Composite or stainless steel sink

[Squirrelfruitandnutkin]

We're getting a new kitchen and I thought I wanted stainless steel. Durable, practical, bomb proof.

But then the kitchen guy showed me some composite sinks and they looked lovely.

How durable are they?
I put hot pans in the sink after dishing up dinner.
I don't want anything that'll stain.

Help!

I opted for a composite granite sink (10 years ago) they are a blighter to clean .
Elbow grease and Astonish paste.
I lost the original plug and have tried two new ones which aren't 100% water tight so after soaking anything for a while I have an empty sink.

On the plus side its very attractive. (When my pesky DDad doesn't leave a teabag on the draining board ....which stains )

I opted for one huge sink + draining board.
I actually wanted a Butler sink but was persuaded this was better.

No idea about composite but stainless steel looks awful for most of the time due to water marks

Are those your only choices?

Ceramic all the way for me. Looks nice and shiny, totally bleachable and scrubbable.

Though I don't put hot pans straight in the sink. Just put some water on them and leave them on the side.

Is composite like Corian? We have that, it may have started out stainproof but it isn't now. It may have needed some form of regular treatment but the previous owner installed the kitchen and left no instructions.

I think I’ve got composite. Mine is dark grey, it isn’t a pain to keep clean at all. I don’t have water marks but maybe that depends where you live? It looks lush anyway. I’m not keen on stainless steel, they end up looking like a bag of rags.

I have a Blanco Silgranit sink and it's bombproof, still looks as good as new despite being white.

Oh I think that’s what I’ve got. It’s Blanco anyway.

composite is usually stained. Teabags, onion skins, peeled carrots, anything aluminium, pens, paint when cleaning brushes. It can also crack. The matching plugholes can also stain and crack.

If you have stainless and hard water, you can avoid limescale marks on stainless with a green scourer and a drop of WUL, then polish it off with a damp cloth. There are also limescale-removing cleaners.

The only reason for avoiding stainless is that it is so popular you can't claim to be quirky and eclectic or pretend to be living in the 19th century. There are reasons why it is so popular.

I've had both....loved the look of my composite but much prefer the cleanability and practicality of stainless....always felt like I was gonna break or damage the composite....

We've got a black composite one and I absolutely HATE it. It's such a pain to clean. We've only had it a year but I want it taken out.

Mine is a Blanco silagranite undercount. It’s dark grey. Not sure why people are having difficulty keeping sinks clean, maybe it’s the water? I’ve got soft water.

Mine is composite and it does stain and is a pain.

In your shoes, I would go with an inset stainless sink for the modern look or a ceramic butler sink for a traditional look.

The excellent Asterite Bistro sink has now been discontinued, but there is now the Rangemaster Mezzo which works in a similar way.

It's a sit-on sink which mounts onto your kitchen unit and extends from the wall to the front. There is no worktop under it so the risk of water stains and damage or leaks round joints, is removed, and it is especially suitable for solid wood worktops which are prone to water damage.

We've had one of these for two years - comes up really nicely if you leave some washing powder in it overnight. Not sure if you can use bleach on them...

www.magnet.co.uk/Complete-the-look/appliances/sinks-and-taps/schock-viola-d150/

My mum has a cream stone effect sink. She hates it. Stains easily. Won't let me pour tea or coffee away... it's a nuisance.

Love my stainless steel sink. I live in a hard water area but a quick spray of Viakal on mine and it looks fab again.

composite is usually stained. Teabags, onion skins, peeled carrots, anything aluminium, pens, paint when cleaning brushes.

We have a ver dark grey (almost black) Carron Phoenix composite sink which is about 10 years old. I'll be honest, we haven't treated it with great care but it shows - badly. The staining PigletJohn mentions has been an issue for us - the light paint stain from washing brushes in particular doesn't seem to be shifting, despite several attempts. Also, the bottom of the sink is now pitted from us lobbing cutlery in there. It is tough, but not THAT tough. If you have one, be prepared to love it and treat it well if you want it too keep its looks.

PS If anyone has a foolproof tip about getting rid of the paint staining, I'm all ears.

Thanks all!
I'm very nervous about the composite sink and the potential for stains and melting it with hot pans.

Stainless steel it is for us - practical rules the day. :)

I wonder if the dark ones are worse; my white Blanco one has been in about 4 years now and looks far better than our previous steel one did as it doesn't scratch. It can mark, but as a PP mentioned I just bleach it occasionally and it comes up good as new. There's honestly not a mark on it and we're not a careful with the sink kind of family!

I have to say I don't actually wash up in mine....