Faucet & Sink Experiences

[RonC]

Hope this is the best place to offer this quiry.

We're undetaking some modest kitchen remodeling and would welcome comments on two issues.

First, we're replacing the sink and my leaning is to go with one of those that has a large basin on one side and a small (disposal) basin on the other. We've never had one, but think it would be useful. What's been your experience? BTW, I'm like to go with enameled cast iron, but my better half is just leaning toward stainless.

Second, we're debating between a separate spray faucet versus one of the build in types. Again, what's been your experience?

Oh -- sure -- biases are welcome too.

Thanks!

Sidecar Ron

[Betts]

When I remodeled my kitchen, I put in a very large, very deep Franke stainless sink and it was the best decision I made. The disposer is offset to a corner and has never been a problem despite some very heavy duty cooking.

The old kitchen had the all in one faucet/ sprayer. They never really generate a useful amount of pressure and although designers and architects don't like them, I prefer the old fashioned sprayer.

Also give some thought to the disposer switch. I put in a button type( air switch?) that is concealed just to the left of the sink but have also seen them mounted on the counter next to the faucet. I always hate it when someone wants to turn on a light and hits the disposer switch instead.

Best wishes for the endeavor.

[CanadianBakin']

I've worked in the plumbing wholesale industry for many years so I'll give you my 2 bits worth.

Really think through how you use your sink. If you seldom wash dishes, get whatever you like. A larger sink is wonderful (and necessary) for those of us who have large dishes and pans to wash. If you decide to go for what we would call a sink and a half, one of the biggest things to consider is what you will use the smaller sink for. I have limited counter space so I needed to make sure that the smaller sink was still large enough to fit a dish drainer in, many are not. If you are just using it for your disposer then a smaller one is fine.

Most manufacturers have a number of accessories available to fit specific sinks. Take a look at what's available and what you think would make your life easier. For instance, Blanco has a deep colander that fits over 3 edges of one of the sinks. It ensures that you don't tip it over when you're draining your pasta.

Another thing to consider is depth. Some feel that deeper is better but if you're over 5'4" and have to wash a lot of dishes bending over that far you will get a very sore back. And if you decide to undermount the sink that means the bottom of the sink is even farther away. If you have a larger than standard bowl, the depth isn't usually as important. Again, it depends what you are washing. If it's large cookie sheets and bowls, then 7" or 8" is tons. If it's tall stock pots and vases, then maybe you want deeper but consider your back. I'm primarily a baker and I find 7" enough with a large bowl because most of my muffin pans, cake pans, etc. sit flat in the bottom so I don't need the depth. My sheet pans obviously don't but they are about 3/4's covered and that works for me.

Gauge of steel...20 is standard, 18 is even better. Don't be confused by mineral composition. They will advertise 18/10 steel. This doesn't mean it's 18 gauge. I'm drawing a blank here, but it means 18% something and 10% nickel.

Cast iron or stainless...personal preference. Stainless steel is stainless, not scratchless. It can still scratch. Make sure when cleaning you wipe the direction of the grain. If you get a satin or silk finish, the scratches aren't as obvious as on a mirror finish. Cast iron is very durable but can still chip. It depends on who is using the sink. If you have 10 year olds dropping cast iron frying pans in it, then stainless would be better. If it's just the two of you, or children who are reasonably careful, then cast iron would be fine. They have completely different looks and only you can determine what look you prefer.

Faucets, I would recommend the pullout. There were some problems when they first came out a number of years ago but they are very reliable now. With a side spray, the water is diverted from the faucet through a tiny hose which generally doesn't offer a lot of pressure for rinsing the sink or vegetables. With a pullout the same amount of water that comes through your aerator will come out the spray providing more pressure and covering a larger area. I've never had a customer come back and say they were sorry they bought a pullout. Make sure you buy a well known brand that offers a good warranty. If you buy your faucet from a big box store and it is defective, it is my understanding that you have to bring the whole faucet back which often requires a visit from a plumber. If you buy from a wholesaler, they will either supply the parts you need or have them mailed from the manufacturer. They can be easily installed by the homeowner.

