ProudGrandma Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have one and a half plastic sinks. I hate the plastic: it stains badly. I would prefer to have two full sinks - the half sink is just used for pouring dirty things into. Yes, we have lighting under the cabinets - I use it all the time, so I can see well for things like chopping. It's on several switches around the room - I'd prefer it to be on one big switch by the door, as the low-level switches get hidden behind other things. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 My sink is white ( pots and pan make gray marks, but Bar Keepers friend cleans it up nicely) double sink. I addressed that earlier in one of my posts. I do have lighting under one cupboard where we set up buffets. No where else. We have canned lights in 5 spots in the kitchen, and they are enough for me. No, I probably wouldn't use them if I did have them. I also would have liked lights in one cabinet that has a glass door, however, I know my hubby and it would not be on ever. Why turn on a light you don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Stainless sinks-1 deep and one shallow. Wish I had one big one. No under cabinet lights but my cabinets are high because we have 9 foot ceilings. I think I might want them if they were closer to the counter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have had double sinks in 3 of the 4 houses we've lived in over the last decade. In one house we owned, we redid the counters with a solid surface and put in one giant sink (fairly deep too) vs. 2 smaller sinks. That was my favorite, and if we ever remodel our current kitchen, I'd do the same here. I personally don't really leave dishes linger long in the sink, unless the d/w is running and I have nowhere to put them. I like having one giant sink that can accommodate large cookie sheets, big pans, etc. I've heard some good things about silgranite sinks but have not owned one. We've installed undercab lighting in most of our houses through the years. I think it creates really, really nice ambiance for the price. We've always DIY'd it and it was not a big deal. My parents have also DIY'd it and theirs looks great as well. I think it is nice bang for the buck and really looks great in the evening, if you are entertaining, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) My kitchen sink is made from crushed granite. I have had different types of sinks before this but crushed granite is by far my favorite. It is awesome. It does not show water marks or look dirty all the time like stainless steel or ceramic. It does not break a glass easily, like when you accidentally bump a glass into a ceramic sink. Mind is a greyish color and it looks very nice with my countertops. It is not overly expensive. Some stainless steel sinks cost more, depending on the gauge. Mine is divided into two separate sinks and I really like it. I can have things soaking in one side while still using the other for rinsing foods, straining pasta or whatever. I wouldn't change anything about my kitchen sink:001_smile:. We also have lighting under our upper cabinets and I would definitely do it again. It really provides good lighting when you are working in that area. We also use it as a nightlight at night. ETA: Lighting is on multiple switches, which is good for us because we do not use it every time we are in the kitchen and I would not want it to be on all the time. We have one switch for the canned lighting in the ceiling, one switch for the hanging light above the island, one switch for the under cabinet lightening and one for the lights in the upper cabinets. I like having the separate switches but the switch for the light above the island could have been located in a more convenient place. Edited September 30, 2012 by Lea in OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) We have a white porcelain cast iron sink. It is a 2/3 - 1/3 split with the 2/3 being extra deep and the 1/3 being regular depth. I love this sink. With the extra deep larger side, I can wash my bigger pans easily, but still have the benefit of a regular 1/3 side for rinsing dishes (I always rinse in running water). The garbage disposal is on the 1/3 side. We have under cabinet lighting that dh uses pretty often. It is on one switch. He likes it in the morning when he doesn't want to turn on the bright kitchen can lights. The only time that I use them is the rare occasion that I am cooking when it just starting to hit dusk and I want some task lighting without the bright lights. I use them 2-4 times a year, he uses them 2-4 times a week. Edited September 30, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 We have a ceramic sink. I like it just fine, but in a previous house we cracked the ceramic sink twice from draining pasta/boiling water. Never had problems with our current one, but would choose another material if we ever have to replace this one. We have under counter lighting, and I love it, but it was an afterthought by our previous owners. They intalled it later, and we go through really expensive teeny tiny lightbulbs frequently, and they've never really worked correctly. If I had a choice, I'd have it installed professionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have a large, double sink in my island and a single in the corner of my kitchen. I enjoy having them and am soooo glad that I drew the extra one in when I was