New kitchen - under mount or inset sink?

[EarlGreyCuppa]

Hullo oh wise MNers, I've browsed some of the recent new kitchen threads and have decided to go for a stainless steel sink in our new kitchen. That's one thing DH and I have agreed upon (10 million other choices to go...).

But he's just declared that he would prefer an inset sink with a draining board, but I hate the gunk that gets caught between (our current) inset sink and the counter top iykwim?? I had thought I would prefer a new undermounted sink, with grooves cut into the (new) counter - but do those grooves work as well as a draining board? Despite having a dishwasher, we still do a fair amount of hand-washing up.

Also if we have a (new) lowish window put in behind the new sink, will I need a draining rack anyway?? Currently we have a bit of wall and a high window above the sink, so there's plenty of wall to stack washing up against to drain. What do other people do??

I'm really bad at visualising what I could do with the space etc. and dread all the decisions before me about having a new kitchen... I am excited and (and grateful that we can finally afford it), but also very daunted with the task ahead. Any opinions appreciated :)

sometimes the choice of sink is linked in with the choice of worktop - eg if you have laminate then an undermount sink isn't possible . Composites and stone work well with under mounts but sometimes water doesn't always drain well and you get puddles ... maybe you could compromise and have two undermount bowls - one to wash and one to drain ?!

Thanks OnePlan, we're prob going to go for quartz or corian. Hmm, 2 sinks... Not sure we have room but I like your thinking!

Anyone else want to share?

We recently finished a big refurbishment project and I also agonized on the choice of sink on the kitchen. I have looked at various pics, read with interest other recommendations on Mumsnet and in the end we chose an undermount stainless steel sink from Franke (quite a large kne that fits oven trays) with a Silestone Marron Jupiter worktop. It looks very nice, I love it!

How about a sloping recessed drainer instead of drainers. You wont get the same problems with puddles.

I would never recommend inset sinks with corian or solid stone tops. They look cheap. PERIOD.

kmdesign do you have a link or picture for that? I don't really know what you mean... Total newbie to kitchen designs TIA.

well we have granite worktops and have an inset stainless steel sink. everyone we know with undermount sinks have problems with them. esp in hard water areas.

we have an extremely streamlined franke sink and drainer and tap. it does not look cheap (nor was it cheap).

it just comes down to how you live. if you are pushed for worktop space then maybe undermount because it will give the illusion of more space.

www.kitchenmatters.co.uk/gallery/#distinguished-classic-kitchen 5th image out of 8. This has the drainer grooves in a sloping recessed area. You can have just sloping recess.

We have an undermount and was a mistake. When we've cooked a big dinner, simply can't fit all the trays/pans which don't go in the dishwasher on the draining area and water sloshes around the surface because there's no edging to contain it.

DH told me it wouldn't work but I got carried away with the design!

We have quartz work tops and I chose a stainless steel franke inset sink for practical reasons although it looks pretty good too IMO.

We are in the US and have a granite worktop and an inset double sink (most choose undermounted which looks better but I actually cook sometimes just can't believe americans do as why would you sit watching tv with the fumes of fried onion and curry floating around you ) . I wash in one and drain in the other so it needs to be big for pans etc (but I also have dishwasher)

Imo depends whether you have a family room/kitchen which we have here, so style matters, or a kitchen where you just cook.

The granite stains if you put oil or red wine on it so I will never have it again. I like an easy life over fashion.

I got ideas for kitchen tile designs by going to the websites of manufacturers and printing off the pics.
eg rocatilegroup.com/products/index.php/astral.html

or fired earth, for example, have nice ideas. If you do a search for 'USA floor tiles' in Google you might get some American websites which are often better than ours.

If you opt for Corian a moulded sink is a really good idea, a fully recessed drainer will help with 'puddles' although it is a more expensive option. Putting a cloth under any pots or draining rack is a more cost effective solution. We have a wooden worksurface so the cloth is essential to avoid water marks!
Agree with another poster, putting a stainless steel sit-on sink on a solid worksurface does cheapen the effect a little.

Thanks for the replies, will take a look at those links. I'm still torn between practicality (inset stainless steel sink) or aesthetics (recessed undermount ss sink) :( Hard life, eh?!

