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Kitchen Sinks and Taps
This section of the website contains various articles on kitchen sinks and taps that may be helpful with your decision making. These kitchen sink and tap articles are designed simply as additional information to assist you in making the right choice when you make your purchase using the Inderkitchen website.
Which Kitchen Sink Should I Buy?
As the pivotal fixture in what is probably the busiest room in your house, your kitchen sink is going to see plenty of use and demanding action. Every single day, your kitchen sink will be the central point of most of any food preparation, and of course, the subsequent clean up operation. With this in taken into account, todays kitchen sinks are made with both aesthetics and practicality in mind.
When you look through our shop, you'll notice that the kitchen sink manufacturers have moved on from producing just a bowl with space for a tap. Now, your choice of kitchen sink can consist of multiple bowls, multiple drainers, of varying shapes and sizes. They come in a range of materials, and a range of colours. And, more recently they are evoving into more of a kitchen workstation featuring integrated cutting boards, colanders and even waste bins.
You'll need to decide whether you want an inset sink, which is the most common, and easiest to fit or an undermount sink, which fixes to the underneath your work surface. These are trickier to fit, but more pleasing to the eye, and certainly look the part in the modern styling of todays kitchens. Traditional farmhouse styled belfast sinks really suit the cottage style kitchen, and are ever popular. Again a much increased range in recent years, particularly from Shaws of Darwen means that there is a solid ceramic sink suitable for almost every situation. Or mix old with new, and pick an stainless steel butler sink available from either Franke or Astracast for that modern / traditional twist.
What Material Is Best For My Kitchen Sink?
With the vast choice of kitchen sinks available in stainless steel, fireclay ceramic, granite composite materials and even glass the question is which is the best? We will answer that question, basically by not answering it, but by telling you the advantages of each of the materials in question.
Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks
Stainless steel stands apart from most other sink materials in that it can be integrated into almost any kitchen environment.
Stainless steel is the most popular choice for new sink installations because it is low cost, light weight, and it's almost unbreakable construction. The gauge (you will read about this in the listings) of the stainless steel is the thickness of the stainless steel sink. The most common gauges are 18 and 20. The higher the number gauge, the thinner the steel. Eighteen is the most recommended gauge for sinks.
Stainless steel kitchen sinks are easy to clean and will stay looking newer for longer when cared for properly. You won't have to worry about leaving teabags in the sink overnight or blackcurrant stains, but it can become dull and scratched. Washing up bowls should not be used, as grit can soon build up on the bottom of them, causing unsightly scratch marks in your bowl.
Sinks are made with various qualities of stainless steel. Light-gauge stainless steel is more vulnerable to denting and scratching. Stainless steel is also available in a mirrored finish, which gives it a shinier appearance. In brushed-stainless finishes, which is the latest trend, scratches are less visible.
Stainless steel kitchen sinks come in one, one and a half, two, two and a half or even three bowl models. Single bowl sinks are available with or without a side drainer or drainers on either side, and their depth will vary. Two bowl and three bowl sinks are more popular as they lend themselves to multi-tasking.
Ceramic Kitchen Sinks
Ceramic kitchen sinks are becoming more and more popular as the range of styles available increasesas well as because of the the basic material properties of fireclay ceramic. Ceramic sinks will not be damaged by extreme temperature changes - so are quite safe from hot pans, and are the safest kind of sinks for any spillage of hot liquids. They do not take on flavours and more importantly smells and they are mostly resistant to cracks (except for extreme carelessness with hammers and the like) and scratches.
They are avilable in a variety of colours, styles and sizes. If you browse through our website - you are sure to find the right sink for your kitchen within a price range that is suited to your needs.
The most popular ceramic kitchen sinks are white - this will give your kitchen an air of cleanliness. They are stain-resistant - so you don't have to worry about your white ceramic sink becoming an 'off-white'. Ceramic kitchen sinks are also available in a range of colours, creams and ivories through to glossy blacks. Just make sure that the sink you choose will fit in with the rest of your kitchen.
