Island Sinks

I need to make a decision on the sink for the kitchen island. The dimensions of the sink will have a big impact on the dimensions of the island. I really can’t start building the island until I’ve decided on the sink.

I made the rounds yesterday to look at the meager offerings locally. There wasn’t much to chose from. The two criteria I started with were: 1) Not stainless steel. 2) Under-mount sink. I found exactly zero sinks that met both criteria. There was a Kohler 15X15 cast iron/white enamel drop in sink with faucet holes for $195. They could order the same sink without the holes and as an under-mount for $269. Strange but true.

I found a really cool old copper sink on Ebay that would have been absolutely perfect for the house but it was a little bigger than I wanted (16X25) and had a 1.5-inch drain on it. That means no garbage disposal. I bid on it anyway because I liked it so much and was out bid. My max bid was $221 and it sold for $224. I think it’s just as well.

This did get me thinking about copper sinks, though. I had considered a copper sink for the cabinets I built but I couldn’t find a sink that had both apparent quality and an affordable price. You can get these hammered Mexican copper sinks that are pretty inexpensive but they don’t tell you how thick the copper is and they all come in Oil Rubbed Bronze finish. I just get this feeling that they are hammered too thin and they will start to split in places after a few years. I’m also not a big fan of the oil rubbed bronze.

However, I found two sinks that have potential. They are both bar/prep sinks. They are both 16 gauge copper. They both have 3.5-inch drain holes. They are both under-mount. They both come in finishes that are not oil rubbed bronze. And the most important part (drum roll, please) they don’t cost and arm and a leg.

The first one is here. I would get it in the Natural color and it goes for $225, shipping included.


The one here is $244 with shipping. I’m not sure how I feel about the pattern on it. It looks nice put I wonder if it will be difficult to get little specks of things to go down the drain. Will I spend half my life with a sprayer trying to get the sink clean of debris?