Trying to decide what sinks to buy for our kitchen remodel. We had corian for years, but our friend has a Franke sink that was installed 20 yrs. ago... she loves it ...just uses good ol' comet to clean it and it has been sturdy for many yrs. I thought I wanted Stainless Steel, but now I'm confused... help?! She said that stainless leaves water spots & that her Franke sink has just been marvelous as far as upkeep! Thoughts??

Stainless is a no-brainer maintenance free lifetime material. Although I must admit that white cast iron sink in the soapstone counter above looks awesome.

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to things like this, and prefer to skip the new fangled materials, even if they are technically superior.

Kraus makes nice, heavy gauge (you want a 16 ga sink - skip the 18 and 20 gauge brands/models) sink and is very well priced compared to the insanely overpriced (sorry) Frankes et al.

We just put in a 33" Kraus 70/30 split sink and love it. 10 inches deep.

Buy what you love. Bottom line.

Stainless is a no-brainer maintenance free lifetime material

I respectfully disagree with TorontoTim. I've had stainless sinks for the last 2 houses, and it is a big PITA to maintain. As I mentioned in my post above, the water marks are constant. You could get the stainless sink all clean and shiny, but just run the water for a second, and there's the water marks. If you don't clean the stainless sink constantly, it looks dull and has a film, so again, the shine is gone. Then there's the scratches which every stainless sink has no matter the gauge or the cost.

Our silgranit sink is almost maintenance-free. We have the anthracite color, and usually I have to remember to clean it, cause it shows nothing. It looks really sharp with our granite counters too. And, it's quiet.

I agree that Jalsy6's photo looks very beautiful. I love it. We had an enameled cast iron sink growing up, a big single bowl white sink. I do remember as a kid that our white sink always showed black marks, though they were extremely easy to clean off. Also, I don't know how long the shine lasts on the enamel. Perhaps the modern enameled cast iron sinks have better finishes than the old ones, and the shine will last.

To your question about the finish, we had a previous similar sink, only smaller and overmount by kohler also. I have to say, crappy as my pre-redo kitchen was, I wasn't as meticulous about keeping the sink super perfect. BUT, that said, a good cleaning brought it back to near it's original beauty. Some of the marks that couldn't come out were actually on the lip of the sink (the overmount part) from banging pots and pans against it. My current 30" is plenty roomy to avoid that being a problem, even in the inside (plus I'm slightly obsessed about keeping it pretty).
I agree with other posters, that whatever makes your heart sing is what you should buy. Sounds like it's mostly just a matter of personal preference!

I went with a SS eased radius deep huge sink with a grate. I LOVE it and do not miss my cast iron (with almost no use my last one had scratches and looked terrible)

I think my designer used Houzer brand(sp)

After a lot of investigation I chose the Blanco Silgranit...it was just installed this week so I have not used it yet ( waiting for plumbing )...it is the color Biscuit and looks so beautiful with the costa esmeralda granite. I was tired of the basic porcelain and stainless ( I use stainless at work ), and I needed a break...so far so good...

Just installed a Blanco Silgranite Anthracite 1 3/4 sink and I love it. I love it even more when I just let all the water out, and it still has that wet look. I thought I read where a member used some mineral oil to give it a little of that gloss look - anyone have any thoughts on this?

Also, I was amazed at how big it is. If I want to hand wash, I can fit my dinner plates flat on the SMALL side of the sink and fill with water - wow!

I agree that stainless is a BIG PITA to keep looking nice. Personally, you couldn't GIVE me one. Had one years ago, never again.

We installed our Blanco Silgranite in Biscuit with our remodel. LOVE it and would recommend in a heartbeat.

I am leaning toward porcelain for my project, but I've had stainless sinks in multiple residences and am completely befuddled by complaints about maintenance. I imagine if you want to disguise the fact that you have indoor plumbing, you might be quite irate that your sink reveals that it has actually had water in it. But spotting? No. Try polished nickel hardware if you want to see what real spotting looks like.

And this is coming from someone who polishes all the nickel--as in, with white polish that you dry and tediously buff off until you start screaming--every week, sometimes more. I also vacuum drapes regularly and dusty between the back posts of my dining room chairs every other day. While working. And I bring paper toweling to visitors to wipe their feet when it rains. In other words, somebody who is normally meticulous to the point of being flat-out nuts doesn't think the steel spotting is an issue.

