When you think of a dream kitchen, you imagine it to be spacious and luxurious. Most modern homes don’t give you such pleasure, though. Due to limited space, the urban housing features smaller kitchens so that at least you can fulfill your daily needs.
It can be a wee bit disappointing. But you don’t have to feel depressed about it because size is not everything. You can still achieve a lot in that limited area without spending a fortune. Just tap into your creative mind and organize your kitchen the way you desire.
You can take a cue from interior design sites for customization ideas. When doing this, your focus should be on optimizing the functionality of every inch.
A small kitchen deserves minimalist and multifunctional layout, not just in terms of the area but all the details and elements as well. You can think about the choice of a kitchen sink, for instance.
A kitchen sink is one of the busiest and most necessary components in the kitchen. Since you don’t have much room to allot to it, you intuitively know that you would have to browse through a collection of small kitchen sinks. When you decide on this, you will have to make many considerations to ensure that it is a superb fit for your small space as well as needs.
The job becomes easy if you have awareness about all the choices available on the market. Let’s learn about them so that you can shop this important item hassle-free.
Size Of A Kitchen Sink
The size of your counter and cabinet is extremely crucial to know because your sink will have to settle there. In a standard kitchen area, cabinets tend to be 24 inches deep.
If you know the minimum cabinet size, you can check the remaining front and back sides of the counter to understand which sink will fit there. As per the length goes, generally, small sinks feature 9 to 23 inches length. You can visit any trusted online store or brand to explore their range, though.
Usually, people measure the size of the base cabinet in inches and deduct three inches from it when considering a choice of a basin. The sink arguably has to be three inches smaller than the cabinet as it would go inside it.
Installation Choices
No matter how small or big your sink size is, you get mainly three options with the installation. These include drop-in or self-rimming, undermount, and farmhouse.
Drop-in installation: This can be easy to install, as many believe. You can put it in a cutout in the counter on a base cabinet with flanges lying on the cutout for support. The main challenge with this arrangement is the lip of the sink that blocks you from wiping food and liquid directly into the bowl from the counter. As a consequence, the residues get stuck in the corners, giving you a hard time with cleaning.
Undermount installation: As the name suggests, in this type of configuration, the bowl has to be set up from inside the countertop with additional support usually. Since the edges of the sink and countertop remain seamless, you don’t face any problem with cleaning. It doesn’t leave any gap where food particles or moisture can get trapped.
Farmhouse installation: Also known as apron front, this type of configuration keeps the edge of the basin exposed by extending it beyond the cabinet by a tiny margin. Homeowners love its design, the apron front. It can go with even conventional cabinets. From stainless steel to granite, you can get this style in many materials.
Sink Materials
Stainless steel and granite can be two prominent choices for you in small sinks. Steel is well-known for its durability, clean appearance, and neutral effect. You can get them in a polished finish as well.
The gauge of the steel also matters as thickness determines the quality. These sinks can also be less risky for your dishes and glassware. Homeowners prefer these in small sizes also because they can run longer than most other options.
Their consistent look is another plus. And yes, these cost less compared to others. You, however, need to clean it regularly to protect its surface from water staining and spotting. And some finishes can show scratch marks.
Granite, on the other hand, is a type of stone material mixed with acrylic resin. These tend to be heavier and hence need additional support in installation. Qualities like durability, strength, scratch-resistance, and color-fade resistance make them quite popular in kitchens. Also, these can add an elegant touch to any kitchen décor effortlessly.
Other than these, there can be more choices as well. But stainless steel is perhaps the best choice when it comes to small size sinks.
Points To Consider
Buying a kitchen sink is not as easy as it requires a lot of deliberation and considerations. Hence, before you choose anything, make sure you know some basic facts well. For instance, select a sink after reading all the product details carefully because the counter top will need customization to accommodate it. Once a template has been created, you cannot change your option.
While considering materials, style, configuration, and other things, you should also reckon your health conditions. If you suffer from back pain, then avoid going for a deep bowl as it would cause pain when you clean dishes. Similarly, don’t opt for a sink with sharp edges if you do a lot of cleaning jobs there.
It can ruin your clothes. And if you don’t want to see the surface of your sink dirty or scratched, then be careful with your habits and choose a material that can survive them better than others. Nowadays, some sinks come with a bottom grid. You can go for such an option to prevent the surface from getting ruined by scratches.
Just remember one thing, small sinks can be as useful as any other standard or large size sinks. Therefore, you shouldn’t regret having not enough space in the kitchen. A small sink can make your limited kitchen space as beautiful and functional as other choices.
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