were discussing above, and it is lightweight, so would be easy for the hubby and I to install, but am concerned about the aesthetics. I don't know how it's going to look with my oil-rubbed faucet. I love the faucet and don't want to change it. Considering how eclectic the room already is, it might work. Then again, it might not. Thoughts?
Here's a link to that one. They've also just raised the price on this one about $30 (dammit!).
http://www.lowes.com/pd_102-94094-027OTH115STS_0__?productId=3608968&N=0&catalogId=10051&langId=-1
I've considered cast-iron sinks, but they are all VERY heavy (over 100 lbs.). I worry about whether my counter will support cast-iron, and whether the hubby and I could lift it up and get it in there without damaging the counter, the floor (if we dropped it--floor is tile), or our backs.
I like the low divider in this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100421281?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202739556&N=5yc1vZbze5&R=100421281#.UUT1sze6_O8
This one is a single basin:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_363667-20602-R5871-4-0_0__?productId=3547006&N=0&catalogId=10051&langId=-1
This is a black cast-iron one, and I like the color, but it is a double basin sink with a high center divide, which I think makes it less useful.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100065071?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202739538&N=5yc1vZbze5Z1z10i2d&R=100065071#.UUTX9Te6_O9
And here are a couple of composite granite sinks I'm thinking about. These sinks get mixed reviews, but I read a long discussion on Amazon last night about these sinks compared to cast-iron, and most of the reviewers said they really liked them. They seemed to think that the people complaining were just not caring for them properly. I like the color and aesthetics of these, and they are lightweight, but they are both double bowls.
This one is a chocolate brown (it has knock-outs for more holes):
http://www.lowes.com/pd_359986-1475-EDDB33229-1_0__?productId=3406426&N=0&catalogId=10051&langId=-1
And this one is black:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=171210-1475-FGS3322-4&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=1042505&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
I'm trying to keep cost down to $300 or less for the sink. If I could afford what I really want, it would be so much easier. I'd probably go with copper. But I can't do that right now, and this horrible acrylic sink MUST go soon. You can't see this in the pictures, but the bottoms of both bowls are stained and cracked. It looks awful.
So... now that you've looked at all this crazy stuff, maybe you can see how I'm just going back and forth... any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. would be much appreciated!
I told you guys I'd post pix when we got it all done, so here ya go!
We ended up settling on the Kohler Stacatto with the unequal basins. I LOVE this sink!
We not only put in the new sink, we also built a center island/breakfast bar, added lighting over the sink, and replaced the ugly fluorescent monstrosity in the ceiling with a new track light. MUCH better in so many ways!
and i think your wallpaper idea is a good one too!
See the striped wallpaper that's on the back wall of the open cabinets above the sink? I have more of that. I think I will cover the back panels of the new island (the front side has a drawer and cupboard doors) with that wallpaper. That will add some black to the island and draw it all together.
And BTW, the stainless steel really was the perfect choice. The old white sink drew your eyes to it when you walked into the room. The stainless does not command attention like the white did. It lets your eyes wander around the room. It also brings out the beautiful silver-grey flecks in the granite countertop. I like the rounded lines of the Stacatto sink in this room, too. I am VERY happy with it, and you guys really helped me a LOT in making this decision. THANK YOU! 