Plus you can basically use anything you want, up to and including fissionable material, to clean it, and it doesn't mind.

SS fridges, on the other hand, probably causes more suicides than Zoloft.

I think you need to assess your own predispositions. I'm one of those folks who doesn't sweat the small stuff so given that there is both a water supply and a drain I consider it quite acceptable for any sink of mine to have evidence that there has been water in or near it. Similarly if there is some residual indicators that it gets used, like scratches, I consider that a bonus and will frequently draw it to people's attention as proof that I actually use the sink (assuming there are not dirty dishes in it which indicates, if nothing else, I at least use it for storage).

I'm with TorontoTim stainless is pretty durable and if your kitchen isn't intended to be a movie set or to impress the neighbours stainless is an acceptable sink option.

We have Kohler cast iron and I LOVE it! (That's a big deal because we went back and forth on sink choices forever and I really thought we were making a sacrifice by going with the cheaper option when I really wanted the Franke fireclay.) But it's great, and has taken everything we've thrown at it thus far. We also looked at fireclay/porcelain (too expensive, and mixed reviews with cracks) and Silgranit (husband thought it looked too plasticky when we went to see it in real life, though the reviews are fabulous). We had stainless in our old kitchen and it was fine functionally but did require lots of cleaning if we wanted it looking decent. (The cast iron hasn't really been in use long enough for a fair comparison, though.) We opted against it mainly for aesthetics---wanted a white sink for a period(ish) kitchen.

Marcolo and Caryscott - I'm sorry, but I didn't get your logic. I could use the same argument for a sofa that looks dirty and the fabric is frayed (analagous to the scratches on stainless) - hey, I sit on the sofa, that's just evidence my sofa is used, so no need to get a different sofa . You can say that about anything in your home that is used and shows it. The OP is trying to figure the pros and cons of various sink materials. Why not have a sink that functions just as well as a stainless sink, but doesn't show spots, scratches and a film? It looks like either the Silgranit or the enameled cast iron materials would do that. If you were to argue price, then you'd have a point, because you can get a good stainless sink in the low-to-mid hundreds, while Silgranit will cost in the $300's. The OP didn't mention price though. Caryscott's point about buying a sink material other than stainless to impress your neighbors is a real stretch, and fairly insulting to all of us who have chosen something other than stainless because WE like its advantages for our use in our kitchens, not to impress anyone or have a "movie set kitchen".

I would be interested in knowing what are the advantages of stainless over Silgranit and enameled cast iron. We know price is one. Marcolo mentioned you can clean it with anything, though the stainless sinks I have lived with became more scratched and dull if abrasive cleaners were used. I have lived with stainless sinks, enameled cast iron and now Silgranit. Having lived with all three types I myself prefer Silgranit for the specific reasons mentioned in this thread. The OP could benefit from hearing why some feel stainless steel is a better choice.

The "stainless is hard to keep clean" argument always leaves me bewildered as well. My MIL is of this opinion and feels she is constantly cleaning her SS sink. But it's not cleaning it - she just wants to wipe it down every time there is a drip. All sinks will show a drip of water if you use the faucet! I agree with marcolo that water drips and scratches do not look "dirty", and sorry but I don't think it's anything like a stained or frayed sofa. We're not talking about food stains or coffee drips, just evidence of water. I have had SS almost my whole life and there is, IMO, NOTHING easier to keep clean, and you can use any dad gum cleaner you want, even scouring sand, to wash it out. It's the most trouble-free, durable sink material and a big tip-off is that SS is the sink material of choice in especially heavy-duty or dirty applications, as it can be cleaned and disinfected repeatedly forever.
Right now I have a white porcelain sink which I LOATHE. Talk about maintenance! EVERYTHING shows up on this sucker, and it must be scrubbed out with BKF or Comet weekly to shine. Not to mention that is has permanent scratches and stains from the previous owner, a few my own pots have unfortunately added, and the second it is used after a good scrubbing, it's right back to looking dirty again.
The only reason I am not doing SS in my new kitchen is because I want to try something new and use a color that will pair well with an ORB faucet, so I'm going with Silgranit. But please do not be scared away from SS because of maintenance - it is a great, durable, trouble-free sink material that will last you as long as want to keep it!

