Help me decide! Single bowl or 2/3 - 1/3 sink?

[JulieAnn]

As I mentioned in another thread my husband and I bought a bank repo home and are completely redoing everything from top to bottom. I've bean reading all the past thread on flooring, appliances, etc. but haven't seen any on which type of sink is best. Right now I have the old typical 50/50 split and I hate it. The pans won't fit in. I also have to decide what kind of cabinets, what type of flooring, engineered hardwood or laminate (pergo), integrated sink with solid surface countertop or stainless steel undermount and a whole lot more. I would appreciate any input. The past threads have already been invaluable!

Wow, I can't believe how fast your reponses are. Here's one more idea to throw in. Any unique kitchen cabinetry that you put in that you love?

[This message has been edited by JulieAnn (edited 06-06-2001).]

[Leanne]

I like my 2/3 - 1/3 sink. Big pots & pans fit nicely in the larger side. Have fun - redoing a kitchen is great!

[caregiver50]

I have a sink that is not large enough. Why don't you take a container that you might use and see if it fits. Also make sure that the faucet will extend far enough into the bowl, if you choose two bowls. As far as counter tops go, solid surface is very nice, but it will scratch and stain. If you can afford afford, granite is really nice.

[DmOrtega]

I have one big stainless steal sink and counter top around it. I love it. The sink is big and doesn't stain. I can water the plants right on top of the counter and not worry about it. I can also put hot pans on it. If I every get a chance to redo the kitchen, I will stay with the stainless steel.

[Luv to Cook]

I have a 2/3-1/3 sink and I think I would like one big one better. I am not sure what to do with the 1/3 part. It seems too small to do anything!

Either way I am sure you will have fun!

Anita

[Julia1Pin]

JulieAnn-

I feel your pain. We've been re-modeling our house since we bought it (in September). For flooring, I would definately go with laminate. Not "Pergo" necessarily, because there are tons of manufactures that are alot cheaper. Try Home Depot, Lowe's or House2Home. WE got the interlocking pieces kind. It took my DH and FIL about 4 hours to do the 330 sq. ft Living Room. So, it's pretty easy.

[SQ]

I've never had a split sink, bur I've always been happy w/my large stainless one-bowl. I appreciate that it is flush to the countertop so there's not that extra area (like w/some ceramic sinks) for crumbs to gather. What I really love is our high-neck faucet. It's so great to fit tall things under it, like stock pots, etc.

Have a great time and try not to feel overwhelmed w/all the decisions you'll be making.

[WeekendCook]

I have a large sink with a smaller sink/garbage disposal. It's not exactly 2/3 - 1/3. I like the small area where I can just throw the garbage and the larger sink fits everything. My husband also recently installed a faucet that pulls out from the base, so it reaches everything.

[funnybone]

I have a Corian sink which is 1/3 and 2/3, I guess. All I know is that the larger side is deep and can fit my biggest pot with lots of room to spare. I use the smaller side for the garbage disposal and vegetable washing, etc.

I opted for the Corian because the counter and sink are all one, and I hate cleaning around the sink. If you can't afford this, try to get an "undermount sink" - it saves so much clean up time. You just sweep the crumbs, etc into the sink.

I saw one show on HGTV where a lady brought her pots to the store to test the size of the sink. I'm not sure if it were the same show, but a lady bought "laundry" sinks becaue they were larger and deeper than the kitchen ones.

As for the faucet, I have a Delta faucet where the head pulls out. It's a sprayer as well, and converts easily as well to regular tap flow.

[Luv to Cook]

Funnybone,

How do you like your Corian sink. I also have one and I find it stains so easily. Nothing that a little Ajax and elbow grease cannot remove. But the white residue from the Ajax likes to stick around. Give me your corian cleaning solutions please!!!!!

Thanks!
Anita

[makedah]

I don't understand. I lived in an apartment once with a single bowl sink. How are you supposed to rinse the dishes you wash? The apartment had a dishwasher, so I guess that's what they expected you to use all the time.

[Leanne]

I'm with Makedah - I like 2 sides - one for soaking, one for rinsing. Or, If you have some dishes in one side, you can drain pasta (or whatever) on the other side, etc. I really like 2 sides. I have a white enameled sink - wouldn't really recomend it - it stains & chips, but I like it being white with the rest of my kitchen. I guess it just depends on the look you're going for.

