Are Undermount Sinks A Passing Fad?

Undermount sinks have a lot to recommend them. But, before you race out to purchase one for your renovation, there are a few things you need to consider.  Undermount sinks can look extremely stylish, but depending on your lifestyle, they might not be your best choice.

Once upon a time, the only sort of kitchen sink you could have was an undersink. Due to the popularity of drainage areas surrounding sinks with drainage, or lip sinks, undermount sinks were slowly replaced. Now dishwashers have taken away the need to wash every kitchen utensil, undermount sinks have been making a huge comeback.

What are Undermount sinks?

Undermount sinks are fitted into (under) a laminate, resin composite, stainless steel or marble benchtop. This means they sit lower than they bench and don’t have a lip over the edge, like previous styles of sinks.

What are the advantages of having a sink fitted into a bench?

There are quite a few advantages of having an undersink fitted;

Ø  it’s often said that a kitchen is what sells a house, and undermount sinks are extremely popular

Ø  their clean lines, and ‘hidden’ appearance fits perfectly with contemporary décor

Ø  undermount sinks are fitted into a bench top so there are no annoying edges to trap crumbs

Ø  if liquid is spilled on the bench, it’s amazingly easy to wipe it into the sink

Ø  undermount sinks don’t have a ‘draining’ area, so more bench space can be used

What are the disadvantages?

Ø  if the bench-top the undersink is fitted into isn’t stone or stainless steel, bench tops are notoriously easy to mark, chip or moisture degraded. Laminate, acrylic or composite bench tops are almost impossible to fix and could need replacing in time

Ø  undermount sinks are more expensive to install because the bench tops they are fitted into need extra finishing. Drainage sinks have a lip which drops over and hides any raw edges of the bench-top

Ø  sinks with drainage are fixed by their lip; whereas undermount sinks have to be installed using a not so strong layer of silicon glue.

Ø  undermount sinks can develop silicon mould which is almost impossible to clean, and can destroy the integrity of the seal overtime

Ø  there is no area to ‘drain’ drying non-dishwasher friendly dishes

If you are finding it way too difficult to choose between having an undersink, or oversink installed in your new renovation, maybe think outside the box (or sink as the case may be) and research some of the new fashioned sinks that are beginning to appear on the market.

New fashioned sinks are specifically designed to combine the usefulness and installation advantages of drainage sinks, with the clean lines and easy clean properties of undermount sinks. The majority of these come in two forms;

1. drainage sinks are available in a powder coated metals. These can be chosen to match the either the colour of a bench, or the signature colour of your kitchen décor
2. undermount sinks that are moulded part of either a stainless steel or acrylic bench top

Whichever type of sink you think would be the most appropriate for your renovated kitchen, there is one thing all sinks have in common – you won’t find them cheaper than one you’ll purchase through Sydney’s largest Auction Warehouses. You can usually find a range of premium quality kitchen sinks listed for auction, or even chat to their onsite kitchen installing service to see what they recommend.

Pic courtesy of Skitterphoto @pixabay