Kitchen Sinks

A kitchen sink or basin is a bowl-shaped fixture that is used for washing hands or small objects such as food, dishes, cups, etc. Sinks have water faucets that supply hot and cold running water and may include a spray nozzle that is used for rinsing. Kitchen sinks also include a drain for draining out dirty water. When a sink becomes stopped-up or clogged a person will often resort to use of chemical drain cleaner or a plunger, though most professional plumbers will attack the clog with a drain auger or a "plumber's snake".


Sinks are made of a variety of materials. These include stainless steel, enamel over steel or cast iron, ceramic, plastic, glass, soapstone, concrete, and terrazzo.

Stainless steel is the most commonly used for making kitchen sinks because it represents a good blend between cost, durability, and easy cleaning. Most of the time stainless steel sinks are made by putting a sheet of stainless steel over a die. Some are made by welding. Stainless steel sinks can’t be damaged by hot or cold and is very hard to damage. Enamel over cast iron is popular for kitchen and bathroom sinks. Heavy and durable, these sinks can also be designed in a myriad range of shapes and colors. Like stainless steel, they are very resistant to hot or cold objects, but the enamel can be damaged by hard hits and once the glass surface is damaged, the cast iron underneath will rust and corrode, causing more of the glass to break off. Harsh cleaning will make the surface dull, causing the enamel to stain easier.

Plastic sinks are available in many basic forms and are inexpensive. Plastic sinks are simple and are made by injecting thermoplastics into molds. These type of sinks are very prone to damage by hot and/or sharp objects, and the only real the upside of these sinks is their low cost. High-end acrylic drop-in type sinks and undermounted sinks are becoming more popular, but they are easy to damage by hard objects.

Soapstone sinks used to be in use a lot more than they are now, but now are usually used only for very-high-end applications or applications that have to be resistant to very caustic materials.

Glass, concrete, and terrazo sinks are mostly designed for the aesthetic appeal and can be made into a huge variety of unusual shapes and colors. Concrete and terrazo are sometimes used for very-heavy-duty applications like janitorial sinks.