Undermount sink - ceramic or stainless steel? Or a composite?

[bobkate]

Probably not the best time to ask given that the last episode of the bodyguard is on!
We have chosen a chalk white and putty shaker handless kitchen ( Second nature Alchemy Ellerton ) and I am now onto the sink. Can't decide between stainless steel or ceramic? Another option is tectonite - although I don't really know what that is! It's to go in a 600mm cupboard. The sink run of units will be in chalk white ( the island in putty )
Can any of you enlighten me on which might look better?
Was thinking of things along the lines of the following www.tradingdepot.co.uk/franke-sirius-sid110-50-1b-um-sink-125-0252-224?tfrid=8e8eaec3-42ea-4b4e-90fc-d9b67edecd48
Or
[[
www.appliancehouse.co.uk/shop/Caple-Ettra-600-Undermount-Ceramic-Sink.html#aETT600U]]
Or
www.appliancehouse.co.uk/shop/Abode-MATRIX-R0-100-500-Stainless-Steel-Sink.html#aAW5009

Meant to also say the worktop and island will be quartz, a white lightly marbled one.

I would always choose stainless steel and we have a stainless steel undermounted one and a half bowl sink, a Franke.

Thanks wow - just out of interest why would you always choose SS?
Another option would be a white SS, something like...www.appliancehouse.co.uk/shop/Reginox-OHIO-50X40-Coloured-Stainless-Steel-Sink.html#aOHIO50X40CW
Are you in a hard water area? Would stainless steel go a bit bleugh with the lime scale?

I was coming on to say 'ceramic always'. I just think it looks classier than stainless steel but things do break if they're dropped into it. But the coloured ss looks nice. I don't know how well it wears though?

Soft water area. Coloured materials stain. Stainless steel is hygienic. Also forgiving if you put something hot in it.

Thanks both. So, the coloured SS is possibly out given the stainage possibilities. I need to Google what tectonite is. I currently have a ceramic sink, which I do like, but DH seems keen on stainless steel. I'm such a ditherer!

We had ceramic before and now have SS (Franke). It’s the only thing about our kitchen I don’t like.

Ceramic always looked totally clean day to day (and v easy to keep clean). The new SS one only looks lovely when I’ve cleaned throughly (ie bar keepers Friend scrubbed with toothbrush friend to remove tea staining around plug, scrubbed all over then Ecover limescale remover spray to remove water marks - and then I had to buy an e-cloth to polish it dry otherwise watermarks re-appear in an instant. Bloody ridiculous effort for a clean sink and no way I can do that every day! Plus it looks scratched already.

• no idea where the extra “friend” came from. Sorry.

I decided against stainless steel because of water marks / effort to keep it sparkling. And against ceramic because I’m clumsy & risk of breakages or of chipping/damaging sink.

Which left composite. I read not great things about the Franke stuff so we went for a different brand (in the end looked at Branco & rangemaster).

A few months in I’m very pleased with it, use bar keepers friend every so often to keep it really white but it is holding up well.

Thanks chocolate that's pretty much convinced me against SS - we are in a very hard water area, and you've confirmed that my worry about the upkeep of a sink made from SS.
sdaisy Im going to be very dim here...is yours a granite sink then, or is that something different again from composite?

Iake next to no effort to keep our stainless steel sink sparkling - it doesn't look dirty or water marked. It just looks like a stainless steel sink.

!! Oooh back to being confused! I think I'll toss a coin with DH as he wants one and I want the other!

I'd always go SS as they are forgiving and can be scrubbed to within an inch of their lives if necessary. I always thought that ceramic would be similar but my dads got a small chip from something that was dropped in it and it has also stained and it bothers me every time I see it especially as it was quite a bit more expensive than my SS one.

I would always choose ceramic personally as you can bung a load of bleach on it once a week and it comes up looking perfect. We've got stainless steel in our holiday house and it's got very scratched in only a year

We’ve had a Franke stainless steel one put in today. Previous stainless steel sink was minimal maintenance. Don’t think I’d ever choose anything else and we live in a very hard water area.

@bobkate it’s conposite (essentially a type of quartz I think but must have more plasticy stuff than a worktop because it’s lighter in weight. Its probaby exactly the same as the franke stuff I’m just sure when I was looking I read bad reviews of the franke composite sinks.

Thanks sdaisy looks like even stephens on the voting front! Back to the coin toss i suppose!!!

Stainless steal always, things don’t drop when you break them and they’re very satisfying to clean.

I am having SS. The quartz worktops are going in end of this week (also lightly marbled). Got a posh Franke one for the kitchen and a more basic one for utility room. I just think they look cleaner too.