M Miller, it’s an opinion that’s valid just like yours. 😀

Re your workstation sink question: I have 3 of them (kitchen prep and clean-up sinks and laundry sink) and love them. I use the rollout mats for drying things (no dish rack) and the cutting board extends counter in LR for clothes folding etc. I use the colanders as well but less frequently.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC, thanks for the photos. I agree the 36" looks better! I'm having trouble finding a 36" stainless apron front sink that doesn't require a 39" cabinet. I looked up the Kohler K-3943 you mentioned but it appears to be around $900. The Kraus one I was looking at is sub $500. Do you have any suggestions for a 36" option that is around $500 and doesn't require a 39" cabinet?

Josh:

I can't help you with the price, but a 36" apron front sink fits into a 36" cabinet. If your sink manufacturer says otherwise, they are incorrect.

We put the 36" Kraus Kore (stainless steel) apron front in a 36" cabinet. Fit perfectly with a minor modification with a router. Added bonus: the cabinet supports the sink.

I don't care for apron front sinks personally, but definitely prefer stainless to fireclay.

I contacted the manufacturer of the 36" sink I was looking at and it turns out they have the wrong specs posted online, and indeed it will work with a 36" cabinet 😊.

IMO bigger is nbetter in a single bowl sink I dislike apron front bat as far as scratching only if your into rodeo and wear the buckles all the time. I prefer an undermount and I hate workstaion sinks they aer stupid expensive have totally useless sized addons and that grid in the bottom of any sink is jusone more thing to clean and they get gross. A good quality stainless sink in the larges t size to fit your cabinet will last forever.

Please, Patricia, not the belt buckle myth.

And condemning workstation sinks because they have stupid useless addons.

I have a small urban kitchen and the only way I was able to fit a large sink was to get a workstation style sink.

The add ons are not stupid or useless to me. I have something of a "grid" which I generally just keep on the sink so it acts as an extension of my counter only better. I can use it to unload groceries OR I can use it to place hand washed items or washed produce.

I have the cutting board which goes across the sink. It is a cutting board and it also is more functional than a regular cutting board would be. It is sturdy and debris goes into the sink and so I don't have the additional task of wiping down a counter. It also enables me to have more counter space. Prior to my remodel I had a cutting board that fit across my standard sink but it wasn't as stable.

Because my sink is large (36") I am able to fit both a roll out trash bin AND a garbage disposal. Before *someone* opines on how a garbage disposal is unnessary and I should be composting, let me repeat that I am in an urban enviroment so composting is not going to happen - even if I were so inclined. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I love my garbage disposal as I don't have to worry about small bits and fragments going down the drain and causing potential clogs in my pipes. And since I have a small galley kitchen there is NO PLACE to put a garbage container because placing it anywhere would block a lower cabinet - I lived with that prior to my remodel and I hated having to move the trash container to access the drawers - besides eating into limited floor space and not being particularly attractive.

I am not sure where the myth of scratching the front of the apron occurred because mine has been installed for more than three years without issues. If anything they are more functional ergonomically because one is able to get closer to the actual sink basin.

ETA - An apron front (farmhouse) sink is generally installed undermount and therefore has all the functionality of any undermount sink. Mine is copper and the 36" sink fits perfectly into my 36" cabinet.

@Josh Meisels So which sink did you go with? Can you share a photo of your end product? And did you confirm that the KWF410-36 Kraus 36" stainless farmhouse will fit in a 36" cabinet? That is what I would like to get, but it still says it needs 39" cabinet online.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Hey, what's your opinion on doing a top mount SS farmhouse sink to protect the granite from getting chipped all around the sink edges. I hear this is a big problem, true? I bought this one previously, but not installed yet and now I'm second guessing my decision as all of the new & pricier homes have undermount sinks (whether farmhouse or not). Thoughts? https://www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Vault-35-75-in-x-24-3125-in-Single-Bowl-Tall-8-in-or-Larger-Drop-In-Apron-Front-Farmhouse-2-Hole-Commercial-Residential-Kitchen-Sink/1000439341 Better top mount with no damage, or sexier undermount but with chipped edges? Hmmm.

That's a fine sink; we install it regularly. If the undermount sink edge is profiled 3/8" or so, chipping is nearly nonexistent and isn't that difficult to repair if it does happen. It's a small tradeoff for having an undermount sink. Chipping is only a "big problem" when people cheap out on the sink edge profile or put looks in front of function.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC That is great advice, thank you! I am leaning toward undermount now. I have a 36" cabinet, and I am really liking this one (https://www.kraususa.com/kraus-kwf410-36-workstation-36-apron-front-16-gauge-stainless-steel-single-bowl-kitchen-sink.html) but Kraus still says it requires a 39" cabinet. I wonder if that could have anything to do with the offset drain and needing room for garbage disposal? I do want a garbage disposal and not certain if it will fit. Do you have advice? It's really between the Kraus and the Kohler vault mentioned above, Thank you so much for your advice & insights here, it's very kind of you to take the time!

