I have a Kohler Whitehaven "short apron" style farmhouse sink for 36 base cabinet. I like it very much. I am on the short size and I love being so close to the sink and it is wonderfully large. I have the "short apron" because it can be installed on a standard sink base. The "tall apron" style is for a farmhouse sink base - make sure you order the right one.

There are a couple of other Kohler farmhouse sinks.

Here is mine:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58830325

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58831076

Is it cast iron? I just saw it in the showroom and he apron front looks bumpy?

Yes it is cast iron. I never thought about it being bumpy:) It does have some mild waviness - I hadn't noticed before. There is one version with a "linear" design. It is a little more expensive:

The advantage of the Whitehaven is that it is "apron front" rather than the traditional butler sink. This apron slides over the upper trim work - some of it has to be removed, but it is self facing. This would cover any gaps in the sink base occurring from changing out the sinks - as long as the size is right.

We just left a showroom with the white haven and it definitely looked bumpy and wavy - it smooth. She said it was because it's cast iron and not fireclay.

I have the Whitehaven in sea salt and love it. It does have a bumpy finish. When my counter guy was here the other day, he kept going on and on about how beautiful the sink is. How it looks like it is 100 years old.

before/after kitchen · More Info

before/after kitchen · More Info

ETA: the yexture was one of the reasons I was drawn to it.

Are these farmhouse sinks not so great when you're tall?

They are deep. I am not sure if they are deeper than any other undermount sink. I think it is a good idea to stand at one in a showroom.

Because it' cast iron and not fireclay, do you find it scratches easily from pots/pans/silverware? The Blanco one that is MIA is fireclay.

Prior to this sink I had a cast iron drop in sink. I had it for 18 plus years - no chips or permanent scratches. The older a cast iron sink is the easier it stains. These are not permanent and easily removed with a spritz of Clorox Clean Up and any scratches come out with a dab of Comet or Bar Keeper's Friend. I did need to clean my old sink nightly to start out with a nice white sink the next morning - it was after all 18 years old.

I've had my Whitehaven about 9 months. Occasionally something will leave a scratch mark - comes out with no problem using above cleaners. Sometimes I just rub with a cloth and they are gone. I do not need to clean my sink every night like my old one - partly because it is still so new. Most of my pots and pan do not leave scratches. Usually it is aluminum pie tins etc that I clean for recycling and some of my older cookie sheets. These are not scratches in the finish of the sink, just marks left from the metal. All sinks should be cleaned regularly anyway.

Cast iron has an advantage over fireclay in that it does not have the potential to craze. Also, some of the fireclay sinks due to their handmade nature, do not drain totally. Some have an area water will pool. The down side to cast iron is its potential to have the enamel chip off. This never happened with my old sink and of course not with the new, but it is not that old.

I know that some owners of the Ikea fireclay sink report chips and sometimes crazing. It is not an expensive sink so that may account for the comments.

Rohl makes a 33" wide fireclay sink but they're more expensive. Franke also makes a 33"

You can buy a sink grid for your Kohler cast iron sink if you are concerned about chipping. The grid also allows you to drain items rather than having a towel on the counter or something like that.

Kohler website page for its "sink racks"; they may be cheaper at online retailers

I love my kohler whitehaven, its bumpiness, and its sink grid. It is not particularly deep; there are definitely much deeper sinks out there. The apron is decorative only; it does not have any effect on the depth of the sink. The self-rimming feature makes it almost impossible to mess up the cut. If you have full overlay or almost full overlay cabinets and a 33" sink base, you should use a 33" sink.

I love my Kohler whitehaven sink! I spent many months trying to figure out between fireclay and cast iron, but there were so many positive reviews for this sink I couldn't ignore it and I am so glad I didn't. I have a white 33in tall apron front and LOVE it. It is important to purchase the grid. If you get the white it will discolor and show pot marks but they come out really easy with Bar Keepers friend and a green scrubby and your sink will look brand new after every clean. If you do a search for this product you will find very few bad reviews and for good reason. Good luck with your decision.

