Getting new fixtures for your kitchen can get quite tricky. It’s difficult to know where to start and figure out what fits in well with the rest of the space and with what you need. The best way to go about figuring this out is to familiarize yourself with sinks and work your way down to what you need specifically.
Kitchen sinks are designed to work well with how you’ll use them in a kitchen. Manufacturers understand that homeowners have specific needs from their fixtures and design their products around this. For hard water sinks, we’re looking for finishes that greatly reduce the chances of crystallization and are easy to maintain.
Learning more about sinks isn’t exactly an interesting topic. Still, we’re here to present only relevant and important information that you can refer to later on for your other projects. Generally, preparation and planning is the key aspect that you’ll need for a smooth and successful home renovation project.
Kitchen Sinks: The Basics When it Comes to Hard Water
There’s surprisingly more than meets the eye when it comes to sinks. It’s important to remember that sinks aren’t like furniture that stands alone, but rather it is a fixture connected to your home’s water system. With that said, installing a fixture may require some professional help and some remodeling in your house for it to work properly.
To keep it brief, water fixtures in a home are mainly connected to 2 pipes: a water pipe(which supplies water to the fixture) and a drainage pipe( which carries used water back to the sewage). An essential part of any water fixture is the “trap,” which is a pipe that’s shaped in such a way that prevents sewage odors, like last night’s dinner, from exuding from your drains.
From a design perspective, the usability of a sink lies in its shape and form. Kitchen sinks are often flat with only a small slope than bathroom sinks, often shaped like a bowl. The almost rectangular shape of a typical kitchen sink increases its volume, thus allowing you to wash your kitchenware or utensils with a much bigger working space.
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If you have a particular sink design that you’re looking for, you can refer to this table on the different parts of the sink.
| Parts of Kitchen Sink | Description |
|---|---|
| Mount | The mount is the part of your sink attached to the rest of your kitchen’s counter. The top mount refers to the sink being attached from above the counter, while a bottom mount is underneath. |
| Basin | The basin refers to the part of the sink that catches water. For kitchen sinks, the basin will be where you place your dishes and do all the washing. |
| Faucet | The faucet is what supplies water to your sink. For kitchen sinks, faucets are often thin and raised(meaning that the faucet spout is above the counter level) to give more working space. |
| Drainboard | The drainboard is a flat surface on your counter connected to your sink and is used to redirect water towards the basin. |
| Sprayer | Commonly found in professional kitchens, sprayers give users more water control. |
| Material | Generally, the material for sinks will determine how easy it will be to clean. Kitchen sinks often use stainless steel. |
If you want to get the most bang for your buck from your kitchen sink, you need a sink that matches your needs. The table above gives you all the parts you need to consider to find the right kitchen sink for you.
For example, if you happen to have a big family, you’ll need a sink that can handle a lot of plates, utensils, pots, pans, etc., without getting jammed. Getting a larger basin with a drainboard to hold your other kitchenware while having a raised faucet that allows you to easily place/take dishes in and out will help make cleaning easier.
What’s the Difference Between Hard water & Regular water?
Hard water is simply water with a considerable amount of minerals in them. Minerals in water can be magnesium, calcium, lime, gypsum, etc. The main concern with hard water that you should always consider is how minerals react when in contact with other chemicals/materials.
The most notable interaction that hard water has is with soap and other cleaning materials. They can potentially cause deposits on the sink itself, inside your drainage pipes, and even on your kitchenware. Hard water entails more maintenance work for our sinks, from cleaning out deposits and requiring a more durable material considering how it can also potentially cause stains.
You can tell you have hard water stains when you see white/brown stains all over your fixtures. On the other hand, Deposits can be seen along the edges of pipes or openings of your faucet/drain.
How to Prevent Stains/Deposits from Forming on the Kitchen Sink
The surefire way of preventing the negative effects of hard water is by using a water softener. A water softener works by filtering your water and removing the excess minerals in them. It can get quite expensive and is only really worth it if you find that your water supply has a large excess of mineral content in them.
The best way to prevent stains and deposits is to wipe off excess water and keep your sink dry right after use. In most cases, the negative effects of hard water tend to happen because the minerals are left to settle into deposits. This can be quite a hassle and is why having a good sink can help lessen the load of maintenance work inside the kitchen.
How is a New Kitchen Sink Installed?
