Kohler makes cast iron farmhouse sinks. They are more durable than fireclay. There are also stainless steel and copper farmhouse sinks. Or soapstone. Any of the web based stores like efaucets or faucetsdirect will have the cast iron, fireclay or stainless farmhouse sinks. Even amazon and overstock likely have some. For copper you might have to hunt more--just google. Soapstone is usually made custom by a stone fabricator, though you can buy them off the self too from a couple of places. IKEA sells a fireclay one which is a great deal price wise. They used have both a single and a double, but I think the single may have had some supply chain problems and I'm not sure if it is still available.

I had the Rohl Fireclay sink for more than a decade in my old house and no problems except for a few tiny chips on the bottom before I purchased the grids. i did feel that I had to baby it a little and was more cautious compared to the Kohler Whitehaven that I have used at my daughters house. The Whitehaven just feels tougher. Do not have to worry about it as much. the Rohl felt “prettier”. Prettier lines inside and out. Especially the apron front. with that I have the 33” Whitehaven is going into my new house. It is large, tough, and pretty. Don’t have to worry about the installer screwing up any scribing like with the Rohl since install is so simple. And just all around a great sink.

I don't know who said nobody in the US refinishes cast iron these days, but that's not true. There are folks out there who do it, but they are few and far between (usually hard to find on Google because they're small businesses), and usually expensive. I'm pretty sure there is one in/near Richmond, VA because I was looking into purchasing a vintage claw foot tub at one time and remember coming across a company that restored the vintage cast iron tubs (this was in 2016/2017 timeframe). I also once saw a DIY refinishing kit online. If you can't find anyone nearby to reglaze it for you, and you're out of other options, maybe the DIY kit would be worth a try. I think it's really hard work though, so something like the Rust-Oleum Tub & Tile kit would be last ditch effort... though I'd probably learn to love the stains before trying to "paint" it.

Fireclay is certainly more beautiful IMHO. But I like the ease of stainless, and being free of worrying about chips, cracks, wine stains, and boiling water. I was at the store yesterday looking at sinks, and my thoughts are identical to yours. A sink is -- first and foremost -- a workhorse, so I'm going with stainless steel ... even though I think a white fireclay sink is prettier. I don't like the Vigo apron front because the front is curved and thick. The big advantage of an apron front sink is the ergonomics of being able to stand right up against the sink, as opposed to an undermount sink where there is a strip of counter in front, which makes you have to bend slightly which can be uncomfortable over time for some people. But the Vigo apron front is curved and thick and so defeats the benefit of an apron front sink. That had not occurred to me. Thanks for this. I had no idea that was the benefit of a farmhouse apron sink. I might reconsider my choice now. Farmhouse sinks are great for us short people -- I barely scrape the bottom edge of 5' tall with my shoes on. We don't have to reach our short arms so far to reach into the sink, but don't take my word for it -- go to Lowes and pretend you're working at one of their sample sinks. You'll see whether you like them or not. i contacted kohler and their's is guaranteed for life against chips but yea i suppose if that happens i''ll be stuck paying to have the work done Yeah, having them replace a chipped sink is good, but having a sink that never chips in the first place is far superior! Even if they paid for the installation, you'll never find a convenient time to schedule workmen, clear out that portion of your kitchen, and miss a day of work while it's being done. A bounce-off question: Like I said above, I was at the store yesterday looking at farmhouse sinks ... and I notice that the cabinets underneath are noticeably shorter /a little harder to access. I'm sure it has to do with necessary support under the sink. Questions: - Assuming you're sold on the farmhouse sink, is this a worthwhile trade-off? - Is this shorty cabinet still enough for a garbage disposal? (You'd think I'd have thought of that question at the store.) - I'm thinking a pull-out shelf would work well here. Any experience with such a thing?