Kraus is wrong. That sink will undermount with straps into a 36" cabinet, guaranteed. That particular sink appears to be a full apron sink (the apron is a deep as the bowl). Unless you have a cabinet designed for a full apron sink (shorter doors), you'll have to get a sink that comes in a short apron model (the apron bottom comes even with the adjacent drawer bottom(s).

You can easily convert the Kohler 3943 short apron into a workstation by simply making the rear reveal larger:

@mikellamaughan, I went with the Kraus sink after the manufacturer confirmed it works with 36" cabinet and the online specs are incorrect. I bought it from Costco.com, but I still haven't installed it as I'm working out final details of the remodel and then it's still going to be 3+ months before I have my cabinets 😅. I never expected this project to last a year.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I actually have the cabinet installer coming tomorrow. I have on site both a short farmhouse sink cabinet, as well as the traditional sink cabinet so we could use either. Which cabinet version is better overall for a farmhouse sink? My impression was that it was good to have the tall cabinet for the sink edges to rest on but that could be an incorrect assumption. I've just seen a lot of posts of undermount sinks 'falling' and I figure the regular cabinet style would help avoid this issue. I have to decide by tomorrow, obviously, which sink cabinet to install. I have the Kohler on site already, but the Kraus won't be here for another week. Eek.

@mikellamaughan - we have that exact sink in a 36" IKEA cabinet. Fits perfectly.

@wiscokid you put the Kraus Kore 36" in a standard 36" cabinet? What modification did you make with a router? I need to figure this out by morning when the cabinet folks arrive, would love to know what you did

Yes, - the Kraus Kore apron front you linked a few posts up (https://www.kraususa.com/kraus-kwf410-36-workstation-36-apron-front-16-gauge-stainless-steel-single-bowl-kitchen-sink.html)

We just routed out each side a little so the flange was flush with the top of the cabinet sides, like maybe 1/4" deep? - it really wasn't much at all - but we used the actual sink for the template and it was pretty painless because then the sink just sits in the cabinet. Although I did buy and have the Hercules Sink Strap that Joe always recommends, just in case. But it's very solid the way we did it, so I ended up giving the strap to a friend who's sink failed from their builder using just clips with quartz - ha!

If you're getting new cabinets, there is no "better" between full apron and short apron; it is personal preference.

"My impression was that it was good to have the tall cabinet for the sink edges to rest on but that could be an incorrect assumption."

You don't want your sink flange resting on a cabinet wall. You want to relieve the cabinet wall an inch or so, so that the sink can be siliconed and tightened into place with a Sink Strap or Hercules Universal Sink Harness after the top is installed. Once the sink is harnessed, the sink and harness does the structual work the relieved cabinet sides did as far as supporting the top. Cabinet walls cannot push a sink upward to prevent leaking as does a strap.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thank you so much for your explanation on this, it finally makes sense. One thing I haven't liked about undermount sinks is I thought they were permanent sandwiched between the cabinet and countertop such that you could never change it out without destroying the countertop. Now I get it - your suggestion would allow a change if needed and make the sink secure and tight. Thank you!!!!

@wiscokid thank you for the info & clarification!

I'm clearly late to this party but I did the Kohler 36 inch Vault - it's a tad bit narrower than the Kohler Stride. I love everything about it - aesthetics are great (I have walnut lowers) and the size is great. It does have a bit of pitching issue and food does get stuck in the corners at clean up but for me, it's not a big deal. I have to admit, the aesthetics really sold me!

@Joseph Corlett, LLC granite guy came out today, and was looking at the hercules harness and he said it doesn't seem like a good idea with the sink I have (the Kraus above) because the bottom of it has give so tightening the harness would flatten out the bottom of the sink and it would end up with a flatter bottom. There's also the issue of the drain being on the end in the corner as the recommended mount position would be right through the drain. I did the shorter farmhouse cabinet since that is what the cabinet guy recommended and now there's not even a cabinet ledge/shelf to rest on so we're a bit stuck. Any other ideas besides possibly choosing a different sink?

mike:

Your granite guy is wrong. You can easily stick your fingers between a sink bottom and a strap or harness. The pressure point is at the vertical/horizontal corner; there is no pressure on the bottom of the sink to impair evacuation.

I'd strap that sink with(2) Sink Straps from Granquartz instead of the HUSH. One behind the drain and one in front; no interference with anything. I promise this will work perfectly.