I have to say that our cast iron sink has lasted over 25 years. Still looks good. However, in our newly remodeled 2nd home, we JUST installed the Blanco silgranite sink. I cannot claim to know how well it will stand up, but we sure like the way it looks! :)

I could use the same argument for a sofa that looks dirty and the fabric is frayed (analagous to the scratches on stainless) - hey, I sit on the sofa, that's just evidence my sofa is used, so no need to get a different sofa .

Um. A sink is not a sofa. Unless you wash pans and carrots on yours. I do not feel shameful if people realize I have washed things in my sink.

Caryscott's point about buying a sink material other than stainless to impress your neighbors is a real stretch, and fairly insulting to all of us who have chosen something other than stainless because WE like its advantages for our use in our kitchens, not to impress anyone or have a "movie set kitchen".

First, that is not what she said. She said stainless is an acceptable choice unless you want only to impress your neighbors. She did not say that stainless is a mandatory choice for those who are not seeking to impress their neighbors.

Second, if you find someone else's opinions about a sink material "insulting," too bad. Your emotions=your problem.

Marcolo - I bet my DH that Marcolo would come back with something in exactly the tone you did. Just pocketed a cool 50 cents. Marcolo, can't you surprise me just once? I still find Caryscott's point insulting; he said "if your kitchen isn't intended to be a movie set or to impress the neighbours stainless is an acceptable sink option". My kitchen is far from a movie set kitchen, it was mostly DIY, and is very small. Yet I still made the decision--despite Caryscott's reverse snobbism--for a Silgranit sink, and couldn't be happier. I've lived many years with both stainless and enameled cast iron, so my decision is based on actual use over time. Again, my goal with my posts is to help the OP and anyone else making a decision on sink materials.

Did I luck out when I got my SS Kindred sink? I read the threads about SS being hard to maintain and I don't get it. We've lived with this sink for 6 years and have never had maintenance issues. It looks great. I don't have major water spots to deal with. I clean it with baking soda every couple of weeks to get any buildup out. But other than that and normal cleaning that I'd do anyway, it looks great.

Having said that, I think for our new build we'll go for a Kohler cast iron. I love the crisp white one I saw at our local showroom. They had a display with a skillet for people to throw at the sink to show how durable the cast iron is. I prefer the shiny finish to the silgranite finish but that's just me. The silgranite is very pretty too.

Count me in the group that doesn't like ss because of the water spots, the scratching, and the noise that items make hitting the metal. I've had cast iron for years. No water spots and no spine-tingling noise. The water in my area is very hard so that may have something to do with it. And maybe I've only used cheap ss.

I have a custom-made 14-gauge stainless steel sink. I had to have it custom-made because it is in a funky corner location, and I couldn't find a sink on the market with the correct dimensions to fit. Regarding scratches, as I have posted on this before, you can just allow the scratches to blend into a patina over time, so you don't notice them. Regarding noise, I don't notice that either, but it may be because my sink is a thicker gauge than most stainless sinks.

Having said that, I agree with the other posters who dislike the water spots. You expend effort to clean your sink, and within one splash of the faucet, the water spots detract from the exact look I was going for with stainless, that stainless gleam. My kitchen is for myself, not to show off. My kitchen is quite plain and I skimped on most things in it, with the sink and the counters being my two splurges. If I had to do it again (and I did not need an off-market-size sink), I would get a Silgranit sink. I have two friends with Silgranit sinks, one has the anthracite color, and one has the cafe brown color. They look really great, they seem to function great. I've asked my friends about cracking and boiling water, and they both said no problem with that. So, why NOT get a sink that doesn't have water spots?

Caryscott - I am curious as to your response to Marcolo's post.

"Right now I have a white porcelain sink which I LOATHE. Talk about maintenance! EVERYTHING shows up on this sucker, and it must be scrubbed out with BKF or Comet weekly to shine. Not to mention that is has permanent scratches and stains from the previous owner, a few my own pots have unfortunately added, and the second it is used after a good scrubbing, it's right back to looking dirty again."

I remember those porcelain sinks. That's why in my last remodel I went with SS, lol. But I really love the clean, white, gleaming Kohler cast iron. But in 10 years time is it going to look like this poster's? Is there really a huge improvement in newer finishes or does Kohler just have a great marketing campaign?

