Picking a kitchen sink: Size/Shape for the long term

7 years ago

Hi all,

We are building our dream/forever home and are currently shopping kitchen sinks. My wife wants and undermount, and we are thinking about some sort of quartz/solid surface countertops.

My wife likes the idea of a stainless steel, probably double bowl, but would like something big enough to wash her pots and pans. We have looked at options that have one bowl a little bigger than the other. Something like, say, this...

The concern I have is 10-20 years down the road, what happens if this sink gets damaged or needs replacement? What's the likelihood of finding a sink that matches this countertop cutout? I wouldn't want to have to replace the countertops just because the sink needs replacing. Then again, just going with a 33x22 "standard" size is not exactly what we want, either.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Comments (9)

sail_away
7 years ago
I am squarely in the big, single bowl camp, so my opinion would differ from yours. I had a split sink, with one side much smaller than the other. The garbage disposal was in the small side, so I ended up trying to rinse and scrape dishes into a much too small side of the sink. Yours is a bit better proportioned, although I would want something that I could fit all of my cookware in---including baking sheets, large baking pans, etc. I would absolutely choose the 33 x 22 sink, but it sounds like you view things differently. So it comes down to choosing whether you want to play it safe and buy a sink that could be swapped out if necessary or buy the sink you feel would be most functional for your purposes.
Errant_gw
7 years ago
I prefer a 60/40 split, but only with a 36" or greater sink. I can easily fit my 12" cast iron skillet in the smallest side, and anything larger easily fits in the larger side. And I would never go with two different front to back measurements like you have pictured... I never understood the point of that.
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Catherine Lowes
7 years ago
I went with a 60/40 split apron front sink that is 36" and LOVE it. I have room for my pots and pants on the larger side. For me, functionality was most important.
AnnKH
7 years ago
How often do sinks fail? I think your countertops are more likely to be damaged in 20 years than your sink. "Can I replace this sink" is one of the last things I would consider in my buying decision.

I suppose a person could buy 2 of whatever sink they choose, just in case.

I have an unevenly split sink, and LOVE it! The big side isn't large enough to lay a cookie sheet flat - but I've never had a cookie sheet so crusty that it needed to soak in the sink. Cake pans and my broiler pan fit just fine. The small side (with garbage disposal) is still large enough for most of my pots.
ck_squared
7 years ago
I had a sink quite like the one pictured and couldn't wait to get rid of it. We replaced it with a large single bowl sink and we love it! If the need arises when we might need 2 sinks, we just pull out the dishpan from under the sink. That doesn't happen very often. We usually just use the biggest bowl/pot as the dishpan.

Btw, it's highly unlikely that the sink or the counter will be damaged enough in 10-20 years to warrant replacing. Get what you want and don't worry about that.
practigal
7 years ago
I can't see a stainless sink ever and certainly not before you get tired of it. There is no possibility that you could expect the same cutout 20 years from now, but you can always get a bigger sink later. If you didn't do what your wife wants what would you do?
smm5525
7 years ago
You can get a double sink with the divide lower so you can wash large items but still have a divide. Kohler Vault has that.
smm5525
7 years ago
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
7 years ago
claywhitenack:

I replace a lot of sinks and many folks seem to prefer a large single bowl or a large single with a 60/40 half height divider. Don't worry about replacing the sink someday. It isn't that big a deal. Much more important is if the top is properly rodded, if at all, and the sink properly attached.

Picking a kitchen sink: Size/Shape for the long term

Comments (9)

sail_away

Errant_gw

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