[tobykitty]

I had a single stainless steel sink for 5 years and hated every minute of it. I have a 50/50 now and I love it. The one thing I would recommend is that if you buy a ceramic sink make sure you get the good quality. My mom remodeled her kitchen a couple of years ago and purchased a cheaper sink and it always looks awful. It gets scuffed up with marks and stains so easily. Mine is a Mohler and always looks great. I've never had any problems.

[kathleen415]

I have a 50/50 stainless steel. It's a tight fit for my 14" pan but everything else fits ok. When we remodel in 5 yrs or so, I'm hoping to find a deeper one. The stainless is great because it doesn't stain and cleans so well. I've had and don't like white porcelain because you need to bleach it every so often. I looked into corian undermount and checked out everybody's sinks: my brother, friend's brother's, father's girlfriend's neice's, etc. about 8 of them, and they looked dingy. You don't get the shiny clean feeling that you get with porcelain or stainless. I prefer to air dry my pots and whatever has been handwashed so one side of the 50/50 is the "clean" side with a small draining rack in it, and the other side is a "dirty" side where my son, age 3, pitches his sippy cups or whatever needs to be washed.

[Karen from VA]

I've lived with a big single stainless sink in this house for 20 years. I hate it. An expected 2-year stay stretched into 20 years, now I'm so sorry I didn't replace it with two sinks long ago. It's too large to fill with water to wash just a few baking or cooking dishes that don't fit well in the dishwasher, so I end up using a bowl or pan filled with soapy water in the sink. Then, the BIG gripe I have is that there is nowhere for the dishes to drain and dry except in a dish drainer ON TOP OF the counter . We will be retiring and moving to AZ within the next year and I can't wait to have a new sink (among other things)!

Karen

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Luv to Cook:
Funnybone,

How do you like your Corian sink. I also have one and I find it stains so easily. Nothing that a little Ajax and elbow grease cannot remove. But the white residue from the Ajax likes to stick around. Give me your corian cleaning solutions please!!!!!

Thanks!
Anita

You are right, it stains easily, but does clean easily as well. I tend to use "Soft Scrub" and a green "Scotch Brite" pad (I remember the installer telling me to use one).

You can find out more info on cleaning on their website. I'll find the link:
http://www.corian.com/NASApp/CorianPublic/CorianPageServlet?pageId=OwnSup_Care_List_CareandM aintenanceList&langId=701&surfaceId=601&roleId=801&rgnId=901

[mb]

i would also say to go for granite over corian... i was told that corian will melt - i can't tell you how many times i put a hot pot down in the sink after draining pasta - i think i would definitely ruin a corian sink (although the way that it's integrated into the countertop is really cool!). i think granite is definitely the way to go - it's not much more than corian and it will last forever...

as far as sinks go, i guess it depends how you do dishes. i would never use a 50/50 sink because i just rinse and toss everything in the dishwasher. we have a big sink with a small area on the side for the garbage disposal. this works out pretty well for us. my parents have always had a cast-iron sink (like kohler) and there have never been any problems with cleaning it. the one they have now is white and it looks great in the kitchen. we have stainless steel and it is good too. if you're going for granite, i'd opt for an undermount stainless steel sink. it looks really great, especially if you are using a dark granite.

good luck!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[KellyD]

I think I have kitchen utopia as far as sinks/counter tops/faucets go. I have a very large 50/50 porcelain sink (they do come in different sizes/depths if you have the flexibility to increase the space), granite counter tops and a very high arching faucet. No question I like this sink configuration the best - can wash & rinse separately, cleans like a breeze and it's undermounted (the ONLY way to go). The counter tops are fabulous - I've had corian (which my daughter managed to scorch) - as well as every other surface - and this is definitely the ultimate. And think hard about the faucet too. When we first moved in, we had one of those that pull out so you don't have to have a separate sprayer, but I eventually made the builder replace it. It's much more cumbersome than a little sprayer, and it doesn't turn off immediately like every other faucet I've had - you turn it off and it kind of drizzles to a stop. Which is only a problem if you're measuring water for recipes! It drove me CRAZY! My current one is tall so that large pots/vases/etc fit under it - I love it. Good luck with your remodeling - I don't envy your task!

[sneezles]

In my new kitchen I have chosen a one-sink ceramic painted sink with the faucet coming out of the wall. This way there will not be that gunk that appears around the faucet and I get the spout high enough for any pan. The sink is an apron-front painted with blue checks along the bottom, small rows of chickens, roosters and veggies along the sides. The counter top is corian and will match the tile floor and back splash in color. I've had Corian counters for over 5 years and found them easy to clean and have never had a problem with setting hot pots on it.

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 06-07-2001).]