Thank you, everyone. We are meeting with the builder tomorrow and I am going to do that "point and ask." I want to hear their suggestions and remedies. My biggest problem now is that I doubt I can get another granite slab to replace this countertop if anything happens while trying to put in a new sink. We picked 2 consecutive numbered slabs for the kitchen after we looked at all the others in the lot. The 2 we picked were very well matched in color tone and movement but the others all looked a bit off from what we wanted. Advertguy, it isn't a dent, but a scratch in the glazing and I can feel it by running my fingernails across the surface. I will have to say that the plumber was definitely not superman but had a super big gut. The picture I have is of him leaning across the sink to adjust the pull out on the faucet and then swiveling to reach a tool. It's putting a shiver up my spine just thinking about it.

This is obviously an old thread that's been resurrected but figured I'd give my 2 cents anyway. I just replaced my 20 year old Kohler cast iron sink with a Kohler stainless undermount. I would have gone with another cast iron but the Kohler white was on backorder and I couldn't wait that long. My 20 year old sink was in amazing condition considering the age and abuse it took. I had ordered a special cast iron sink cleaner from Kohler themselves that worked really well at getting utensil scratches out, but we too used a grid which definitely helped. I've also been told by many pros that things aren't "made like they used to be", whether that be flooring, cabinets or cast iron sinks, mainly because of changes in EPA/green standards. The toxic chemicals that were once used to say, varnish floors or coat sinks are no more because of the health hazards they cause their workers and the VOCs/chemicals they emit.

If you like the design of the Kohler Smart Divide, but would rather have silgranite like material instead of cast iron, you might like what I got. It is made by Swanstone and is most likely more reasonable in price for the budget concious folks like me. The sink is being installed as we speak, and I can take a picture later and post. Obviously have not used it yet and cannot give you life experience report. But from all the silgranite sink owners we hear from here, we know it's well loved. Below is a link to Swanstone. They have 2 styles - one called Ascend Bowl and the other called Large/Small Bowl. I have the latter, but really like the Ascend Bowl and almost bought it. Here is a link that might be useful: Swanstone sinks

@cpartist How do you like the DXV Hillside? Any pros/cons with it? Anyone else have one? We were originally considering the 36" Shaw farmhouse sink but the salesman said they all end up crazing over time. He said that Shaw makes their sinks they same way they did 100 years ago and it takes 3 days to dry. In those 3 days the sink settles and thats why the bottom can not consistently drain towards the drain (thus puddling) and that the settling enables the crazing to happen over time. He showed us several sinks like the Franke and Home Refinements Julien but those two were too modern for our kitchen (thinner walls). He said if you're going for a really worn in kitchen with lots of character in a 100 year old house, then those crazing spider webs on the Shaw won't matter. Our house is built in the 1930's with white inset shaker cabinets but I still don't want to look at cracks in my sink. The Hillside has almost the same dimensions and thicker walls like the Shaw. He said they poke a hole in the bottom front in the drying process and all the liquid fireclay pours out and leaves a shell of a sink. That leaves the sink sounding a bit more hollow when you knock on it, but also allows it to dry in one day so that it retains its shape. The water will drain toward the drain and the sizes don't vary like the Shaw (+/- 2%). I'm worried if something went wrong with the Shaw and we had to replace it, that it wouldn't fit exactly in the original cutout for the sink. I'm not too aware of the DXV brand though. Any good?