I have a Whitehaus fireclay single bowl and love it. Have the stainless grid on the bottom. No scratches or chips in just over 5 years. Stainless wouldn't look nearly as nice in my kitchen, but may look great in yours. Either is a good choice.

Fireclay Sinks - Whitehaus Collection

I'm not a fireclay fan. One dropped pot and you're dead; it's unrepairable. Stainless can dent and scratch, but is easily refinished. A better choice is the Elkay Quartz Luxe, show here in Ricotta. The color goes all the way through, it comes with a basin rack, and is difficult to scratch:

@Joseph Corlett, LLC what about cast iron?

It can be fine, but if you ever chip it, it's toast. It can wear out over the years.

Shannon_WI I had no idea that was the benefit of a farmhouse apron sink. I might reconsider my choice now. An achy back is no fun and these deep workstation sinks might cause back fatigue too. Thank you.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC thank you! 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

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?

We finished our kitchen project and actually ended up going with a Kohler cast iron sink and couldn't be happier. I love it! We read a lot of mixed things about fire clay and ones similar to the Elkay another mentioned as well as the cast iron but at the end of the day the cast iron won out.

"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."

You are looking at farm cabinets designed for apron sinks which have the apron as thick as the bowl is deep; a full apron sink. That makes for shorter doors.

A short apron sink has an apron bottom that comes to the bottom of the adjacent top drawers and is easily retrofitted into a standard sink base cabinet with taller doors.

@jlchomsky i'm leaning in that direction also, how did the install go? they claim it's easier than most farmhouse sinks. is it the cabinet person that takes care of support?