I would do a stainless flange (like the counter) or black. Something contrasty.

Ooh stainless? Hadn't thought of that! I agree - I mean my inclination is to have something contrasty. I just don't know what it should look like and how/if it would go with rounded corners.

1/8" or 3/16" aluminum or stainless solid rod (almost thin enough to be called "wire") bends very easily. It is narrow enough to be a drip edge too. And small enough to become a detail like piping on clothing. A straight piece across the width of the front panel will do 99% of the job, but if you want a curved piece that follows the sink' shape, it can be bent and glued easily by you or a handyman (because it's so thin). Aluminum or stainless can be sanded down, if you want a sharper downside edge or a flatter edge on the glue side. I don't think this will be necessary.

Mostly drip rails aren't used under Shaw's because of the bottoms. But one could be. Reference the 3rd photo on the link below -- that's finished but a drip rail could be applied over it very easily.

This one has a graceful curved drip rail which would be nice with a Shaw's. It could be painted a dark color picked up from the 'splash or floor.

One that is more contained below the sink also looks good. Though I would prefer the first style with a curved bottom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shaw's Install Tutorial

You know...it's funny how such seemingly small things such as drip rails or pull-out breadboards can add such nice subtle touches to kitchens and provide the opportunity to spice things up a bit (translation: to obsess even more)!

davidro1 - I wish I could see a pic of what you mean. Trying to imagine this metal! At any rate my contractor's begun cutting wood. Thank you for your thoughts!

Rococogurl - I agree with what you wrote about the top pic being nicer and also about contrast in color being better. My contractor brought over one that he made today, out of maple. He did no curving but had it slant slightly downward, subtly, and then it's gently softened on the ends (not too sharp). It extends out further than the sink a bit, like the first pic you and I both like. I think I like contrasty color because it makes the drip rail appear to be more of a deliberate design choice as opposed to a necessity (even though it is)! He's going to make the fat piece thinner then bring it back tomorrow. He aimed for the approximate thickness of the new pull-out cutting board which will be to the right of the sink and up a bit, under the countertop. So not as fat as the pics we've seen but not too thin for my simple kitchen.

It also dawned on me today that my sink's probably one of the only ones anywhere (quite literally) that's pushed back so that it's almost flush with the lower cabs (due to needing to meet the wall-mounted faucet at a reasonable place). And that because it's so tightly scribed, the front corners actually appear to be less curved! Crazy huh? So in the end, it might not looks so odd after all!! You can kind of see what I mean by looking in the pic below (though better scribing job this second time around w/ the better contractor).

Color question, if you don't mind (the length of this post, that is!): what do you think about making the drip rail match the front of the pull-out cutting board (as opposed to the floors which are original fir and very orange looking)? And what the heck do I do for a color?! My contractor thought stain wouldn't hold up as well as paint. The wood will be maple. I thought a clear satin maple finish might be nice - on both the drip rail as well as the front of the pull-out cutting board (which will have a cute little knob of some sort, I think) though that's only cause I can't think what else to do. Black seems too dramatic; a dark brown or cherry finish won't match anything in the kitchen since my butcher block tiny island has a maple top, much to my disappointment (Craigslist...I wish it were a dark-topped Boos island but oh well!). But will a clear varnish look bad? The kitchen main colors including cabs will be some version of BM's Fieldstone gray (a gray w/ hint of green color) along with some cream color (and perhaps some white).

I like the cheerfulness of the drip rail in the link below (at the bottom).

I have no updated pics but I'll include a quite older pic to give you an idea in the daylight. There have been several improvements since. Ignore the brown bowl which is never usually in there.

Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful:

I love this drip rail idea and Im going to add it in for sure! Just called my cabinet guy!!
anyway, i think if you could stain it to either match your floor or the ORB hardware... like a very dark walnut stain. It's such a tiny detail, that it can even read like hardware.

btw, i love how your counters look!

Thanks celineike. Hey - if I were to do a dark walnut, and I wanted the drip rail to match the front of the pull-out breadboard (which will have a little black old-fashioned looking knob on the front of it), would I make the front of the breadboard that same dark walnut, do you think, or would that look strange in a breadboard front? As if my question weren't strange enough?! :)

Theresse, that's an interesting kitchen you linked. But even there, where it makes some sense, I think the maple drip rail looks, dare I say it? Wimpy. I like maple but the floor color will cancel it out. If, f.ex. you had a natural maple floor, that would be another discussion.

What I'd do if I had your beautiful kitchen is look at the colors in your marble tile on the backsplash and pick the darkest gray from the stone. I'd paint the driprail that color in eggshell or gloss and poly over it for water resistance. Alternately, use a stain that's just a shade or two darker than the floor. I would not have the drip rail compete with the cutting board (which I can't see in the photo). I'd let that blend into the cabinets.

The thing about the drip rail in the pics where it looks so great is that it stands out and puts emphasis on the sink and breaks up the long cabinet run visually.

No reason the Shaw's cannot be mounted more or less flush with the cabinets. Makes sense with a wall-mounted faucet to do that. For mine, it's bumped out for space in back for my faucets and to make the sink more prominent as it's centered under a window.

To imagine this metal: a bit thicker than a toothpick, a bit thinner than a shish kebab stick. Straight, and brushed to be matt not shiny. Shaken not stirred.

Hi Theresse,

I saw your post the other day, but since my drip rail wasn't done, I didn't post.

We have a Shaw's sink and the countertop is walnut (covered in the pic). The drip rail is walnut as well. It looks great. The on;y thing I would change about it (I wasn't smart enough to think about this) is the squared corners of the drip ledge. I would have had them slightly rounded vs. sharpish corners, but overall it looks good. The drip rail was applied after the sink installation, it is not actually sitting on this ledge. I like the contrast of the wood vs. the white of the sink, especially since my cabinets are more of a cream color, it breaks up the white vs. cream line with the dark walnut.

I like your idea of the maple, think it will be a nice contrast. If you already done with this, I'd love to see pics!

In case you haven't decided yet - I have a stained wood drip rail and don't have any problems with upkeep. I don't remember ever having to actually wipe any drips from the rail.

Here is a link that might be useful: stained wood drip rail