Hey, Wendy here,
I recently remodeled my kitchen and you’re reading my uncensored review of the best kitchen sink. I want to let you know that I spent many nights hunched over the computer researching the best products for my kitchen (I’m only remodeling once and it better last the rest of my days), including the best kitchen sink material.

Note that this is a review, if you’re looking for the website that I found the best kitchen sinks for the best value at, then click here.

Why am I writing this? Well, that's a good question.  When I was researching about buying a new sink, there weren’t many real reviews around so I thought I’d write one quickly to help any of you who are in the same position I was.  I found a little good information here and there, but nothing that told me most of what I needed to know.

So here it is, but be warned, I’ll be going into both the good and the bad points, so if that’s something you might not want to hear about a sink you are considering, then you may as well leave now because I don't want to put doubts in your mind if you are already dead set on getting something.

Which Material is the Best Material for Kitchen Sinks?

After spending countless hours talking to family members and professionals, this is what I found:

Cast Iron or Steel kitchen sinks – They are finished with a porcelain or glass like material.  Mainly offered in white, off-white and black.  They can become dull over time and tend to show water spots, especially if you have hard water. If you drop something on them they tend to chip & I didn’t want that, so I passed on these.

Ceramic kitchen sinks or fireclay sinks – These sinks are made from clay, similar to a toilet, with a glazed finish on the surface.  I loved the look of these and seriously considered them, but after talking with different professionals and my contractor, I was a little skeptical they might break, chip or crack so I passed (I do not want to replace the sink once it has been installed).

Granite & quartz composite sinks – These sinks are made from crushed stone that is mixed with plastic resin.  They say that they are very scratch resistant and heat resistant, but I just didn’t care for the plastic look of these sinks, so again, I passed

Stainless Steel Sinks – I love the look of stainless steel kitchen sinks and that is why I believe stainless steel makes teh best kitchen sink material.  They, of course, go great with stainless steel appliances and stainless or brushed cabinet hardware.  This is the sink material that I decided to go with, but be warned there are many inexpensive and cheaply made sinks out there.  If this is your choice then make sure you read on to discover how to pick the best one.

How to Pick the Best Stainless Steel Sink

Sink gauge – this is probably the most important and most misunderstood aspect to look at when picking teh best kitchen sink for your project.  That is why below, I devoted an entire post to just sink gauge.  One thing I will say, after talking with several websites it seems that a lot of the internet sites overstate the gauge of the sink, buyer beware!  See the earlier post below for more info on sink gauge.

Under coating – Make sure that the sink is fully undercoated.  The undercoating helps with noise reduction, it insulates to retain heat and most importantly it reduces condensation of the underside of the sink (inside the sink cabinet).

Sound deadening pads – They do exactly what the name implies, they deaden the noise of pots and pans hitting the sides of the stainless steel sink.  If you are installing a garbage disposal, the undercoating will help reduce the noise of it also.

Accessories – I wanted a sink grid to protect the bottom of my undermount kitchen sink.  The stainless kitchen sink I ended up choosing came with the grids to protect the sink, a deep strainer with a basket and a stainless steel colander (not sure I needed another one, but it is nice).  I do love the strainer; the basket pulls out so that it can be emptied.

Where I Found the Best Stainless Kitchen Sink

If you are curious, I ended up picking a sink called Italia from a website called Stainless-Sink.com, see the link below if you want to check them out.  I am sure there are a lot of good sinks out there but I liked the fact that it was made in Italy, it is 16 gauge (very heavy) and it came with the free accessories I mentioned earlier (colander, sink grids and deep strainer).  The lady I talked with was very helpful and answered all of my questions.  I couldn’t be any happier with my purchase and I would definitely recommend them.

Click here to go to Stainless-Sink.com’s website.

Click here to see the Italia line of sinks (the line I purchased from)

What I’ve learned from my research:When you consider a stainless steel sink there are a few key features to explore including: design, quality, and functionality.  There are many different materials to choose from, but for this article I will concentrate on stainless steel and more specifically the thickness of metal used to build the stainless steel sink and what is the best kitchen sink gauge.

The thickness of the sheet metal used to produce a sink is termed its gauge.  The gauge of sheet metal for most sinks ranges from 22 -15 gauge.  The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the sheet metal will be, so it stands to reason that the best kitchen sink gauge will be on the smaller side of the range. Quality residential sinks range from 18-16 gauge while commercial quality sinks are 15-16 gauge.  When manufactures refer to the gauge of their product, they are referring to the thickness of the sheet metal before the manufacturing process begins.

Most stainless steel sinks are manufactured using a process called deep draw forming where a sheet of metal is drawn down into a form through a series of steps called reductions.  Each reduction stretches the sheet metal deeper and deeper into the form, so what started out as an 18 gauge sheet of metal will not end up being 18 gauge throughout the entire finished product.  The industry standard is to state the gauge of the metal that the manufacturing process started with.  Since this is the standard practice, it makes it fairly easy to compare one sink to another.

It is my opinion that the best kitchen sink gauge to consider is either 15 or 16, if the price fits your kitchen budget.  Don't get too hung up on which it is, 15 or 16 guage, because they will both perform well in a residential kitchen.  Good luck on your project!

Stainless Steel Sink Gauge Explained

If you are looking for stainless steel kitchen sinks and are having a hard time figuring out what the gauge number means then read on…
After many hours of talking with different professionals it seems that the best kitchen sink is made from either 16 or 15 gauge stainless steel. The reason is that stainless steel sink gauge is measured in gauge (thickness).  I personally had a hard time wrapping my head around this one, but the lower the number of the stainless steel sink gauge the thicker the steel they use to build the sink.  Most of the stainless kitchen sinks that I looked at locally, including at Home Depot and Lowes, seemed to range from 22 gauge up to 18 gauge.  I searched many of the online stores (I checked a bunch of them, I love a bargain) and they offered mainly 18, 16, and 15 gauge.  So to recap, in the physical stores, most sinks were thinner. Whether you are looking for an apron sink, a farmhouse sink, a stainless steel undermount kitchen sink, or a unique style like a vintage kitchen sink, one of the most important things to consider is the sink’s gauge. I personally would suggest a 15 or 16 gauge if it fits your budget.  Both 15 and 16 gauge stainless steel sinks offer durability, less flexing of the steel (especially important in large single bowl sinks) and are more dent resistant.
 

Note that this is a review, if you’re looking for the website that I found the best kitchen sinks for the best value at, then click here.

Here is a video that I found helpful if you are considering installing a sink yourself:

Install a Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink

I’m done! I just finished my kitchen remodel and it’s beautiful! It was a lot of work, but worth it. Now that I’m done I wanted to write a quick review on how to find the best kitchen sink and the best material for kitchen sink. I am one of those people that researches things to death and couldn’t find any good information to help me on my undermount kitchen sink search.  I considered quite a few different types, such as a cast iron kitchen sink, a ceramic kitchen sink (fireclay sink), even a silgranit sink, but the one I choose was a stainless kitchen sink and in the following post I will explain why I believed it to be the best kitchen sink choice for me.  Look for a separate post on the best kitchen sink faucet.