Kitchen Sinks

[BlsdMama]

Undermount? Why or why not? Curious.

[Arcadia]

My bathroom sink is under mount and more yucky at the edges than my kitchen sink. 

[livetoread]

Undermount because I can sweep all the mess and crumbs right into the sink with my dishrag. With my overmount, stuff would get caught at the edges.

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by livetoread

[Clarita]

I second undermount because I can sweep things directly into the sink.

[Momof4sweetkids]

The undermount sink in our house fell down on one side so I'd vote over to prevent that.

[Ellie]

I love my undermount sink. It just makes that part of the counter seem sleek, you know? And it's so easy to push flotsam and jetsam into it when cleaning. 🙂

[easypeasy]

I really like my overmount sink. Seems I oversplash less with that edge that lifts up all around. It is super easy to clean around with a toothbrush and some spray cleaner - easy peasy.

 

[Bootsie]

I prefer undermount.  I find it easier to keep clean around the edges, it is easier to clean the counters and wipe crumbs into the sink, and it gives a tidier look to the countertop.  

[Pawz4me]

Undermount, for the reasons others have given.

But it's not something I feel strongly about one way or another.

[Indigo Blue]

Undermount. I love the look, and I haven’t had any trouble keeping under the edge clean. 

[cintinative]

So a family member is redoing their kitchen. He was saying that with an undermount the counter is cut specifically for the sink. So there is some chance that if you want to replace the sink later, you might have trouble finding the right size.  With an overmount, if the hole is slightly different, the sink will overhang it so it doesn't matter.  I'm not sure 100% what to do with this information but I thought I'd share.  😃

I have never had an undermount so I can't compare the two. 

[Annie Elle]

The house we have now has under mount sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen. The house we had before did not. For me, it doesn’t make any difference. They are both equally easy to clean. I guess the trend is under mounted sinks so a kitchen may look dated without it.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, cintinative said:

So a family member is redoing their kitchen. He was saying that with an undermount the counter is cut specifically for the sink. So there is some chance that if you want to replace the sink later, you might have trouble finding the right size.  With an overmount, if the hole is slightly different, the sink will overhang it so it doesn't matter.  I'm not sure 100% what to do with this information but I thought I'd share.  😃

I have never had an undermount so I can't compare the two. 

Hmmm. The counter has to be cut for an over mount  sink too.  But sinks get replaced so seldom that it is a non issue for me.

[Bootsie]

2 hours ago, cintinative said:

So a family member is redoing their kitchen. He was saying that with an undermount the counter is cut specifically for the sink. So there is some chance that if you want to replace the sink later, you might have trouble finding the right size.  With an overmount, if the hole is slightly different, the sink will overhang it so it doesn't matter.  I'm not sure 100% what to do with this information but I thought I'd share.  😃

I have never had an undermount so I can't compare the two. 

It seems as if you had an undermount sink and wanted to replace the sink without replacing the counter top and couldn't find the suitable size then you could replace with an overmount sink if they are more adjustable to slight differences in sink hole sizes.  In other words, I think it would relatively easy to replace an undermount sink with an overmount sink but not necessarily the other way around.  

[ktgrok]

11 hours ago, Arcadia said:

My bathroom sink is under mount and more yucky at the edges than my kitchen sink. 

This. We had an under mount one at previous house and I HATED it because that lip gets gross. Also if counters are stone it makes it VERY easy to accidentally break anything glass if you bump it into the edge of the sink while washing it. I know they are fancier and supposedly higher end but I hate them with a passion. Never again. 
edit to add I live in Florida where humidity is an issue- maybe under mount sinks don’t grow mold under the edge in dryer areas? Also, I admit that I clean the edge of an over mount sink more often since it is more visible. But still…. It was icky. 
Really icky. Maybe if you dried it after every use it would be ok, but I’m not the type to do that. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by ktgrok

[Pawz4me]

15 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

This. We had an under mount one at previous house and I HATED it because that lip gets gross. Also if counters are stone it makes it VERY easy to accidentally break anything glass if you bump it into the edge of the sink while washing it. I know they are fancier and supposedly higher end but I hate them with a passion. Never again. 
edit to add I live in Florida where humidity is an issue- maybe under mount sinks don’t grow mold under the edge in dryer areas? Also, I admit that I clean the edge of an over mount sink more often since it is more visible. But still…. It was icky. 
Really icky. Maybe if you dried it after every use it would be ok, but I’m not the type to do that. 

