material sink
Most pedestal and wall-hung sinks are made of vitreous china, and the same qualities that make this material a good choice for toilets also work well for sinks: a durable, abrasion-resistant, easy-to-use surface. to clean that maintains its shine year after year. after a year. Choose vitreous china sinks, especially pedestal ones, carefully, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, because any ceramic manufacturing process produces a large number of seconds that can have defects ranging from minor blemishes or depressions in the sink. surface. to hairline cracks and slumped or deformed contact surfaces. This can mean self-rimmed undermount sinks that don’t sit flat (particularly the larger ones) and two-piece pedestals that just don’t fit right.
Enameled cast iron has most of the good qualities of vitreous china and is much less prone to cracking. Cast iron is strong, rigid, and quiet when water runs into it, though it can splinter if mishandled during shipping or dropped with a hammer during installation. Cast iron sinks are very heavy, which may not make much of a difference to smaller vanity sinks, but it can make it difficult to handle larger sinks in the back.
Enameled steel is similar to enameled cast iron but considerably lighter and cheaper. It is much more likely to chip than enameled cast iron because its porcelain coating is thinner and steel is more flexible. The water rushing towards it is also louder and cools faster because the thin steel walls tend to dissipate heat fairly quickly. Previously a budget alternative to porcelain and cast iron, enameled steel seems to be rapidly losing ground to synthetic materials that are competitively priced and work just as well, if not better. I’ve removed a few of these sinks in remodels, but haven’t put any new ones in lately.
Cultured marble is one such synthetic material and it has been around for a long time. Cultured marble, like cultured onyx and cultured granite, is technically a fused polymer, created by mixing crushed minerals like marble, onyx, or limestone with a polyester resin. This mixture is then poured into a mold and cured at room temperature. Like fiberglass, the surface is usually gel coated in the actual color and pattern of the sink, so some cast polymer sinks are prone to scratching and marring. A problem often associated with cast polymer sumps is “cracking” or cracks and blistering in the gel coat. This usually occurs around the drain opening and is caused by thermal shock from alternating hot and cold water, abrasion from cleaning, and/or a layer of gel that is too thin or thick. Much of the low-end and DIY sink market has been dominated by these sinks, in part because they’re relatively inexpensive and look good on the shelf. Some of the newer and more expensive polymer casts have a higher percentage of materials like quartz which is very hard and are not gel coated. These cast polymers are much more resistant to heat and impact and can be sanded, making it easy to repair damage.
Solid surface materials like Corian and Surell are similar to cultured marble in that they can also be molded into one-piece sinks/countertops that are easily cleaned. They have the advantage of having colors and patterns that are an integral part of the material, so repairs can be done simply by sanding down dents and scratches, and non-porous synthetics are stain resistant (though not stain proof). . Single sinks are also available, though they are usually laminated to larger countertops of the same material. Expect to pay a lot more for solid surface sinks than cultured marble.
Ceramic earthenware bowls offer a colorful, organic alternative to mass-produced sinks. Because they are handcrafted, these sinks have irregularities that sometimes make fitting them correctly a real challenge, especially those made outside of the United States. Often these sinks do not have an overflow, a secondary outlet to the drain to prevent a clogged sink from flooding, which is sometimes required by local building codes. And because they’re somewhat fragile, they require careful installation to get everything to fit just right—tight enough not to leak, but not so tight that you crack the container.
But they do add a custom touch to a bathroom, especially when paired with tiles of the same ceramic.
Stainless steel sinks have long been popular in the kitchen, and their somewhat industrial look sometimes lends itself well to bathrooms as well. They are certainly durable and easy to clean. There is a wide range of qualities in stainless steel sinks, with their corresponding price range. The best ones have a higher percentage of chromium and nickel, which makes them more resistant to stains and corrosion, and are usually made of 18-gauge stainless steel, which makes them stronger and gives them a higher shine. Less expensive sinks feel flimsier because they’re made of lighter 22-gauge (or less) steel; they have a duller finish, tend to be noisy, and tend to warp.
Metal sinks are also available in brass, copper, aluminum, and bronze. Sometimes these sinks are mass-produced, but more often than not the more esoteric ones are made by hand, and the same reservations apply here as they apply to ceramic sinks. Just like handmade ceramic sinks, metal sinks can be tricky to install and sometimes require some modification to accommodate plumbing and fixtures. Tempered glass sinks are also available in several distinctive styles, including a countertop-mounted sink.