writing up my houseplans. They are stainless steel. Eventually everything will get changed to granite in the kitchen, but for now I'm happy with the stainless. It gets the job done and it doesn't look terrible afterwards. I also have under counter lighting. It's all on one switch and I prefer it that way. It's simpler. I use it regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? I had a stainless steel Franke sink in one of our houses and now we have a stainless steel sink from Ikea. I don't notice much difference. Our current sink is not huge -- maybe 22" wide -- because I wanted a smaller one so that I'd have more countertop space. It does tend to look dirty if I don't wash it daily with a soapy sponge. The cleaning could drive some people batty. We use our LED undercabinet lighting every day. We can put them on a dimmer setting or turn them off manually by running a finger over a part of the lights. Usually I just flick them on and leave them as they are. My husband hard wired them to two switches. One controls one cabinet area and the other controls the adjacent cabinet area. Again, it's IKEA and we love it. Edited September 30, 2012 by MBM typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? I have a double white porcelain sink, at least I think that is what it is made of. I would hate a single sink. Dirty dishes are in one side, and some of the things I wash straight away, like measuring cups, sit in the other side. Lots of times we rinse out soda cans in that side as well and let them dry out before putting them in the recycling bin. 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? Only on the very top. They are like tea lights and half of them are broken. DH tried replacing the bulbs and that didn't fix them. He needs to replace the whole string I guess, but it's a job with a very low priority so it's been that way for at least a year. Next to the sink, we have one switch for those lights and a separate switch for a single recessed light above the sink. By the door is the switch for the rest of the recessed lighting. I think under the cabinet lighting would be cool but I doubt I'd use it. My kitchen has a ton of light. Yes, I could live without the upper lights. We only used them as a night light just so the first floor wasn't totally dark at night. Now we just use a regular lamp in the living room. But it was a pretty effect when we viewed the house before we bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Double porcelain sink. I personally can't stand the single sinks. No under cabinet lighting, but I do have a light above the sink. Under cabinet lighting could be useful for early mornings, or middle of the night trips to get water, but otherwise, I really don't need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have one large stainless steel sink and I LOVE having just one. I love it because I can fit large pans with their handles into it and they will sit flat to soak. I used to have a double where one side was larger but some of my pans wouldn't fit, so then I had to soak them on the kitchen counter which I really didn't like. The only thing I dislike about my sink is that it is too deep. It is 9 inches deep but there is 1 inch of granite above it so technically the bottom of the sink is 10 inches. This is too deep for me and I feel like I'm stooping over the sink all the time. We don't have lights under our cabinets. I would have liked to add them but the cabinets we chose are quite tall. Adding the under cabinet lighting required adding a 1 inch overhang....I'm not sure if that's what you call it but it's a piece of wood that they add to the bottom of the cabinet to cover the wiring of the lights. This was going to make the distance between the counter top and the cabinet bottom too short for my taste so we didn't do it. Sometimes I wish we had, but most of the time I don't even think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) I have a stainless sink because we have hard water and a porcelain one would have mucked up. I also feared my clumsy kids would chip the finish if a porcelain one as my stster's kids have hers. I do not like the single sinks. I wash pots and pans daily and leave the dw for everything else. I love the small portion to dry stuff, defrost items, and just because I use it all the time I went with another double. I have the largest the company offered and it is very large on the left side, small on the right. I love this because now with the larger sink, even our largest cookware and roasting pans can sit flat in it. I do have the under Cabinet lighting. It is more for ambiance than functional. I would not spend miney on this if money were tight. Part of the reason I wanted it is because our tile is unusual and the light shining off of it makes it stunning, IMO. It is made of recycled glass and is all "shattered" and then darkens as you get towards the edges. If it were not for that tile, I am not sure I would have gotten the under cabinet lighting. Don't get me wrong, it IS very pretty. Edited September 30, 2012 by Denisemomof4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 My kitchen sink is made from crushed granite. I have had different types of sinks before this but crushed granite is by far my favorite. It is awesome. It does not show water marks or look dirty all the time like stainless steel or ceramic. It does not break a glass easily, like when