I've sold 50 or so replacement sinks this year. No complaints on apron style or undermounts. Get what you like and be happy.

Undermount (3 sides, at least) the farmhouse. Yes, it might get a little scuffed but so will a cabinet front. Unlike a cabinet front, you can call it patina on a SS sink front. (You can also polish it out.)

I absolutely love my stainless farmhouse sink.

I have a ss farmhouse sink. There is no scratching issue.

Fori is correct. I had to take a dent out of this beauty right after I installed it. Whew.

Joes sink looks great. It's immaculate!!!..........................how is your sink now,, most of the time.? There you go. Just a sixth surface to keep immaculate. Seventh if you count that rim at the top front : )

IMO the whole farmhouse sink thing will scream dated soon go undermount .

Thanks to all for you insight! :)

I love my SS apron sink in my vintage style kitchen, so I don't care if it's dated. The bottom is terribly scratched up, and has a small dent from my DD dropping a cast iron skillet. The front still looks nice, even after 7 years, but it does get smudged. I left a positive reveal on the back, so that I could rest a cutting board over the sink--my cheap version of a work station sink.

Neither the back or the front rim is a problem, but when my kids do the dishes they don't bother to clean the 90 degree corners--I have to go behind them with the dishcloth, and once in a while I use a cotton-tipped swab to clean the four corners.

What kind of sink is that, Joe? I have been going round and round in my head on SS or say, silgranit etc

Missi Rogge - I think it is this:

http://www.elkay.com/sinks/farmhouse/elxufp3620

That’s pretty. The woman I talked to at the cabinet place recommended Karran. So much stuff to research!

Small item but if you go with an apron front sink you can't have the ever-so-useful sink front tip-out tray.

I like farmhouse because you don’t have to reach as far to wash dishes. But I did like my kohler stages 45 even more. I’m mostly a function over form person.

Missi: jhmarie is correct. It is the new Quartz Luxe from Elkay:

Do you have to be careful with it, like no boiling water etc? Stainless seems so dumb-proof (I have a stainless top mount double bowl currently), but the one above and the Blanco Silgranit and the Karran are beautiful.

Hi Joe, that Quartz Luxe farmhouse sink is looking beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing.

Hi Missi, our Quartz Luxe sinks are molded with organic fibers as well as a fiberglass mat on the underside of the sink for added strength. These sinks are also heat safe up to 535 degrees and nonporous. This prevents staining and repels dirt! You can find more info here.

Thanks! I’ll go check it out!

Even with the white there’s no staining?

Thanks Elkay. You do know that sink was retrofitted without removing the island top?

Go for what you like. YOU are living inside the home not us so do what you love. Either way you go will look great!

Go with what you love. Over the years, the scratches and dings will only add dimension and memories to your farmhouse look. I don't have a farmhouse sink, but it is stainless and a double bowl, and it's been there for AGES. It has some scratches and a ding where I dropped the crockpot insert, but it shines right up. I've replaced the faucet to a more modern one, and it still looks good. Stainless is indestructible and so easy sanitize.

The only thing I wish my sink was....a big single bowl so that I could fit in big pots all the way. But I think of it as an old friend whom I would tell not to get a face lift. But then I like the rustic almost primitive look.

Hi Missi, most dirt and stains should wipe off with a damp cloth/sponge and soapy water. However, if you do have a tougher stain or water marks we have some great cleaning suggestions for our Quartz sinks here.

Elkay:

In case you didn't believe this is a retrofit, here is a "before" picture.

The new cutout has bisected the grinder slot that held the sink clip. That's the arc that is filled with stone and color matched adhesive. The plug in the front is the reinforcement rod slot having been ground back and filled.

Not bad. I never point these out to the homeowner; once you do, she can never "unsee" them.

Run this thread past your technical guys, please. I can't wait to hear the "It can't be done." The secret? Because the bowl is deeper than the apron, you have to tap the cabinet front off. If you put the sink in, you can't get the cabinet front back on. If you put the cabinet front on, you can't get the sink in. You partially put the sink in place, partially put the cabinet front back on, more sink, more cabinet front, until you're done.

I never use your provided clips; all my retrofits are strapped in place. Throw a couple of Sink Straps from Regent Stone Products in the box instead, please.

Keep making these please. They are moneymakers and the customers love them. Just under 3K.

Your customers are very lucky to have you, Joseph.

Elkay should have a line of Joseph Corlett designed sinks!

Rita:

Thanks so much.

This wouldn't be the first time manufacturers followed behind fabricators/installers. They make stuff and we find money/competitive advantage in using their products in ways the pocket-protectors never envisioned.

Corian would still be seamed with silicone if the engineers had their way. Inconspicuous stone/estone seams would not exist were it not for the competitive pressure and technology plowed by the solid surface guys.

Elkay needs to make this sink with a faucet deck since, unlike stainless steel, I can't weld one on. If the lady in my pictures had had a "swoop" on one side of her sink, no Elkay for her. Yeah, name that one the Elkay Quartz Luxe Corlett.

I think farmhouse sinks will continue to be very popular both classic and modern, because they are so practical and attractive.

pizzchzz: The video at the end of your first link is awful. Using wood to support a sink is a huge waste of time and will result in leaks when the wood shrinks. A strap system is much faster, never shrinks, and can be tightened, unlike wood. Plus, he fails to silicone the sink flange. Topical silicone at the edge is guaranteed leaking and contamination.