It is very easy to clean ceramic sinks. Ceramic is easily wiped clean with a sponge or a cloth. The material does not stain easily and it is very easy to maintain the freshness of its colour. An old ceramic sink will continue to look just as bright as a new ceramic sink if it is scrubbed with a sponge and any ordinary sink cleaner now and then. The material is extremely hygienic and completely non-porous. This makes it just the right material for a kitchen sink. Many sinks, for example, Villeroy and Boch's range of ceramic sinks are available with a CeramicPlus coating, which further enhances the ability of ceramic to repel dirt, as well as allowing water to bead up more easily and disappear down the drain.
Composite Ceramic Sinks
Composite is the general term term to describe granite kitchen sinks. They feature the very latest material technology that guarantees tough sinks with a naturally textured and warm to the touch finish. Highly resistant to knocks, scratches, staining, chemicals and extremes of temperature. The manufacturers use terms such as Silgranit (Blanco) and Fragranite (Franke) to describe their own style of composite sink - but generally the finishes are very close. Produced from approximately 80% granite particles and top quality bonding agents a composite sink should easily outlast the kitchen in which it features
Composite kitchen sinks provide a warm and inviting finish and our range of granite sinks have a beautiful natural appeal that are especially hard-wearing and keeps them looking as good as the day that they were fitted.
Composite sinks are available in a choice of colours to suit your colour scheme, choose from the soft white finishes, or the warmer cream colours such as champagne or oatmeal, to the dark grey and black finishes that provide a modern contemporary look.
Glass Kitchen Sinks
Franke Kubus or the new Franke Epos Glass Kitchen Sinks are made from toughened glass and are able to cope with even the most demanding hardwearing environment. Coupled with a high quality stainless steel bowl (or two), they are without doubt the most striking and innovative advance in kitchen sinks over recent years.
To view the Franke Kubus Glass kitchen sink range, please click here.
Available in a choice of Black, White or Aqua, the highly reflective sink perimeter surface and matt drainer are both easy to clean and ultra hygenic, and guaranteed to make a beautiful addition to any kitchen.
Also available in the glass topped sink range is the new Astracast Edge Sio, a beautiful looking sink which comes complete with matching glass chopping boards that double as bowl covers when not in use.
And What About a Tap?
Although seemingly simple devices, there are important technical elements which must be considered when selecting your new kitchen tap.
Water Pressure
Firstly, some taps require more hot water pressure than others in order to achieve the same flow rate. A pressurised water heater system will provide sufficient water pressure for all the taps we sell. An unpressurised system may not, and the pressure should be calculated before choosing a tap that states a minimum requirement. To do this, measure the distance in height from the water tank to the tap in metres and divide by 10. This will give you the water pressure in bars - HOWEVER, it is important to bear in mind any bends or junctions in the pipework as this will reduce the pressure further. If in any doubt contact your plumber for professional advice. They will also be able to suggest ways for you to increase water pressure if required.
Single or Dual Flow
Some taps offer single flow operation, whilst others are dual flow. Within a single flow tap, there is one channel mixing hot and cold within the tap, a dual flow tap contains two channels which seperates the hot and cold sources until they leave the tap. The benefit of this is a faster response changing between hot and cold water. A single flow tap will need to empty the existing water contained within the spout before responding.
Valve Types
There are various valve options which control the tap functionality. For single lever models, the lever controls the tap with two directional motions. The progressive valve tap is the next generation of the single lever design where temperature and water pressure are controlled within a single motion. All other designs utilise either basic compression valves or more superior quarter turn valves which offer immediate response.
New for 2011
The 1810 Company have furthered their range with a selection of ceramic kitchen sinks for 2011. This growing UK brand have released two single bowl and one one and a half bowl undermount kitchen sinks under the Ceramica Puro banner. Finished in a high gloss, smooth white finish they are non-porous, chemical resistant, extremely hard wearing and heat resistant to 1200 degrees Celsius. And as with all 1810 kitchen sinks, you will find the wastes, back to wall pipework and exclusively to Inderkitchen the Z clips required for fitting to your worktop included in the price. Couple that with next day free delivery to mainland England and Wales these sinks represent superb value for money.
And as if that wasn't enough, a extra special selection of sink and tap options are available as a '1810 Company Plus Pack' deal, and you really will not find a better deal for your kitchen. Click here to view these great offers!!!!