WHOA! I was curious about Whink, so I just googled for their MSDS (which must tell you the ingredients). The active ingredient is hydrofluoric acid. That is a serious and dangerous acid. It dissolves glass (so it may not be good for your sink). More serious, it is harmful to YOU. It does not "burn" your skin, like hydrochloric or nitric acid. Rather, it is more pernicious. It penetrates your skin and does nasty things to your innards. From: http://web.utk.edu/~ehss/training/has.pdf Hydrofluoric acid (HF) differs from other acids because the fluoride ion readily penetrates the skin, causing destruction of deep tissue layers, including bone. Pain associated with exposure to solutions of HF (1-50%) may be delayed for 1-24 hours. If HF is not rapidly neutralized and the fluoride ion bound, tissue destruction may continue for days and result in limb loss or death. Full disclosure: I may be overly strident about this warning because I have a minor, but permanent, disfigurement on my hand, and lingering pain in my thumb, due to unrecognized exposure to HF about 30 years ago.

I do not have one, but I've wanted one! I cannot answer all your questions, but just a couple. I think the choice of double or single bowl depends a lot on the size of the sink. If you are going to go with the 30" size, then single bowl would be better - a double bowl sink in a 30" size may mean that neither bowl is big enough to soak roasting pans, cookie sheets, etc. If you go to a 33" or 36" sink, then the choice is personal preference and your cooking/cleaning style. I myself have a single bowl sink and would never go back to a double, but there are just as many people who would only have a double bowl sink. What have you used and liked or disliked in the past? The advantages of stainless apron front over the traditional fireclay apron front sink are: less expensive, easier to install (fireclay can have uneven dimensions and therefore be harder to scribe the countertops around it), lighter so easier to install, will not chip, and you won't need a drain flange for a disposal (fireclay is thick so in order to install a disposal you would need to buy a longer drain flange). Disadvantages are: the look is not traditional the way fireclay is, and stainless shows water spots and scratches (the scratches develop into a patina over time, so I wouldn't worry about that). Regarding faucets, there are SO many choices. I would make sure that you get a sprayer faucet so that you can easily clean into all the corners. I myself prefer a faucet with an integrated sprayer, rather than a side sprayer. You get better water pressure with an integrated sprayer, and a side sprayer means you have to hold onto the handle for the spray to stay on. Pay attention to the reach of the faucet - that dimension is available on all the brands' websites. You don't want the reach to be too short so that you have to reach far into the sink to grab it. I will link below to a thread with 100+ posts showing faucets, and you can see if any appeal to you. There was an interesting thread that I will link regarding SS apron front sinks, and whether to get a curved or straight front. It has some nice photos, and people also posted the names of their sinks, so I think it will be of use to you. I will link it below. As to brands, I have read on this forum that people really like their Kraus sinks and their Ticor SS stainless sinks; both are heavier 16 gauge. I think Ticor also offers stainless apron front sink with "zero radius" corners, which I would stay away from - those zero radius corners tend to collect gunk. Ticor also offer sinks with "tight radius" corners that will have a very slight curve, which would be easier. A nice kitchen with a SS apron front sink is Hobokenkitchen's. She bought hers as an inexpensive no-name on eBay. Thread Called Which Kitchen Faucet Did You Pick? Thread called SS Apron Sinks - Curved or Straight Front Hobokenkitchen's Kitchen with eBay SS Apron Front Sink Kraus Apron Front Sinks Ticor SS Apron Front Sinks

The final outcome is the preferred method when doing a full overlay cabinet farm sink. This was just a kitchen designer not being in sync with the skills of her/your carpenter. Some farm sinks have the curved bottoms and since every sink is different, there's not a standard template to use....so you have to scribe it the best you can. You can definitely do it without a panel but you need REALLY REALLY experienced craftsmen to do it! Even then, no guarantee it will fit perfectly. But my main point here is, it can be done with or without the panel and the kitchen designer should always consider WHO is doing the install and their skill level. I prefer to use 'apron front' sinks that cover up the cutout. OP, your sink now looks great...and is installed as it should be. :-)

I'm not a fireclay fan. If it chips, you're dead; no repair is possible. You can chip a Whitehaven. If you keep white-out over the chip, you may cover the exposed cast iron and slow its inevitable rusting and self-destruction. I'd suggest you look at an Elkay Quartz Luxe sink. The color goes all the way through so small chips and gouges aren't catastrophic. It is repairable and difficult to scratch . It isn't as shiny as the alternatives. If you're getting new cabinets, you can get the full apron sink; here's the short apron version.