Farmhouse sink in kitchen

[californiaisdreaming]

As part of a new kitchen, we'd like a large farmhouse kitchen sink as it somehow feels homelier and nicer, but never had one before.

Any advice on things to watch out for? Are these much harder to clean or maintain than a normal metal sink?
Do they crack?

And how big do you normally get them? What is a reasonable size? 60cm wide? 75cm?
The idea is some larger roasting pans should be easy to wash there, but I'm sure there's a size at which the sink would look too big. The house is a 4 bed detached house, so spacious but not huge. Please let me know any of your experiences or advice with these sinks!

We have one in the utility room and I love that we can fit an entire oven tray that fits the oven runners totally flat rather than at an angle for soaking. Dog also fits but currently prefers having water poured over him in the garden.

Ours was cracked when we moved in about 6 years ago, no issues at all with that as it was sealed. It looks dirty quickly but easy enough to clean still- we have one in our new house too and I'm glad

I have a double butler sink and it's fantastic, and really useful having 2 deep full size sinks.

Thanks. Can ask what width sinks you have?
Do you have any special cleaning tips or just same as any normal sink?

Mine is 80cm wide. You can use pretty much anything on vitreous enamel, I mostly use Barkeeper's Friend.

We used to have one, and bathed the children in it 🤣

I had a porcelain one , probably 75cm wide in a former country house. I loved it. I much prefer porcelain or enamel to stainless steel. You can see in it better. It feels better too and looks clean! I agree don't go for too big because it would be more work to clean daily. But once you have had a large deep sink there is no going back. The water actually stays in the sink!

I kept mine clean using that basic white slightly gritty cleanser- can't think of a name! It had bleach in it and kept the sink white. After 15 years though I could see some wear on the finish. But I would highly recommend one.
My MIL couldn't understand why I would want one though. ;)

Thanks for the tips! I like the look of a Shaws fireclay sink around 80cm wide. But I looked up reviews and amongst the positive were many very negative reviews about crazing or lines on the sink within a few months, and sinks newer than 2010 being poor quality and chipped very quickly after install unlike older models.

Does anyone have any brands they'd recommend and don't discolour or chip quickly?

The other thing I read was that the sinks are difficult to drain as they are totally flat at the bottom. I'm not sure but is this the same as normal sinks? Should I be looking for a brand that isn't completely flat at the bottom?

I think mine is an Astracast one. Drains fine. And I've lived with others and never had a problem draining.

We've got a farmhouse sink sized one - but it's some sort of modern material. Top recommendation - get a tap with a pull out hose to help you clean it. That also requires some clear space under the sink for the bit that pulls out. Qooker do one if you are after a boiling water tap.

Really wish we'd done that.

Seconded. Even with a really big, swivel mixer tap, they're a PITA to clean. Definitely get a hose.

Mine's easy to clean, using regular kitchen cleaning products and the normal taps. I guess my water pressure is fairly strong.
Ours still looks good 17 years on. I like the size for washing big items.

We've had one for 10 years. Love it. Never had any problems.

You need a washing up bowl though because it would take ages to fill the sink to wash up!