Finance Kitchen

A new sink is a major feature in your kitchen remodel. Now you have so many styles, sizes, colors and materials available that you can choose a sink that is superbly functional and works with your new kitchen design.

Stainless steel has been the standard sink for the past thirty or more years. Stainless is durable, easy to install and is available in all price ranges. Costs for stainless sinks will depend on the gauge of the material, the sound insulation, style and other factors. When shopping for a stainless steel sink, check the gauge (the smaller number indicate heavier material and will indicate greater resistance to dents and probably less noise from running water.) Stainless steel sinks come in a variety of sized and configurations and continue to be popular but it is losing ground to new high style materials.

Porcelain finish sinks, commonly found in older homes are making a comeback. The porcelain sinks usually are a porcelain finish over a cast-iron base. They are somewhat more fragile than stainless in that they can chip if heavy objects are dropped on them but the classic design is worth the extra caution. The porcelain finish is now available in custom colors as well as the classic white.

Solid surface sinks are rising in popularity. These can be either natural stone or composites that mimic natural stone and have the benefit of being both high style and durable. The composite materials can also coordinate with your new countertops. They are heat resistant and scratches can be easily buffed out.

For a really high end design, copper sinks are available. Frequently this is a custom item but where you remodel features other copper accents it can make a serious statement. While copper is beautiful, and heat resistant, it is soft, can easily scratch and will need attention to keep a gleaming finish.

The final option for sink materials is acrylic. This is a great material for sound insulation. They are not as heat resistant as other materials and can be fairly easily scratched but they offer great style at a reasonable cost.

All of the materials listed above are available in a variety of configurations. When selecting your new sink check the style to make sure the mount type. Some sinks are designed to only mount on top of your counter or only as under-mounts. Some sinks are designed to mount either way. There is also the “front apron” sink that is popular for the farm-house look. These tend to be either under mount models or to stand alone on the sink base between two sections of counter top.

One more consideration in choosing your design is the bowl configuration. For many years the default was two bowls of equal size. The problem with this design is that it doesn’t accommodate large items. Even with unequal size bowls large items may not fit. Consider installing two separate sinks, a large single bowl sink and a smaller prep sink in different locations.

Before remodeling your kitchen, it is important that all of the design elements look the way you want them to, and that the appliances are up to date and functional. A kitchen which is mainly white would look coordinated with a white dishwasher, and a kitchen with other stainless steel appliances would naturally look best with a stainless steel dishwasher. Many stainless steel dishwashers can now be covered with facing that matches the cabinetry in the kitchen, so the dishwasher remains slightly hidden and camouflaged. Color and design are just as important as function and price.

If you are remodeling your kitchen, there is no better time to incorporate Energy Star products into your home to save energy. Energy star dishwashers use at least 40% less energy than the average dishwasher, which is good for the environment and also for your wallet.

For the kitchen that needs a stainless steel dishwasher, a great choice is the 24″ Tall Tub Built In Dishwasher from LG. The dishwasher comes with a built in food disposer, so you can forgo the excessive rinsing of dishes before they are put in the dishwasher. The LG not only cleans the dishes thoroughly, but dries them as well, so the dishes are ready to put away as soon as the cycle is done. This dishwasher cuts out pre rinsing and dish drying. LoDecibel operation also means that the dishwasher runs with much less noise for a quiet kitchen.

Another great stainless steel dishwasher is the Bosch SHX98M09UC. This dishwasher is so quiet that it is hard to notice that there is any appliance running at all. This dishwasher also dries the dishes, however it does not use up more energy for a dry cycle. This Bosch dishwasher uses recycled energy from the dish wash cycle to dry the dishes, making this dishwasher very energy efficient. This Bosch dishwasher is sleekly designed, one of the sleeker features being that the controls for the dishwasher are located on the top of the dishwasher door, so all of the buttons are hidden from view when the dishwasher door is closed. The lack of a control panel on the front of the door makes this design one of the best dishwashers fronts to apply cabinetry fronts to.