you accidentally bump a glass into a ceramic sink. Mind is a greyish color and it looks very nice with my countertops. It is not overly expensive. Some stainless steel sinks cost more, depending on the gauge. Mine is divided into two separate sinks and I really like it. I can have things soaking in one side while still using the other for rinsing foods, straining pasta or whatever. I wouldn't change anything about my kitchen sink:001_smile:. We also have lighting under our upper cabinets and I would definitely do it again. It really provides good lighting when you are working in that area. We also use it as a nightlight at night. ETA: Lighting is on multiple switches, which is good for us because we do not use it every time we are in the kitchen and I would not want it to be on all the time. We have one switch for the canned lighting in the ceiling, one switch for the hanging light above the island, one switch for the under cabinet lightening and one for the lights in the upper cabinets. I like having the separate switches but the switch for the light above the island could have been located in a more convenient place. How can you scrub and sanitize the granite sink? I bet it is really pretty but I would not recommend one for anyone with hard water unless they had a water treatment system. I responded first and am now reading replies. It is true that the under cabinet lighting is great when preparing food at night. So I guess I would try to budget for that.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I had a stainless steel Franke sink in one of our houses and now we have a stainless steel sink from Ikea. I don't notice much difference. Our current sink is not huge -- maybe 22" wide -- because I wanted a smaller one so that I'd have more countertop space. It does tend to look dirty if I don't wash it daily with a soapy sponge. The cleaning could drive some people batty. We use our LED undercabinet lighting every day. We can put them on a dimmer setting or turn them off manually by running a finger over a part of the lights. Usually I just flick them on and leave them as they are. My husband hard wired them to two switches. One controls one cabinet area and the other controls the adjacent cabinet area. Again, it's IKEA and we love it. Barkeepers Friend works AWESOME on water spotting on SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? 1) Mine is porcelain. I'd prefer stainless for ease of cleaning. I have two sinks, and I prefer it that way, they are both big enough for me. 2) I do, but find that the bulbs (expensive florescent tubes) burn out a lot, so I don't actually use it much. My kitchen has good overhead lights and natural light so I don't find I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Three deep stainless steel sinks in the kitchen. Two are close to the dishwasher and the other is on an island DH uses for chopping and preparing food. All get used a lot. Our under the cabinet lighting is a must now. It is the one feature, in my opinion, that can give any kitchen a "wow" factor. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwallowTail Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 My sink is stainless steel, and it is one huge, deep sink. I like it that I can fit huge pots into it and clean them easily. I could bathe twin toddlers in it, LoL. But, it has its downsides as well, with it being more difficult to get particulate matter down the drain, as I end up chasing it around the whole sink with the faucet. We have lighting under our cabinets, on one switch - but with separate toggles under each section, so you can turn one group off/on if you want to do so. I think we only turn it off at night. I couldn't live without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have the normal double sides stainless steel one. I like the double sides, I can stack dirty dishes on one side while I do food prep on the other. I don't like the stainless steel though, It always looks dirty/grungy. My parents have something else (ceramic, porcelin, I'm not sure but it's more than 40 years old) and I would much prefer to have that type. I wears great but it easy to keep clean. I've never had under cabinet lights, but I can't imagine why I would want them. I don't do any food prep under the cabinets, that's what the big open counter is for. And I have a florescent light in the kitchen so all the open space is well lit with that fixture. I do have another florescent light over the kitchen sink but I think I turn that on about once a year because I just never have a need for more light than the main one gives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 We have lived in 8 houses in our marriage (not counting temporary housing of less than 6 months) and they all had stainless steel sinks. I prefer to have 2 sinks. I grew up with a porcelain sink and it always looked scratched up. A little Barkeeper's Friend takes care of stainless steel nicely. I like under cabinet lighting, but we don't have it currently. We have had it both with multiple switches and all on one switch. I prefer all on one switch because it is easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? Double stainless. Like it a lot. 