I'm in NC, which is certainly no slouch in the humidity department. You're not the first person I've heard mention the ick factor of undermount sinks, but mine never seems to get very dirty at all. I scrub it down with a toothbrush every few weeks, but there's never anything there. I do agree about the glass breaking issue, though. I have to be very careful not to bump my coffee carafe when I'm washing it.

[ktgrok]

40 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm in NC, which is certainly no slouch in the humidity department. You're not the first person I've heard mention the ick factor of undermount sinks, but mine never seems to get very dirty at all. I scrub it down with a toothbrush every few weeks, but there's never anything there. I do agree about the glass breaking issue, though. I have to be very careful not to bump my coffee carafe when I'm washing it.

Maybe it depends on hard/soft water or some other factor? Mine was gross every time I cleaned it. 

[Pawz4me]

8 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Maybe it depends on hard/soft water or some other factor? Mine was gross every time I cleaned it. 

Could be. Or maybe there are different types of sealants or caulk used during installation?

[Faith-manor]

Mark hates undermount because replacing them is a pain in the arse. Hard water deposits are much harder to get out of there, and if the foundation under the kitchen settles, there can be issues with them. He is really not a fan. My big issue is I am quite the clutz when it comes to washing dishes so every time I use an undermount, I manage to crack or break a glass on the countertop edge because it seems like the countertop for these things are always granite or diamond or cement or something.

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

Maybe it depends on hard/soft water or some other factor? Mine was gross every time I cleaned it. 

 

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Could be. Or maybe there are different types of sealants or caulk used during installation?

Mine is due to hard water and the hand soap. 

[KungFuPanda]

I think undermount is sleeker and prettier, but I think over mount is more practical for me. I sometimes have drippy things I like to sit on the soap dish ledge thingy. My hand soap, the ramekin that holds my sponge and a few brushes, or an occasional plant sometimes sit there and drip into the sink. I’d actually love to find a large stainless over mount with a right side drain board that’s not a jillion dollars. That would be very practical for the way I operate. I’m on the a quest for the most efficient kitchen possible and I will sacrifice style to get it. 

[Melissa in Australia]

Here in Australia all kitchen sinks have drain boards attached. It is the normal. It is what everyone here expects a kitchen to have. And I have never seen one here that wasn't stainless steel. 

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Melissa in Australia

[Arcadia]

16 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Here in Australia all kitchen sinks have drain boards attached. It is the normal. It is what everyone here expects a kitchen to have. And I have never seen one here that wasn't stainless steel. 

 

@KungFuPanda My childhood home has this kind and it is really practical 

 

[KungFuPanda]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

@KungFuPanda My childhood home has this kind and it is really practical 

 

This is exactly what I want, but for a larger sink. I’m guessing about 18-20” wide.  I like having the water contained in a drop in sink. I’m a bit of a dervish in the kitchen so a splash zone is helpful. 

[Melissa in Australia]

I have a double sink, with a drain board on both sides 

 

[Ellie]

4 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Here in Australia all kitchen sinks have drain boards attached. It is the normal. It is what everyone here expects a kitchen to have. And I have never seen one here that wasn't stainless steel.

I am by no means an expert; I just noticed this was true in an Australian "Changing Rooms" series, and every sink in every kitchen was like that.

[PeterPan]

On 7/7/2023 at 12:04 AM, BlsdMama said:

Undermount? Why or why not? Curious.

It seems like you're going at this backwards. (or upside down? haha) You're going to do the type of sink that matches the counter. If the counter is laminate, you'll do a top mount. Although there was a trend years ago to somehow retrofit and do undermount with laminate, that just seems really risky. And if you do solid surface, granite, quartz, etc. you'll go undermount. I've had both and even have both in my current house. I LOVE undermount sinks. The one trick with them is to figure out the *depth* that will be comfortable for you. Undermount sinks will typically come in several depths, so you can pick the one that fits what you anticipate doing in that sink. 

The only time I've had problems with my undermount I got too zealous with the bar keeper's friend and I think probably eroded the caulking. I had some warning and we brought in a plumber.

So get the sink that matches your preferred countertop. Fwiw, I was able to get some nicer end stainless sinks on clearance and the metal actually is that much better. There are things like sound dampening applied to the underside, and the metal just plain stays cleaner and looks nicer. I've had these sinks installed 15 years now and they still look fab. My other sinks that were cheaper have been a pain in the patoot to keep clean from day one. So the quality of the metal (which you can see in the listings for the sink) and the extra features of the higher end ones can be worth it if you can find one at your pricepoint. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by PeterPan