Do those grooves cut into granite/quartz or corian work well to help washing up drain? Tea towel option... won't that just create more washing (bad thing!)

Dare I ask opinions on granite/quartz vs corian? I have already searched and read a couple of threads on here, I'd like to know which material you guys find is most hard wearing (hot pans, stains, occasional slicing of lemons for g&t on the countertop...)

Yes I imagine the tea towel adds a little to my weekly washing, but it fits in with any load I'm doing when it wants a wash. Mostly I rinse anything in scalding hot water so the cloth only gets a little damp, hung over the oven door it soon dries out again. I hear what you're saying though, drainer grooves will certainly help and as long as you give the top a wipe down after it shouldn't be a problem.
There are some - admittedly more expensive- stainless steel sit on sinks that will still look smart if that is your preference?

Granite and quartz are essentially the same thing, the difference is that granite is taken out of the ground, sealed and polished. Quartz is an engineered stone with a polished finish. By a small margin I would say a quartz is the better as it will be slightly more resiliant and unlikely to carry any flaws. The best granites available would match this, but the quartz would be lower in cost in that scenario. You will also get consistancy of colour in the quartz, granite being a natural product is likely to have minor pitting in places.
Corian is more flexible, has completely seamless joints and can be moulded to almost any shape. The upstands can be moulded up from the worksurface to avoid the join there and it is the only worksurface that is fully repairable. The only negative really is that the darker colours tend to show fine scratches due to the powder used in its production being white.
All of them will cope with the odd occasion of chopping on them and a degree of putting a hot pan on them, not to be recommended though

I have granite and if I had a family I think I would have something else or some granite and some something else. As I said above it can stain with red wine (you can buy some putty stuff which you leave for several days to extract it but haven't tried it) also you can clatter things on it, obviously as it is stone, so might chip wine glasses etc - depends how careful a worker you are.

But it is fashionable so we have it so that it keeps its value when we sell the house in a few years.

Which model is your franke sinks ladies? I am just having this dilemma now! We have ordered the franke lsx611 with granite work top- now debating changing to an undermount but I would hate to not have a proper drainer or be able to wash trays Etc.
love the look of undermounts as they seem so modern etc but are they really practical? By me getting an inset will it date quick? Pls help kitchen coming in a week agghh!!!!!

Onyx flush inset sinks with drainers are really good

I've had a sleepless night thinking about the mistake we made with the granite worktop. We've been so busy we didn't give much thought to the type of the sink. We only realized our mistake when the granite was cut and fitted and the sink sat on top of it. It doesn't look that bad since the sink is quite a modern granite one from Franke.

Looking online, it seems that everyone uses undermount sinks with granite worktops. So we are now thinking of either replacing the granite which will cost a fortune or opting for a black glass sink (to match the induction hob) which would be flush with the granite worktop. Both in my opinion are expensive ways of fixing this mistake.

Please let me know your thoughts on how it looks! Maybe you'll convince me and I'll end up liking it and then have a good night sleep :)

I think it's fine, but why not see how you get on with it. It's expensive to have a stone mason create the groves and correct edge for an under mount. I won't be getting one. Imagine all the stuff that will smash as you put down glasses that bit to roughly on the drainer.

You could perhaps later get a flush fit inset sink that will fit in the same worktop if you feel that disappointed after living for it for a while. Pics...

Great point! Thinking about how clumsy I am, I would probably be smashing many glasses against the granite drainer.

Thank you for your help :)

hi i notice that you have the integrated handle kitchen. How are you finding it. I am about to order one

I absolutely love it. I like the fact that it doesn't have handles. My old handles were a pain to clean. I will post pictures of the kitchen as soon as they finish painting. I ordered it from DIY Kitchens and I am so happy I didn't go to Wickes or B&Q. We saved a good 2.5k on the total price and the quality is much better. I don't know where you live but if you can visit their showroom, it would be great.

We've just installed a handleless kitchen and am very happy with it. We have a large Blanco undermount sink with drainer grooves and it's fine. Don't do much washing up though.

if you get a sit-on sink like an Astracast Bistro, there is no join because it is not inset or under the worktop, there is no worktop and the sink runs from front to wall.