one thing leads to another. we must have a new sink to go with the new countertops, right? this is turning into a total kitchen renovation.
i'm thinking i want a stainless sink and i'm considering an undermount. although i love the look, the one thing i worry about with an undermount is that it will be difficult to clean where the countertop and sink meet... like in the gap or seam.
do any of you have an undermount? is keeping that gap clean an issue? other love it/hate it comments?
Hmmmmm...we have an undermount, and I have never had a problem with keeping the seam underneath clean. Our counter extends maybe a 1/2 inch over the sink, so you can't even see where the sink is attached.
I HATED having an overmount and couldn't wait to get rid of it. It was much harder to keep the seam on top clean. Plus I like the smooth line of the counter with the undermount.
I love the look of undermount sinks. A friend of mine has granite countertops and an undermounted stainless sink. He says that it's way easier to keep clean than a regular (topmount?) sink, because you don't have to worry about the part of the sink that sits on the counter. An added bonus is that you can wipe any crumbs or spills on the counters into the sink without having to go over that bump where a sink would normally be. I don't know from experience how tricky it is to keep the gap between the surfaces clean, but my friend's kitchen is very clean (and he's not one to sit and scrub for hours... )
I don't know if you're still considering concrete for your countertops, but have you thought about having the sink poured in it, making it all one piece? Here's a picture (the best I could find)... I think it would look nice with the shiny glass tiles you were talking about. Just a thought...
I'm glad you brought this up! When I get my kitchen done I think I would like an undermounted sink. I like the idea of the whole countertop being smooth to the sink.
I'd definitely go with the undermount. I don't think they'd be any more difficult to clean than overmount sinks. I personally HATE my overmount sink. There's no barrier really to keep the water from splashing everywhere and I don't think we'd have that problem if we had an undermount.
We have an undermount sink and we love it! We also have granite and it is beautiful. It sounded like you might be concerned about granite being too formal, but I really don't think that is the case. Ours is dark, lots of black, browns & rust and it is spectacular. We have found that darker granite really creates a richened look and is a beautiful accent to your cabinetry. We chose a black granite sink and it blends better than stainless would and it is so easy to clean. No issues ever with seaming. PM me if you want to see some pictures.
A hint to to all on granite cleaner... the best ever is at Target and it's their Method brand granite cleaner. About $3.99 a bottle, leaves NO residue and smells fabulous.