Many wholesalers have showrooms that the public can visit and buy from. The staff are usually very knowledgeable (sp?) and will make sure you get the best thing for you. I have listened in horror at some retailers making a sale because they really don't have a clue. I'm sure there are some retail salespeople who really know their stuff, but how do you know who is who?

And last but not least, make sure the faucet you buy will fit on the sink you buy. Many sink and a halfs require a single hole faucet rather than one with a plate underneath. You can usually still have a soap dispenser, hot water dispenser, etc but they will all install towards one side or the other, not evenly centered across the back.

I'm sorry this ended up so long, but I hope it helps. If I have missed anything please ask.

Good luck with your reno!

[Young2Cook]

What do I regret? Let me count the ways...if I had it to do over, given our cooking style, I think I'd opt for a 3 bowl deep stainless or two separate sinks. Of course, you have to have an extra mile and a half of counter space to accommodate a three-holer, but you've got one to wash veggies in, one to put dirty dishes in and a third tinier location for the garbage disposer. We recently put in an extra high gooseneck sort of faucet. Liked the way it looked, thought it would make washing deep pasta pots easier, yada, yada.... If you go this way, just make sure that it will fully slide back to the, um, upright position. As it is, ours tends to dangle low on its hose, not a sweet sight.

A suggestion on the disposer switch, we put it behind a small hinged panel that runs in front of the sink and above the undersink storage. This way, the person who has their hand down the disposer (trying to fish out the artichoke leaves before all hell breaks loose) can gracefully hold the panel shut so no one else inadvertently turns on the electric pig.

Edited January 7, 2006 by Young2Cook (log)

[lapasterie]

I love my huge and deep ss Franke sink. I can't imagine washing some of my large pans in one of the split sinks. I got the grid for the bottom of the sink that they sell. That really protects the sink from scratches. I also like my Grohe faucet with the built in sprayer. We had it installed on the right side not in the center.

Good luck

[kiliki]

I love my huge and deep ss Franke sink. I can't imagine washing some of my large pans in one of the split sinks.

Same here (though I can't remember what brand I have). My 5'11" boyfriend hasn't complained about back problems when washing dishes but there really aren't that many we wash by hand-it's mostly just the big pots and pans and cookie sheets. If you don't have a dishwasher, however, I can see how a deep sink would be an issue for tall folks. I also love the all in one faucet/sprayer.

One thing I like about SS over cast iron is that it's a more forgiving surface. If you drop a glass or plate in it, it's less likely to chip/break in the SS.

[McDuff]

Another thing to consider is depth. Some feel that deeper is better but if you're over 5'4" and have to wash a lot of dishes bending over that far you will get a very sore back.

←

I'm seriously thinking of installing a 3 ft long, 2 bay antique soapstone sink I bought out of a guy's pickup truck this summer. The bottom will be 21" off the floor. I do most of the dishes in this house anyway, and I'm used to spending at least part of my work day hunched over a commercial 3 bay cleaning up my own mess. I have already solved the problem of rebuilding the drain connection on the bottom, and have scoped out horizontally mounted faucets that come out the high back of the sink. I don't really believe in designer faucets, the one I found is about 240 bucks.

The sink needs some new filets of hydraulic cement around the bottom, but the soapstone is soft enough that any dings in it can be smoothed with a file and sandpaper. It probably weighs 300 lbs and I'm going to have to brace the kitchen floor, relocate the risers and drain, and a heating duct, and the refrigerator, and the Welsh dresser which is currently around the existing sink, but now we can look out into the back yard while cleaning up.

[RonC]

Wow! Thanks folks!! Keep the comments coming!

Sidecar Ron

[snowangel]

I've had stainless sinks and I've had enameled cast iron. I prefer the latter. The big thing is to have a deep sink. When we moved into this house, the sink was only 6" deep. It did not last long under our tenure.