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? Yes--flourescent lighting, use it all the time. Each thingy has its own switch. You can't see the lights unless you look under (i.e., not visible when you are just looking at the kitchen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Loooooove my under-cabinet lighting. It makes a big difference. Definitely get this feature. I like a big, stainless steel, double sink. I don't really see the point of a big-bowl-little-bowl setup. At my mil's house, the little part of the sink is just used as a garbage disposal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) How can you scrub and sanitize the granite sink? I bet it is really pretty but I would not recommend one for anyone with hard water unless they had a water treatment system. I responded first and am now reading replies. It is true that the under cabinet lighting is great when preparing food at night. So I guess I would try to budget for that.:001_smile: Crushed granite is very different than your typical 'pretty' granite that is used for countertops. It is not the shiny, rock-hard material like granite countertops. It is crushed granite and has some sort of resin in it to make it very durable. I have used regular old Comet to clean it with no issue. ETA: If you google 'crushed granite sink' you can see pictures of them and read a bit about the material. They come in a variety of colors. Edited September 30, 2012 by Lea in OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 We have one large, single-bowl sink and one smaller prep sink (also single bowl). They're white enameled cast iron. Our old white cast iron one got grey marks from pans (which were easy to get out with BKF), but the new ones haven't marked at all yet. I love the big, single-bowl sink, and I would NEVER want to go back to my old 1/3-2/3 split bowl sink. This one is so much easier for washing cookie sheets and large pans. I really thought I loved my old double-bowl sink, but the new one is SO much better. We have undercabinet lighting on one switch, but we only have one run with upper cabinets, and it wouldn't have made sense to put it on more than one switch. If we had upper cabinets on a different wall, it might have made sense to put under-cabinet lighting in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 We have a large, white porcelain sink. I love it. We do have to use a dish pan for washing dishes, since it's so big. But it mkes washing big things so easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Loooooove my under-cabinet lighting. It makes a big difference. Definitely get this feature. I like a big, stainless steel, double sink. I don't really see the point of a big-bowl-little-bowl setup. At my mil's house, the little part of the sink is just used as a garbage disposal. I use mind daily for air drying, defrosting, placing items I don't want on granite (maybe oily or gritty) but don't want getting dirty in larger sink portion, water a plant and let it sit to drain, etc. I love that smaller side portion. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Crushed granite is very different than your typical 'pretty' granite that is used for countertops. It is not the shiny, rock-hard material like granite countertops. It is crushed granite and has some sort of resin in it to make it very durable. I have used regular old Comet to clean it with no issue. ETA: If you google 'crushed granite sink' you can see pictures of them and read a bit about the material. They come in a variety of colors. Just googled. Definitely pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have double aluminum sinks with awesome lighting and love it! However, I don't have good lighting elsewhere in the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? 2) do you have lighting under your upper cabinets? If so, do you use it often? is it all on one switch or several? I have a double stainless steel sink. One is very large and deep and the other is small for the garbage disp. Yes, I have under cab. lighting and I use it ALL the time. You really have to watch that you are getting lighting that actually.......lights? Some of them are totally worthless for giving you good light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 1) what is your kitchen sink made of and do you have one or two sinks. Do you like what you have why or why not? I have this one and I love it. It's quieter than stainless, it's well-made, it doesn't show stains, and will wash a 35 lb dog w/o splash-over. ;). http://www.faucetdirect.com/blanco-440063-performa-super-single-silgranit-ii-bowl-kitchen-sink-32-x-19-1-2/p1078273 I vote yes on under cabinet lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) I have a Blanco black granite sink and I love it. I have hard water stains on the granite counter around the sink but the inside of the sink still looks great. I clean it with hot soapy water and wipe it with olive oil about one a month to make it look perfect. I used to have a white sink with chrome fixtures and it was a bear to clean with our hard water. Vinegar helped but there was a lot of elbow grease involved. Edited October 2, 2012 by RanchGirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAPeachie Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I prefer one large stainless sink. That is what we had in our last place. With our family size, I use several of oversized pots (crockpot, griddle, electric skillet, stock pot, etc.) and pans and it made clean up a breeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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