I had a previous cast iron as well, for about 7 years (before this new undermount in the pic). Aside from the scratches on the overmount lip, the inside was in beautiful condition, even with all the abuse we subjected it to. In fact, when we removed it I was sorry not to find someone who could use it. Yes, I needed to occasionally use Comet or Bon Ami, but really that was not a big deal. And the SS poster above said she used baking soda every couple weeks. Seems to me that everything has maintenance of some sort involved...even with the silgranit (in my research) some preferred to use a product every so often to make it look like new.
It's mostly aesthetics I think - the glossy porcelain look vs. the composite look vs. the stainless look...all very different (and each lovely looking in its own right). It doesn't sound like the boiling water, which was the OP's concern, is really an issue though.

LOL roseio, be sure to let me know! I saw those gleaming Kohlers in a showroom and they ARE beautiful. When we can afford to re-do our master bath in about 10 years, after this kitchen endeavor, I would love to consider them for the vanities. At least there they wont have pots banging up against them daily, or coffee leaving brown streaks... yuck!

As with any materials choice, it's important to remember you can be lucky or unlucky--it's all a matter of probabilities. A poster here a few months ago reported his new Kohler sink shed its entire front panel of enamel in one fell swoop; it simply cracked off. It was a defect, not a wear issue, and Kohler replaced it. And I still see complaints of yellowing and staining from the lighter colored Silgranit sinks, even with the new sinks, not the older models that may or may not have been real Silgranit. In short, nothing is 100% guaranteed every time; you just have to consider how likely a given material is to have a problem.

"I still see complaints of yellowing and staining from the lighter colored Silgranit sinks"

Yes, same here. I was considering a Biscotti Silgranite, until I read a dozen posts from people with the lighter colored Silgranites saying they have to scrub out stains. I would definitely stick with the darker Silgranite colors unless you don't mind the extra maintenance.

And in defense of stainless steel sinks, there's a reason why every factory and restaurant uses them. For my outdoor kitchen/butchering area, I'm definitely using all stainless sinks and work surfaces.

I guess it's like every other choice you have to make in the kitchen. It all comes down to knowing your own particular priorities. Which is more important to YOU - looks, price, maintenance, ease of installation, durability or ?

Well, I currently have SS and I like it. It's been here at least 15 years as it pre-dates us and it's been easy to maintain and clean. It just seems impervious to damage.

I have to learn about sinks now, though, because of the impending remodel. It really isn't a topic that I can get passionate about, although maybe when it's my own new baby, I'll somehow mutate. lol

I'm really at an elementary level, though. I'm contemplating things like undermounts and if counters have to be replaced if an integrated sink fails, which sounds like a nightmare from hell.

I have to go to sink school...and cooktop college...and dishwasher drill camp...and take a refridgerator refreshing course...and I am not looking forward to it, to be honest.

Threads like this help, to the degree that I can comprehend and retain the information. ;)

I think these are utterly different commodities, granite, ss, and porcelain sinks. They all hold water (hopefully), and the similarity ends there. You choose one over another because you prefer the amenities of one over another, but you don't choose between them, if you follow - they're just completely different.

I think there's a thread somewhere, probably from Buehl! delimiting the differences nicely, the pros/cons. I think that's the way to go.

e.g. (not exhaustive by any means):

Stainless:
noisy, relatively cheap (can be), available as apron, under/over mount, shows water spots (though I think some do more than others), can be noisy depending on quality and gauge of material, relatively forgiving of dropped plates, builds a patina with age, doesn't chip or crack, available in many, many groovy shapes, many depths available - probably most versatile in terms of availability, worry-free in that it doesn't chip/crack

granite: more expensive, warmer, more forgiving of dropped plates than porcelain, probably less so than ss, color coordinat-able, not-noisy, I find it "comforting", dunno why ... etc.

porcelain: shiny and pretty, comes in colors, less maintenance, maybe - depends I suppose, old ones can be cranky, completely unforgiving of droppages!, sturdy, solid, available in old-thyme types...

etc...

I think you could make out a grid of all this, or somehow, find a quiet space inside yourself to figure out what parameters matter to *you* -- do you tend to drop dishes? You might want a bouncier sink. Do you care about water spots? You might want to stay away from ss. Do you want things to look really pretty and integrated? Silgranite...

These are choices that are personal opinion. I don't think there is any factual way of choosing one over another. Unless you can state: I want the sink least likely to shatter a dropped dish. Then you've got an answer. Short of identifying the precise parameters that matter to you, you're in personal-opinion land.

