Buying a sink for your dream farmhouse is exciting and fun. We put together a list of the best farmhouse sinks and found them to be functional, timeless, and chic—ideally elevating the elegance in your home up to two notches. Farmhouse sinks are an accent piece that most of you can’t wait to buy and install.
While the prospect of buying a farmhouse sink is undoubtedly exhilarating, there are a few things that buying one comes with. These include the upkeep, cleaning, maintenance, and the little tips and tricks that you would want to consider when purchasing.
While your farmhouse sink shopping may go smoothly, you will soon find yourself confronted with some dilemmas that nobody, not even the shop owners, mentioned to you before buying.
Here are the 5 things that nobody tells you when getting a farmhouse sink:
Farmhouse sinks easily stain or chip
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When it comes to farmhouse sinks, the most common material is usually copper, fireclay, or porcelain. These materials are used because of the texture and look that they give to a home. Moreover, the rusted and distressed look of these materials is what makes it so appealing to farmhouse renovators. For more information on the pros and cons of the materials, we did a post on stainless steel vs porcelain sinks.
One major problem that comes with these types of materials, however, is that they easily chip, stain, or crack.
Take fireclay, for example. While incredibly durable due to being forged in high temperatures, the surface of your fireclay sink will be susceptible to chipping and cracks. There are fireclay sinks that are infused with enamel that prevents this from happening, however.
Copper, on the other hand, like most raw metal materials has an “alive” finish. It will continuously react to the oxygen in the air or the chemicals that are used in the kitchen. This is what causes copper discoloration, which is a normal part of owning a copper kitchen sink. A rigorous cleaning regime is advised to be followed to prevent immediate spots from forming.
Glassware will break more easily
One main feature of farmhouse sinks that sets it apart from another kind of sinks is its deep basin. While this basin is optimal for maximizing space and accommodating large pots and pans, one major drawback is that the depth of the sink quickly causes glassware to break more easily.
It usually happens when you set down a glass, and you accidentally knock the glass over. If the glass collides with the hard bottom of the sink, or another hard dishware (like a ceramic plate), your glass could easily shatter.
Of course, this case is made even worse when it comes to stemmed wine bottles or extremely tall glasses.
This is why most farmhouse sinks come with protective bottom steel so that the hard base of the pan is not always exposed to the dishes.
Farmhouse sinks will get dirty
This isn’t necessarily a general case for all types of farmhouse sinks, but certain kinds of farmhouse sinks will get dirtier than the others.
Fireclay farmhouse sinks, only come in white and other light colors; White stains and grime easily clings to it. This is the same problem that you would face with a light-colored porcelain farmhouse sink.
Stainless steel farmhouse sinks, while generally resistant to dirt or stains, do wear over time. The water spots cling to the surface, and they do not quickly go away. It’s a part of owning a stainless steel sink. However, I’ve known stainless steel sinks that are “water-repellant”, in a sense, as they are coated with a gunmetal anti-water droplets finish.
Sharp-edged farmhouse sinks are also likely to collect more dirt than the rounded-edge ones. The sharp corners are the best place for dirt to deposit and collect. Also, this tight corner is challenging to reach for cleaning.
Also, if your farmhouse sink is above-mounted, it will have a raised edge, where the sink and the countertop meets. This raised lip will be a possible pocket for dirt and grime to deposit.
Pick a sink that matches your lifestyle and kitchen use
Do you own a dishwasher, and prefer to use it most of the time? Do you cook around in the kitchen often? Do you require multitasking when working around in the kitchen? Do you have a large family? Do you own some unique kitchenware that should only be hand washed? Do you have large pots and pans that could not fit in your standard dishwasher?
These are all the questions that you should ask yourself before buying your farmhouse sink. Because ultimately, your answers to these questions will dictate your purchasing decision.
Generally, the size and material of your farmhouse kitchen sink should be dependent on your frequency of use in the kitchen. The size should be large enough to accommodate all the in-demand steps of working in the kitchen, and the material should be for frequent usage.
If you do not make use of the kitchen sink always, simply because you have a functioning dishwasher and rarely cook in the kitchen, you might get away with higher-maintenance, better-looking materials, like copper.
There are different finishes
Here’s something very important: while your kitchen sink may be made of a specific material, its finish will produce noticeable differences.
Stainless steel, for example, has a lot of finishes. It can be satin, brushed, chrome, or gunmetal matte. In which case, the finish creates a difference to the surface and can shorten or extend the lifetime of your kitchen sink. –
- Satin-finished can be scratched by hard and blunt objects, like the tip of a knife.
- Brushed look is somewhat similar to satin and can sustain the same damages.
- Chrome-look is multicolor and is more popular with modern homes than farmhouse ones.
- Gunmetal matte finish produces a water-resistant surface, preventing the formation of water spots.
Likewise, the surfaces of a farmhouse sink may be infused with other materials for optimal usage.
- Fireclay sink can have an enamel-infused surface, for higher durability.
- Porcelain sink can be infused with metal, to prevent chipping. While surface infusion is different from the finish of metal, the overall idea is that the surface of the sink could be made of a different material than the sink itself, ultimately countering the drawbacks of the sink material.
Those were the 5 main things that you should know, before browsing catalogues trying to find the farmhouse sink that will complete your dream rustic home. Keep these in mind when deciding for your farmhouse sink purchase.