Does Your Kitchen Sink Make Your Heart Sink?

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the kitchen sink is a big focus. We spend lots of time there washing dishes, scrubbing vegetables, rinsing our hands. Maybe we look out of the window, sing to the radio or daydream and it’s easy to take a kitchen sink for granted, but if you’re putting up with a scratched, discoloured or badly fitting sink with leaky taps everyday, you’ll notice every annoying flaw.

So, you want to upgrade your sink. Is it time to call a plumber? Not necessarily. Leave him to install Jacuzzi baths and mobility showers. To many homeowners, fitting a kitchen sink seems like a daunting task, but actually, if you can trace around a template and cut out a hole, you can install a kitchen sink. The most important tip is to remember to turn off the water supply to the taps before removing your old sink.

Choose the sink to make the best use of the available space, to suit the style of the kitchen, and to meet the needs of the householders. Unless you have a dishwasher, for example, the sink must be large enough to cope with all the washing up, including larger items like oven racks, freezer baskets and baking trays. If anyone using the kitchen has mobility-related needs, it’s worth getting some advice from an expert in this area.

If you plan to recreate a period-style kitchen, you may want a reproduction Butler or Belfast fireclay sink, complete with a teak draining board. Most of the original stoneware sinks were replaced years ago, usually with a stainless steel sink and draining board. Whilst stainless steel is hard to beat in terms of durability, many people dislike its “institutional” associations. Good-quality plastic or enamelled sinks will cope well with the usual wear and tear of daily use, but don’t be tempted to go for rock bottom price, or you may well end up replacing the sink again sooner than you planned.