I happened to choose silgranite and ss. I like porcelain too; just didn't choose its particular strengths this time. FWIW I love my silgranite and only sort-of love my Kraus ss. I don't feel like I "want my money back" on the ss but it's not my fav; not sure why. It's possible it's the faucet that's the problem though (Ladylux) - the interaction of faucet and sink matters too.

Good luck!

SS isn't necessarily noisy if it's higher gauge and/or insulated. You can add insulation too for extra quiet.

I think people should be honest with themselves about whether they want things to look clean or be clean--the two don't always go together. You can clean stainless with anything. It's metal. I scour mine with Brillo pads, pour bleach in it to soak, scrub it with brushes, or whatever abuse I feel like inflicting at the time. But it does not look like a new sink. By contrast, some other materials require a more delicate touch, so you can't bring out your big guns to disinfect it. But they look o so pretty and clean, and you can't really see e. coli or salmonella, after all.

I think the same divergence of opinion shows up when people are debating painted versus stained cabinets. But painted cabinets show dirt! some exclaim. Well, then clean them.

Actually, I think the OP was a bit confusing, because the subject line is Silgranite, SS, or CI, but in fact she had a specific question about Silgranite cracking when exposed to boiling water. So if people really want to be strict, they should only be posting in response to that specific question.

Having said that, I'm not going to get into the battle over SS vs. other materials, but I will comment on my own experience. We have Ticor SS sinks, and I really love them. In my main sink I use a grate, but in my prep sink I don't. That's because I don't wash dishes and pots in my prep sink [hence why it's called a prep sink]. I don't notice a water spot problem, but maybe that's because I'm less fastidious about this than others [that's not a judgement about others; just describing my own feelings]. With the grate in place in the main sink, I don't see water spots and we don't get scratches. Food can get caught in the grate, so when I'm doing the dishes at the end I take it out and clean it as well as clean the sink underneath. Is this more work? Maybe, but I don't feel like it is.

So in the end, it's like what others have said. It's a matter of personal preference.

BTW, Jalsy6, is that Danze Opulence you have? That's what I have too -- in SS.

I wonder if whether or not SS is hard to clean depending on the type of water you have.

We have hard water here and our SS sink looks terrible. On the other hand, in my previous house I had a SS sink (but not hard water) and it looked clean all the time.

To share one more experience: When remodeling, we were very happy to switch from a light-coloured siligranite sink to SS. While I am happy to keep my dark granite counters polished, I do not miss bleaching and scrubbing out the sink, which marked every time a pot rubbed in it or something like tomato touched it. To be honest, SS just seems so much easier to maintain and noise and waterspots don't seem to be an issue compared to what we had before.

Hey we could really throw a wrench into this... How about copper? Maybe the OP might want to consider a copper sink along with the other choices.

EurekaChef, yep! Opulence it is, in chrome. I love this faucet btw (slightly OT, sorry). Saw it first in redroze's beautiful kitchen!

jalsy6
I like cast iron as well and thought I had decided on the bakersfield by Kohler, I have a 33" sink base but the "installation guide" on Kohlers web site recommends a minimum cabinet width of 36", did you have any problems fitting it into your 33" base?

No, no problems at all. Of course, the soapstone guys did it, but it didn't look like they had any trouble. I think the exterior of the sink measures 30" if memory serves...the interior is something like 27". still plenty big! Originally I was a nanosecond away from buying the blanco silgranit until at the last second we realized it wouldn't fit in our 33" sb. I'm so glad it worked out the way it did. :)

We just started the sink choice process today at Home Depot. Pretty open-minded on this choice, we really don't know. Would really like a sink with two fairly equal-sized bowls as I have now.

Lots of questions:
1. Previous posters mentioned that price is far less for a cast-iron enamel than silgranite. Where are you shopping??
HD has to custom-order any undermount cast-iron enamel. The Kohler in White, was $408 for the Brookfield, $488 for the Deerfield, $480 for the Tanager. Their silgranite prices were very similar.

2. I saw reference to Homeandstone, what other sites are reputable for sinks online?

3. As I understand, Silgranite is the Blanco trademarked name. Are Silgranite and other brands, all a composite granite? Had read that granite sinks were much heavier and needed more support in the cabinet base. The HD girl said that was a myth. True?

3. What do you use to clean s/s or silgranite? All I've had is cast-iron.

Thank you,

What do you use to clean s/s

Well, if you want it to look exactly like you just peeled the blue plastic film off of it, and it's never been wet or used, I don't know.