Another aspect of knowing which best sink is for you is determining how well it matches your current setup and how smoothly the installation will go. As much as we want to get the best sink we prefer, we also need to be pragmatic and see if the extra work is worth it. Here is a brief overview of how a kitchen sink installation usually goes:
1. Preparation
If the project starts from scratch, a hole in your counter will need to be made for your sink. The hole size will depend on your sink’s size and its mount type. Also, different parts attached to the sink( such as the faucet or the filters) are already attached.
2. Installation of sink
The sink is then placed onto the counter, and into the hole you’ve made. Sinks are mainly held in place and attached by using caulk. From here, adjustments are made to ensure that the sink sets correctly and is aligned with the rest of your counter.
3. Connection to pipes
The final step involves connecting your sink with your pipes. The water pipe is connected to your faucet, and the drainage pipe is connected to your sink trap.
Kindly note that this is only a brief overview and is only meant to give you a general idea of how it goes. Many other installations can be made, especially for plumbing, that can increase the features of your sink, such as hot water or cold water, control over water pressure, or even add sensors.
Best Kitchen Sinks for Hard Water
We are looking for a sink with finishes that won’t be stained by hard water and help prevent deposits from forming. Aside from the finishes, we also want to look at the sink’s design and the features they provide. Before anything else, make sure to take measurements of your kitchen’s counters and cabinet space to ensure that these sinks can be a viable option for your kitchen.
Best Budget Buy Kitchen Sinks for Hard Water…
Ufaucet 32 inch Undermount Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink, Standard PRO Commercial Single Bowl Zero Radius 16-Gauge Wet Bar Prep Sink with Drainer and Bottom Grid (Check it out on Amazon here)
Stainless steel is always a reliable option that you can’t go wrong with. The finish of bare stainless steel will make it more susceptible to stains but makes it easier to clean or repair as needed. Conveniently, this model uses stainless steel that has been treated to be stain and scratch-resistant.
You might be surprised why we include this sink in our list since there are no specific features that make it stand out specifically against hard water. Stainless steel sinks are the most common, and most products against hard water are designed to work well with this material. Considering the price, this sink provides the most value for what you’re paying for in terms of its design and features.
Check out the current price on Amazon.
Best Low Maintenance Kitchen Sinks for Hard Water…
Blanco Diamond Silgranit 70/30 Double Bowl Drop-in/Undermount Kitchen Sink (Available on Amazon here).
The use of granite composite as a material is the main feature of this sink against hard water. The characteristics of this sink’s finish focus on stain resistance, and its texture works great against any deposit formations. Granite is also heat resistant, which can be good against hard water as minerals are more likely to form deposits in higher temperatures.
The 70/30 design and the different drains help because the water you consume will be split among different surfaces rather than continuously like single sinks. However, you should note that this could potentially make installation trickier since you have an extra drain to worry about.
Check out the current price on Amazon.
Best Kitchen Sink for Hard Water in a Small Kitchen/Apartment Kitchen…
KRAUS KEU-14WHITE Pintura 16 Gauge Undermount Single Bowl Enameled Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink, 31 1/2-inch, White (Available from the brands website here).
If you’re looking for a kitchen sink that goes well with your wooden countertops, then this is the one for you. The material of this sink is stainless steel with an enamel finish, which also works great in preventing any staining and allows you to spot any deposits that form easily.
However, an issue with this sink is that it will require extra attention, as any leftover liquid or food residue will be more apparent. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue since the smooth enamel finish makes it easy to wipe off. You’ll also need to be a bit more careful with this sink, as enamel can chip if it gets hit from a bad angle.
Best All-Round Kitchen Sink for Hard Water…
BLANCO, Anthracite 441094 DIAMOND SILGRANIT Super Single Drop-In or Undermount Kitchen Sink, 33.5″ X 22″. (Available from Amazon here).
The BLANCO Super Single Dual Mount Kitchen Sink is a top contender for the best home sinks in the industry. The large single bowl design provides more room to work with than the 70/30 drop-in. Another feature in its design is that the drain is off-center from where the faucet should be, which can also be helpful if you have hard water forming deposits inside your pipes.
A potential issue with this sink can be its sheer size; measuring at a whopping 33.5” x 22” can cause some issues in installation, especially if you’re going with the undermount style.
Check the current price on Amazon.
Although we’re focused on the features of these sinks for hard water, your sink should still work well with the rest of your kitchen and have a design that meets your needs. Consider the features that you want out of your sink first, and then find a product that fits in well with that. Most of the sinks in this list have a lot of available add-ons that go well with them and will make kitchen work a lot more convenient for you.
Conclusion
These sinks can make life easier if you have any problems with hard water and your water fixtures. Remember that good practices in the use and maintenance go a long way in preventing any issues from hard water in the long run.