Buying Guide: Types of Kitchen Sinks

Published on October 6, 2020

Foreword

This short article comes from the need to provide all the tools necessary to purchase the right kitchen sink for your needs. Very often, in fact, looking only at the convenience or aesthetics of the product, it will certainly happen to make a purchase not optimal. Maybe we have seen a sink that is beautiful to look at but that is not able to meet our needs or that simply does not fit properly into the kitchen surface; or even a sink that is as comfortable as absolutely not in line with the rest of the furniture.

By following all the points in this Buying Guide you will be perfectly able to choose the most suitable sink for your needs and which will also be able to integrate and enhance all the rest of your kitchen furniture.

Key Points

As mentioned earlier, the secret to choosing the best Kitchen Sink is to follow and keep in mind these three key points:

  • Sink Dimensions
  • Sink Type
  • Material and Colour of the Sink

Dimensions of the Sink (and all its accessories)

Let's start with the basics. A Sink could be both beautiful and perfect for our needs. However, if it doesn't fit perfectly inside the countertop, this magic will fade to nothing. Therefore, here are all the dimensions you need to check before proceeding to the second point on the list.

  • Sink width, height and depth
  • Type of built-in (Flush, Semi-flush, Undermount, Standard)
  • Mixer hole size

Sink width, height and depth

The dimensions are almost always in front of our eyes and always taken for granted. Our new sink must be inserted in the correct place in the kitchen, and therefore we will have to refer to the reference measurements of the kitchen unit where we are going to insert our new purchase.

Width, height e depth are the fundamental elements we will need to look at before continuing our research. But one thing that few people know is that these reference measurements are of two types: sink e takings.

Le sink measurements are those that refer precisely to the maximum dimensions of the sink in its three dimensions.

Le recessed measurementson the other hand, refer to the dimensions of the hole in which the sink will be inserted.

Therefore, when we go to analyze the measures of a Sink, we must pay attention that BOTH the types of measures mentioned above (sink measurements e recessed measurements) are compatible with our kitchen plan.

Here is a example an outline of the reference measures:

AM11620 DT
Technical drawing of the AM11620 sink

Type of built-in (Flush, Semi-flush, Undermount, Standard)

Once we are sure of the measures of our new sink we must be careful also to another important factor, namely the Type of embedding.

The collection method is nothing more than "the way we're going to fit our sink into the sink space.". NOT all sinks are mounted from top to bottom and NOT all sinks use countertop mounting.

Having said that, here is a list of the types of Collections with a brief explanation:

Filotop or Integrated

A sink with this type of assembly does not have a perimeter edge, but fits into a housing on top of the kitchen cabinet.

Today it is one of the most elegant and sought-after solutions on the market and is installed perfectly flush with the kitchen worktop.

Its main convenience is to facilitate normal cleaning operations. But as they always say, not all that glitters is gold. In fact, this type of built-in needs particular care during assembly, in order to avoid creating an unsightly step between the kitchen top and the sink, thus completely cancelling out the aesthetic effect and ease of cleaning the top. With a job well done, you will not feel any discontinuity between the two tops.

Subtop

The type of collection Subtop is a solution that immediately catches the eye. Mounting from the bottom upwards ensures more surface area available on the kitchen worktop due to the total absence of sink edges.

This not only makes the product aesthetically very exclusive, but also makes it really easy to clean and sanitize the surfaces, given the total absence of protrusions that could trap dirt and bacteria.

Specific mounting hooks are required and are already present inside the packaging of an undermount sink.

Standard

As the name suggests, this type of assembly identifies the traditional built-in type, i.e. from top to bottom by means of support on the kitchen top.

Mixer Hole Size (or Faucet)

Once we have identified the correct sink for our kitchen (in terms of mere size), we can proceed to choose the mixer.

In most cases the mixer taps are compatible with all types of sinks, especially because the sinks almost always leave the factory without the mixer tap hole, allowing you to request the most suitable size later.

In any case, in order to avoid unpleasant misunderstandings right at the end of our research, and also for personal culture, it is enough for you to know that the symbol indicating the hole of the mixer is as follows Ø and that the standard size of the mounting hole on a Sink is Ø 35 mm.

All the sinks sold on ArredoItaliano are pre-drilled, with a standard hole, so you can choose any mixer in our catalogue and easily install them.

Sink Types

Having concluded the chapter on the various measures of the Sinks, we can pass without delay to their Types:

As far as the type of sink is concerned, once the measurements of our kitchen countertop have been taken into account, all that remains is to refer to our personal taste and the type of furniture in our kitchen.

The kitchen sink can have a tub o two basinsand they can be either with or without drip tray.

From the point of view of convenience, the two-bowl sink is more practical, as you can perform two washing operations at the same time. But even a single-tub sink can ensure a rather convenient washing of pots and dishes. We must say that the choice often depends on the size of the kitchen and the top.

Kitchen Sink Material and Color

The Materials of a Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink can be made of various materials, namely:

  • Stainless steelIt is a classic and the most used material. It is a hygienic, resistant and long-lasting material;
  • Synthetic, or in resin, is a material composed of 80% of quartz and granite mineral fillers and 20% of acrylic resin.

Resin Kitchen Sink

In this article we focus on the resin or composite sink, as it is definitely the most innovative and trendy material in recent years.

This compound is a very durable and hard material, smooth to the touch, hygienic and easy to clean.

Many manufacturers add additives to the mixture that make the sink antibacterial. The sink manufacturer chosen by ArredoItaliano, Plados, has developed a patented technology that consists in the creation of an innovative self-cleaning and antibacterial composite material that can interact with the kitchen environment reducing air pollution.
With "ARIAPURA"Plados sinks equipped with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are identified.
Titanium dioxide, in the presence of natural or artificial light, activates the phenomenon of photocatalysis, a process similar to the chlorophyll photosynthesis of trees, which transforms organic and inorganic pollutants present in the environment into harmless mineral salts. The surfaces of sinks made with TIO2 nanoparticles are particularly effective in purifying the air and have advanced antimicrobial properties, thus helping to reduce risk factors for human health.

A Plados sink has a triple action:

  • Antibacterial
  • Self-cleaning
  • Anti-pollution

Once we have taken into consideration the measurements of our kitchen surface and once we have decided on the type of sink (single bowl, double bowl, etc.) and the material, we can finally talk about the style and colour that your new sink should have.

As in the previous chapter, the taboo of measurements has been respected, the only limit will be your imagination.

Do you have an old style kitchen maybe in dark wood? In this case you can decide for a sink with a rough texture and a dark color to recall the doors of your kitchen or a light color to highlight it.

The advantage of choosing a resin sink based on quartz and granite is the possibility to have a wide range of options in terms of colors and finishes. In our site are available for each model several colors suitable for both classic and modern environments.

The most popular shades for a resin sink are matt, or those with a metallic and shiny effect.

70
Black Matt
44
Black Metal

If you have any further doubts or questions about your choice of kitchen sink, you can contact us, or just use our new guide to choosing a sink!

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