Otherwise, you can clean it with Brillo pads, Bon Ami, Ajax, SoftScrub, HardScrub, and probably fill it with gasoline and light it for that totally germ-free experience. Your house will burn down but your SS sink will still be there somewhere.

Will it be blue-film pretty? No, of course not. It'll still be there, though.

@colorfast, we got our Kohler Cape Dory at Home Depot online---they have sales a few times a year (major holidays; I think ours was the Black Friday sale) and it was marked down from the mid-400s to around $350 including shipping. We were comparing it to fireclay so that made it far cheaper---I think it was probably comparable to middle quality stainless sinks. We cleaned our old stainless sink with dish soap on a sponge after use, and then Bon Ami or Barkeeper's Friend for a big scrub every other week or so.

We've had both stainless and enameled cast iron in the last year (one pre-remodel, one post). Honestly, they are both great sinks and I didn't find stainless harder to clean than the cast iron. You need to clean it *more often* if you want it looking pretty, but it's not harder to clean. We didn't really care much about appearance so we'd do a quick daily scrub of the stainless at the end of doing dishes, with a big cleaning once every other week or so to shine it up. With the cast iron, I just do a rinse daily and use the sponge every few days, but haven't needed to do a big cleaning yet. (We also got a dishwasher, though, so it gets far less intense use than the SS sink did.) We're talking about a difference of a few minutes a month, though. The cast iron is quieter than the particular stainless sink we had, but not in a way that matters at all to us. (It's not like you hear it two rooms away in either case.) The cast iron was more complicated to install if you're a DIYer because it's very heavy and needs good support---stainless is easier on that front.

I'd happily have either kind of sink again. We picked cast iron for the size-price-aesthetics combo, but if we hadn't found that, we would have gotten stainless again with no qualms. Neither sink was very old (3.5 years for the SS and 6 months for the cast iron) so I can't speak to how they age. Copper is beautiful too but the undermount sinks in the size we needed were $$$.

Thanks, marcolo & artemis. Marcolo, you are too funny but I take your point.

Artemis, I had hoped the 4th of July sale would include the sinks at HD but no. I will shop around locally but as to online sites I'm really a newbie.

I myself like the look of stainless a little less than the other too. OTOH if I find a screaming deal on any of these three materials, I'd buy it.... would like to put more $ to the granite countertops than to the sink.

I have a stainless steel sink (large rectangular single bowl), but I wished I'd gotten a Silgranit sink instead. So why then did I buy a stainless steel sink? Because that's what I'd always had, and it was just an automatic knee-jerk choice, with no thought process at all, to get the stainless. I thought a lot about the size and the 1-bowl configuration. But it never occurred to me to look at another material for a sink.

Last year I went with my best friend to look for a sink for her kitchen reno. We looked at granite composite sinks, and she chose the Silgranit anthracite big single bowl with the corner offset drain. I am at her house several times a week, and I do have "sink envy", LOL. I am tired of the water spots of my stainless sink, and it rarely looks shiny.

Let me see if I can answer Colorfast's questions above with what I know of my stainless sink, and from my friend's Silgranit.

1 - I think the comment from the earlier poster was that stainless (not cast iron) was less expensive than Silgranit.

2- Homeandstone, qualitybath, faucetdepot, are websites mentioned here for Silgranit. For stainless, overstock (Kraus sinks), expressdecor, and galaxytoolsupply are good. If you're not sure about a website, post and ask what others' experiences were.

3 - I don't know about other brands' composite granite sinks. Blanco Silgranit is reputed to be superior, and Blanco does have a lot of patents, and proprietary technology to their material. I do know that when my friend and I were looking at granite composite sinks, the Blanco's looked richer somehow, and their display models felt more substantial than the other brands we saw. While granite composite sinks are heavier than stainless, they are not nearly as heavy as enameled cast iron. I haven't read of anyone with a Silgranit sink needing extra support, my friend's sink didn't need anything extra, and she has the biggest single bowl that Blanco makes in Silgranit.

4 - my friend uses just her Dobie sponge and the soap out of the soap dispenser to clean her Silgranit sink. She uses Bar Keepers Friend when it's very dirty. She made meatballs from scratch the other day, and even with the grease, the sauce, the parmesan, etc. the sink didn't look dirty! It helps that she has the dark anthracite color.