But, what I really love is my faucet -- a Moen Legend Hi-Rise. You can see a picture of it in action here. The faucer can either be low or high, and the spray feature is built in. This is the second one of these I've had, and the only reason I have had two is we did leave the one in the former house when we moved. I have a friend who has had this same faucet for almost 15 years with nary a problem.

[CanadianBakin']

We recently put in an extra high gooseneck sort of faucet.  Liked the way it looked, thought it would make washing  deep pasta pots easier, yada, yada.... If you go this way, just make sure that it will fully slide back to the, um, upright position.  As it is, ours tends to dangle low on its hose, not a sweet sight. 

←

Your hose should have a weight on it. You may want to check first that you have one, and second that it is in the right place. It sounds like it's too far down the hose to pull it back in tight.

[CanadianBakin']

But, what I really love is my faucet -- a Moen Legend Hi-Rise.  You can see a picture of it in action here.  The faucer can either be low or high, and the spray feature is built in.  This is the second one of these I've had, and the only reason I have had two is we did leave the one in the former house when we moved.  I have a friend who has had this same faucet for almost 15 years with nary a problem.

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These are being discontinued in Canada, maybe not the US. If it interests you, you might want to look into it sooner than later just in case.

[tsquare]

But, what I really love is my faucet -- a Moen Legend Hi-Rise.  You can see a picture of it in action here.  The faucer can either be low or high, and the spray feature is built in.  This is the second one of these I've had, and the only reason I have had two is we did leave the one in the former house when we moved.  I have a friend who has had this same faucet for almost 15 years with nary a problem.

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These are being discontinued in Canada, maybe not the US. If it interests you, you might want to look into it sooner than later just in case.

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Wow, never saw one of those. Not so pretty, but clever. Unfortunately, not on their website anymore...

[Darcie B]

When we remodeled our kitchen, my husband wanted everything copper. So we found an extra deep copper apron front sink on ebay (less than $1k). We both love it. It's a two-holer, but it is very wide and each bowl fits even the largest cookie sheets. We had to do some sawing on the cabinet and there is not a lot of room under the sink, but those seem to be the only drawbacks (I am 5'4" so the depth was not an issue).

We got a faucet that we really liked (Cifial) but it didn't come with a sprayer. So my husband added a line each from the hot and cold supply lines and put a ball valve and garden hose type connector on them. On the hot one we have a 6' garden hose with sprayer. Now there is a sprayer! You can get gunk off of anything with it. On the cold line we just put a washing machine hose with one end cut off, and I use it to fill the plant-watering bucket (although I suppose it could use it as a pot filler but I don't trust the washing machine hose for that).

Isn't my DH very handy?

EDIT to add that these lines were put under the sink and it all stores away neatly.

Edited January 9, 2006 by Darcie B (log)

[budrichard]

I installed a Franke 'Manor House' sink. Commercial grade and the biggest Franke makes. An excellent product, industructable. We use Falk Culinair copper which is very heavyweight. The Falk doesn't dent the Franke and vice versa.

We use a Franke arched faucet with seperate spray to avoid common problems with the spray/faucet. -Dick

[snowangel]

But, what I really love is my faucet -- a Moen Legend Hi-Rise.  You can see a picture of it in action here.  The faucer can either be low or high, and the spray feature is built in.  This is the second one of these I've had, and the only reason I have had two is we did leave the one in the former house when we moved.  I have a friend who has had this same faucet for almost 15 years with nary a problem.

←

These are being discontinued in Canada, maybe not the US. If it interests you, you might want to look into it sooner than later just in case.

←

Wow, never saw one of those. Not so pretty, but clever. Unfortunately, not on their website anymore...

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Still available here which is where I got it. You are right. Not pretty. But indestructable and sensible. Since I have the magnetic knife strip behind the sink, and high faucet was not an option.