You've probably made a decision by now, but I have the precursor to the Whitehaven, which is the Hawthorne. Cast iron (150lbs) and it's a really nice sink. Mine did not withstand being stored on the garage floor for several years with the water softener freezing and overflowing salt water to its underside, but hey. Who'd expect that?

That said, it's incredibly durable, nice texture, only 9" deep, so I don't think height is as big an issue as it could be. But then, I'm just about 5'3".

I'm having a soapstone sink made with my new countertops. It'll be a farm sink vs. an apron sink, and closer to 10" deep. The difference for me is that my divided Hawthorne couldn't easily accommodate a pasta or soup pan. Not enough room in the bowls to move it around. My new sink will be a single bowl without the apron. I hope, similar to the Blanco Cerrano sink. j

I'm jumping around here, but all in all, I think you'll be very pleased. There are many good reason it's an incredibly popular sink.

The Whitehaven sounds like something I would love. I have a couple questions. Does the short apron have any advantages or disadvantages over a regular apron or is that just cosmetic?

And can this be used with a laminate countertop? I know most undermount sinks can't be used in laminate unless they are fabricated that way but I'd be putting this in the perimeter where I would be going with laminate. Just checking out my options. I love the looks of it. I wish I could see one in person.

The short apron is to installed in a regular sink cabinet.

The tall apron is to be installed in a farmhouse cabinet.

Other than the cabinet they fit in, they are the same sink and the difference is cosmetic.

Not sure about laminate.

I was able to see one at my local plumb supply shop. They have a showroom with many products in displays so people can get a feel for them. You also might find one at a kitchen and bath store with displays. Call your plumber to see if such a showroom exist in your area.

The short apron allows for regular sized doors underneath. It is installed on a standard sink base cabinet and so is often used in a remodel / refresh in which the cabinets are not being changed. This is why I used the short apron style - I was able to use my old sink base. (Pics of my kitchen in my "my pics" idea book.)

I have heard that a new laminate counter can be made to have an undermount sink. I have never seen it and haven't heard anything either positive or negative about how it works out. I do not think that an older laminate counter could be changed to handle an undermount - but I don't know for sure - maybe Joe will stop by with some advice on that. (http://www.houzz.com/pro/joseph-corlett/joseph-corlett-llc)

There are some granites out now that are not much more than a laminate, so look into some other options. There are some decent quartz sold through Menards and Home Depot - LG and others. You might find that waiting a few months and saving a little extra will get you more of what you want - especially if you have a functioning kitchen. I was putting away $200-$300 away a month for my kitchen. I got my countertops on a 6mo same as cash deal and also on sale at Menard'sand with a rebate - paid for half and made payments for 6 mo without interest so was able to order and get started. I rarely do that, but knew the $ would be there. Wood is also often used with undermount sinks - probably takes some care, but another option. The only overmount farm sink that I know of is the Ikea which is fireclay.

We just got a Khoeler Whitehaven (30") and love it. I was initially confused about the apron height before I realized both the tall and short apron have the same inner bowl height: As others have mentioned, the short apron is only if you're trying to fit it into a standard cabinet.

I was concerned about the "slope" people talked about which is different from fireclay sinks in that fireclay sinks have vertical sides whereas the Khoeler's slopes inward, particularly the apron side leaving a bit less space in the bottom of the sink. It's not a huge deal at least not to me. In any case it is a remarkable difference from a drop-in sink. It is slightly deeper yet I feel less strain on my back with this sink. I think the issue is that one has more leeway in how you move around.

You might want to look into it a bit more than we did about the space between the sink and the doors below. I feel like the doors could have been taller but I guess the shaker style cabinets we chose don't allow that? I still think it looks good and I am happy with it.

And here is the only pic I could find of old sink:

I can't speak to how well they wear but if you haven't seen the kohler sea salt or sugar cane in person, you may want to. They are unusually pretty colors.

Thanks everyone! I ended up going with the Shaws Rohl. I'm in love. Love it even better than the Blanco. Of course it was double the price, yikes.