For cleaning my stainless sink, I use Bar Keepers Friend, which is kinda the standard recommendation. It's easy, it works, it can be found in any supermarket, and it is cheap. Bar Keepers Friend is also recommended by the various stainless manufacturers. I would not use most of the choices Marcolo recommended (Brillo pads, Bon Ami, Ajax, HardScrub, pour bleach in it to soak, scrub it with brushes). Sorry Marcolo! I understand Marcolo has added the caveat that with these methods it won't stay looking like a new sink. For us, we scrimped and saved up for our kitchen reno for many years, and we want to keep our sink, and the rest of the kitchen, as fresh looking and pretty as we can.

If you get a stainless steel sink, look at what its manufacturer recommends for cleaning. I will copy here what Franke instructs as to caring for their stainless steel sinks:

Steel wools pads should never be used to clean your sink as they will leave a residue of small iron particles. For similar reasons do not leave any mild steel or cast iron cookware or implements anywhere on the sink for extended periods of time. The combined presence of iron and moisture with stainless steel can only lead to surface corrosion and staining of the sink. Never use abrasive pads or cleaners on the mirror or silk finishes of the sink. They will scratch the finish.
THIS INCLUDES SCOTCHBRITE PADS! (Franke's capitalization)
ScotchBrite pads may be used on the radiant brushed or lustre finishes but only by scrubbing lightly and only in the direction of the grain lines in the finish. Don't use chlorine bleach in your stainless steel sink, as chlorine will attack the protective layer that makes stainless steel truly stainless. The risk of damage is proportional to the concentration of the chlorine and the duration of exposure between the sink and the chlorine agent. Always dilute any antibacterial product used and wipe up any spills. Note: some antibacterial soaps may contain chlorine compounds. Certain foods such as pickles, mayonnaise, mustard and salt laden foodstuffs can cause pitting of the sink surface if left unattended for prolonged periods.

Sandesurf...I know this is OT, but I love your faucet! Can you tell me which it is and your feelings about it? Thanks!! And thanks for this discussion everyone...it's helping me a lot!

Just want to say: cooked my first meal in my new kitchen with my new Blanco Silgranit Biscotti sink. It was pasta. Nervous when I drained my pasta. Nervous when I scraped my leftovers with RED sauce into the sink to go down the disposal. Yea - I know it was just one time so far. But some of the things you read....

Happy to report, all is well!!

After having only stainless steel sinks my entire life, I am truly in love with this baby. For me, I felt very comfortable after reading posts here that assured me the cracking problem was with the old Silgranit, not the Silgranit II. Even though my sink is very light, I'm not too concerned with staining. I think you're supposed to scrub your sink once in a while, so no problem there. SQ

My Blanco...I am in love.

Shannon, just wanted to post a belated thank you for answering my questions--they were very helpful. And what you said about repeating your past with another stainless steel sink was my original viewpoint (albeit with an enamel sink). I just assumed that was my future until I found this forum and began rethinking it.

I like Silgranit for not being a "same old as before" stainless sink, and for not being as rigid as a porcelain or enameled cast iron sink. In the one year I've had Silgranit, I have not broken any glassware in my Silgranit sink, so I think it may be bouncier than enameled cast iron and porcelain.

Old fashioned girl here: bought two cast iron Kohler sinks for new kitchen. No regrets.

I am considering the blanco performa silgranite II Cascade sink. Do you find the cascade section of the sink helpful? I like the idea of having a place for the colander.

Did you buy it online? If so, where?

Hi EMH - like susieQ I have the Blanco cascade. I like the idea of it, but in practice I'm not finding it so fantastic. Though ... having written that I want to qualify it a little with the jury still being out; I've had it in place for a few weeks now but I'm not really up to speed in cooking yet, and I'm definitely still learning how to use my new kitchen and two sinks - very different habits need working out.

For me the problem is, I think, that the cascade is a nifty prep sink, truthfully, with that great basket on the side. But I've got it in place as a cleanup sink, and as such, it's less-than-great, at least how I use it. I just find myself annoyed that I don't have the full spread of acreage; not sure how the basket helps too much in cleanup. For me, you could easily be different. I'm sure some will like to dry things in there, but for me I've got a drying rack on the countertop and also towels and things, plus a dishwasher. So I don't find the basket as useful; I'd rather have it in my prep space.

