Help me settle an argument about sinks

[Emzar]

I'm in the middle of a heated argument with DP about choosing a kitchen sink (yes I know). We both like the look of a round sink we've seen, but the volume of it is quite a bit less than a standard rectangular sink. I think that this is an issue and that a smaller sink might be annoying, DP thinks I'm being silly and we should just order it because it looks nice.

Does anyone have a round sink and love/hate it? Or a sink they regret buying because it's a bit small?

I have a white ceramic under counter sink like this:

Franke sink

Scroll down to see a picture of one installed.

It never looks clean and we lost a lot of glassware when it was first fitted.

Stainless steel or granite for me every time from now on. And definitely, definitely not round!

We had one in our first house. It was so annoying and impossible to wash things like baking trays in.

I am mostly driven by the look of things when doing my house up, and can get really twattish about things looking beautiful and just so, but when we did our kitchen the one aesthetic thing I completely compromised on in favour of practicality was the sink.

We chose a deep, rectangular stainless steel sink. We've had other types in rented and owned properties and, even though it's not as pretty as other choices, it is by far the most functional and easiest to keep clean. And our kitchen sink gets so much abuse that it needed to be uber practical.

I did get it sunk into the work surface with the draining board made of that so it didn't spoil the lines of the kitchen though (told you, I'm an anal aesthete at heart!)

fuckinglondonballs me neither, and my kitchen is a tiny '30s galley kitchen with barely enough room for a sodding fridge. I'm browsing this thread because my teeny '30s sink (white enamel with inbuilt draining board) has collapsed, and I need something to replace it with.

Going off at a complete tangent here, but did anyone else notice on the American blog, that apparently 'in most of Europe you can not flush the toilet paper down the toilets'

Wow, thanks everyone. So, er.... we wont' be getting a round sink by the looks of it!

What's the consensus on ceramic sinks? Now I've read your round-sink-hating replies to DH, he wants a white ceramic sink because they look pretty. I think it might end up looking dirty and breaking my lovely vintage wine glasses.

I don't wash up & I have a big sink in the utility so I could quite happily get rid of the kitchen sink.

I just need a handwash basin really.

I've heard they're hopeless. Look nice but not practical.

stainless steel sinks are fantastically good, if you want a sink. They don't crack, craze, or break, they can last longer than you will, they don't easily break glasses or china, they don't stain and are easy to clean and polish. They are available in numerous shapes, sizes and styles, in various thicknesses and prices.

Unfortunately they are so good at being sinks that they lack the important style cachet of being unusual, eye-catching and absurdly expensive.

So a stainless steel sink is not very good as an ornament or a status symbol, if that's what you need.

I have a ceramic sink, put in last year. It's great, looks good, I actually think it's easier to clean than a stainless steel one, and it's surprisingly big (only had a small unit to fit the sink onto).
It's this one www.diy.com/nav/rooms/kitchens/kitchen-sinks/ceramic_sinks/Aquitaine-1-0-Bowl-White-9294097 from B&Q

See my comment above, I have grey scratch marks on my white ceramic sink and can't get them off. I think they were caused by pots.

They show up every molecule of dirt so never look clean.

Have you looked at granite sinks?

I had white ceramic sinks for years and never have a problem with them, I'd have one again if that's what I wanted (aesthetically).

Look at this sink here though in this kitchen, this really is a pretty stainless steel sink, they do exist

www.devolkitchens.co.uk/kitchens/air-kitchen/cotes-mill-kitchen/

grey marks are often caused by aluminium scuffs, especially the bases of some pans. Barkeepers Friend will often take them off, but is a fine abrasive, and will eventually wear away the glaze.

There might be some other product recommended for sinks by the Ceramic Manufacturers Association (name?)

I wish, wish, wish they still make enamelled sinks.

Thanks, Rudy, but ceramic and enamelled are quite different.

Interesting that so much washing up is still done in the sink? I put almost everything in DW unless I need to again in a hurry.
It is easier and uses a fraction of the water (we just got a meter installed).
$ me it is small or no sink in kitchen - a utility sink in utility room and washing hands is in downstairs cloak room please not the kitchen sink.

I have a huge double white ceramic and I clean it dishwasher powder. It is brilliant and clean. It takes large pans for soaking but I use protective wire baskets. I also have a stainless veg prep sink. This scratches. They are both good sinks, it is just what you think looks better in your kitchen.

We have a 1 ½ oblong bowl ceramic sink and draining board thing. I really like it, and so far we haven't broken anything because of it. MrBearleigh cleans it by scrubbing hard: me I bung down some bleach or live with the tea stains. In our old house, my choice, we had a smallish sink and draining board plus a really big deep sink, all SS. They took up only a little more room than a 1 ½ sink plus drainer but were very practical, as we put the draining rack in the big sink. Not as attractive perhaps.

I find that things like frying pans and roasting trays don't wash well in the dishwasher.

denture tablets are good for tea and onion stains in white sinks, and general dinginess, as are dishwasher tabs.

TaraPlumbing. How on earth can you wash vegetables, meat, fish etc if you have no sink in the kitchen? This would be extremely inconvenient for most people as food prep is done in the kitchen, not a utility room! Bizarre!

MillyMollyMama Yes I agree my preference isn't for everyone and irt depends how you use the sapce, where your utility is, etc.

I don't cook meat and fish in my house. I don't clean veg I just cook it and eat it, does it need cleaning? I do have a sink for draining water out of saucepans when food it cooked. That ideally should be near to hob.

Just thinking about someone I know who is a professional cook/ baker who also has loads of dinner parties.
She has a kitchen bigger than many 1 bedroom apartments but designed her kitchen with one tiny round sink but loads of work surface and sink very close to hob.