Joseph, how would you do the harness/straps on a sink with a rear corner drain?

The sink configuration dictates the use of a harness or a strap or two. Picture please.

Just the Kohler Whitehaven. Here is a pic.

Use a Pesimoki for the Whitehaven please. It's an 80lb. sink.

Thank you! Will it be clear to the plumber what to do about the drain location?

Yes.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Per your advice, I purchased 2 Sinkits Straps for my beast of a 36" Kraus work station, and I'm feeling pretty good about having installed one of them myself as you can see in this photo. It is 15" back, between the drain hole and the back of the sink. Now I'm perplexed. Given the tape measure on the left, how far back would you install the 2nd strap? The instructions refer to installing near the drain, but that just seems too far back for both straps given the size of this sink.

I’d go about the 6” mark with the tape in that position. 3” or so from the front of the sink; not too critical.

We are making this same decision right now, and I so appreciate seeing this come together. Thank you for sharing this information!

Wow! Helpful discussion. I am a few months late but will add one variable to consider - apron front sinks are more of a focal point than undermount. Depending on how much you have going on in your design, or even the size of your kitchen, consider whether the apron front will be competing with something else. Or if you already have a large array of stainless appliances, do you want to consider toning down the stainless presence by keeping the sink less visible.

I originally wanted an apron front Havens Metal copper sink. We have downsized and are remodeling a small kitchen. We are installing a painted bluestar range that is a serious focal point and don’t want the visual competition with the copper apron, so we are swirching the sink to undermount where it will have a more subtle presence, but still give me the old world rustic touch I wanted.

Just a thought. There are so many goegeous stainless sinks out there in borh undermount and apron front.

I said I'd post an 'after' photo once our sink was complete, so here it is. Not actually cleaned and staged, I just happen to be cutting a watermelon just now and realized it looked happy! In the end I decided not to go with the modified Kohler setup and instead stuck with my 36" Kraus SS farmhouse workstation.

We got a touchless faucet to reduce water droplets on the granite, and installed pumps for hand soap, dish soap and lotion so no bottles on the countertop. I ordered the dish drainer and then the dish wand/scrubber drainer from Amazon and they fit and work perfectly. The cutting board and bottom grate came with the sink. Just moved in 2 weeks ago, but we're very happy with the end result, the look and the functionality!

Happy indeed! Well done.

Mike:

That's a different faucet in your second picture? It appears to overhang the sink? Am I seeing things?

@Joseph Corlett, LLC that is the angle of the pic. It's actually the sprayer piece you are seeing ( look at the black piece ) . I had to look twice at that !

Debbi is correct I moved the faucet a little in between the 2 photos and the closer one does look a bit odd but it's just the angle. The further away photo is accurate.

Whew.

Thank you for the update and pictures! It looks awesome and the apron front is very nice! Your pics are helping me with my own decisions as well as Helen’s input above. we have lived with a 30/70 split for over 30 years and now with our remodel are considering single basin workstation. appreciate all the info and discussion.

@stark52 FWIW, I begrudgingly went from a split sink to a single basin due to installation issues during a remodel but now I LOVE IT!!!! How did I ever live without my big sink? Love it, love it, love it. My setup isn't nearly as nice as Josh's but he's given me inspiration. To wash the few things I need to by hand, I use a dish pan from the Dollar Tree (cheap, local and durable) that I keep under the sink and pull out when I need it. So easy.

98% of my sink replacement customers go from double bowl sinks to single with an occasional low divide. It's overwhelming.

I've never had a single bowl before and so frankly I thought the idea a bit odd, but I love it. It's so flexible in what you can do with it and I didn't lose the ability to still have a dish rack which was important to me.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC, Finally got my new sink installed. It's the Kraus KHF410-33. Contractor installed it using wood supports. Any concerns with this or is it just fine compared to using a sink strap system? I was confused because the sink install manual talks about undermounting it with brackets, but it needs to be in place before countertop templating (quartz countertops).

Not my favorite method, but it's not a do-over. Better to have your sink installed by a plumber with straps than by a carpenter and a top installer.

The center of the sink base cabinet tells the templater where the sink goes, not the sink itself.

After getting the sink installed I'm regretting not purchasing a self-trimming apron front sink instead. When the contractors cut the cabinet, it left a small gap around the sink edges (and a few chips too). The contractor says they'll cover it with scribe molding so you won't see it, and hopefully that will resolve the issue. Wonder if other folks here with this sink or similar ones have had the same issue?

Video showing the gaps around the sink here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AmD8KjGtqRzxjohVhtoxF_BKmAksdQ?e=N315sO

Unfortunately, small molding is the only solution now.