I didn't want that big a sink in my prep space though maybe, if I had to do it over again, I'd swap sinks - put the cascade with associated garbage/recycling/compost pullout in the prep-island, and a single sink for cleanup. But truthfully, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to have sacrificed the counterspace. No matter now, just passing along my thinkings about the sinks.

I absolutely love the surface of the granite - it's soft and inviting. Fantastic. But I think the cascade is actually a little akin to the Stages sink, basically a really good option if you can have just one sink and need to combine prep and cleanup. If you're having two, then you may not need the dual functions.

=0.02! Not only may YMMV, but mine may as well.... this is definitely not settled opinion I'm spouting.

I love our cast iron porcelain sink by Ceco. Not a well known brand, but I love the size of this. Kohler used to make 43', but now only carries 33' (not a triple basin sink). It has held up for 8 years and I just scrub it with a favorite cleaner and voila, it comes out sparkly clean as if it was new. It's their 743 model called Big Corona (should be called Big Cohona!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ceco Sink

After 21 years of use, I am replacing a white Franke composite sink, as I am removing worn laminate countertops and replacing them with quartz. I have agonized over the choice of a new sink and have done much research about them. While I love my current sink, it has developed many small cracks around the disposal drain presumably from hot oil poured into the sink. You cannot feel the cracks, they are not raised, but there is a web of them all around the drain. Of course, this has been after many years of heavy duty use.
Since Franke no longer makes granite composite sinks,(which has me curious as to why they discontinued them), I am down to a choice of SS, Silgranite II, or Iron coated with enamel. After much research, most chefs and other serious cooks recommend SS sinks. In fact, many of the current sink offerings for residential use are channeling the sharp angled configurations of restaurant SS sinks. On line reviewers and the salesperson at my local plumbing supply have experienced staining and chipping with cast Iron sinks. The salesperson told me that many companies will replace them if they do chip or stain, but they only send you a new sink, the owner is responsible for the cost of installation. Some reviewers on line talk about scratches in Silgranite sinks, especially on the darker colors. One magazine editorial that reviewed sink materials even included a picture that was taken of a showroom sink that had a scratch in the bottom that would not come out when the editor tried to remove it while in the store. From my on-line research, the cracking with Silgranite seems to have been only during transport and installation, however people have written about scratches that occurred during use.
Missing from the comments on this site is the type of cooking being done by those offering their opinions. There is a big difference in experience with kitchen gear between a person who makes light meals for one or two people versus a gourmet cook who executes complex multi-course meals for many guests. As for myself, the utility of a sink is a more important consideration than how it looks. If I am in the middle of preparing a complex meal, I do not want to worry that I might damage my sink if I lob a heavy skillet or pot into it!

In response to Seriouscook's post, I have to address his various points. We've had our Silgranit sink installed almost a year. It's the anthracite color. It was in perfect condition when it arrived. It has no scratches. We abuse it pretty much, e.g. boiling water after throwing in iced drinks, or washing cast iron pots and pans banging against the sides and bottom. We cook almost every night, and make a mess in the sink, but it's an easy cleanup. Our water is somewhat hard too, if anyone is worrying about water marks. This silgranit sink is the most easy-care sink I have ever had. We clean it with the soap from the soap dispenser and a sponge, or Barkeeper's Friend. Coming from a stainless steel sink before, which always looked dingy and dirty, and scratched, this has been a 180 experience.

Regarding Seriouscook's statement that chefs and serious cooks recommend SS sinks. First, if we are talking about recommendations for restaurant use, a restaurant uses 18-24" deep industrial-size stainless steel sinks. They are not intended to add anything aesthetically to a kitchen, they are not insulated so that they are noisy, and are relatively cheap. This is not a relevant recommendation for home kitchens. Second, if we are talking about "serious cooks", I would like to know more. I am a serious cook. We have a great number of serious cooks on this forum who love their Silgranit sinks. This sort of broad statement doesn't help anyone in their decision.

I am not knocking Seriouscook's preferences for his/her own sink. Everybody has different tastes in what they want out of a sink. I am in love with about two dozen kitchens on this forum, and there are all kinds of sinks in each of them. I think the choice is a very individual preference and also depends on the aesthetics you want. But at least the choice should be made with the proper information. I would look at actual experiences posted by Kitchens Forum people, than at Seriouscook's assessments which are not based on actual experience or use.