Tag: Choosing
Bathroom Ideas: Choosing Glass, Ceramic or Stone Vessel Sinks
If you want to change the design of your existing bathroom, a simple way to transform the look is by adding a new vanity. Installing a vessel sink vanity can instantly change the look from traditional to contemporary.
The two most important decisions to make when installing a vessel sink are the material and the faucet type.
Vessel sinks are made from many materials, including natural stone (granite, travertine, onyx, etc), glass, ceramic, metal and even wood. Here are a few things to consider:
Stone
Natural stone can include travertine, onyx, granite, and marble. Stone vessels are considered more traditional, and are very heavy in weight. They are the most expensive of the material choices. Natural stone does require more care than the other choices, as it is a porous material and can require routine sealing to prevent water stains. The benefit of stone is that nature’s beauty is difficult to reproduce. If you like a natural look, this is the best alternative.
Glass
Tempered glass is moderate in both price and weight. There are many color and sizes to choose from. Glass is considered a contemporary look. And glass is virtually maintenance free – you can use a standard glass cleaner or mild soap and water.
Porcelain
Porcelain sinks are the lowest cost and maintenance of all the material choices. Porcelain is considered a more traditional look. Porcelain has a high resistance to heat, and comes in many unique colors and patterns.
Metals
Vessel sinks can be made from copper, bronze, nickel or brass. They tend to be higher in price due to the higher cost of metal. Metal is not easily maintained and may result in a corroded finish depending on the use and the quality. This is generally considered a better alternative for a decorative feature in a bar rather than a highly utilized vanity in a bathroom.
The next decision is the faucet. You can have a top mount faucet, where the faucet comes up out of the cabinet (like a traditional sink) but the stem is longer to allow the spout to reach over the top of the vessel. This is needed if you choose to mount your vessel on the top of the counter. Another alternative is to have the faucet mounted to the wall. This does require special plumbing though and may only be an alternative if you will have open walls during your remodel. If you are not completely gutting the project, a top mounted faucet is the cheaper alternative.
Another option is to mount your vessel partly recessed, so a portion of the bowl is under mount, and a portion is above the counter top. In this case, you need to make sure your faucet stem will be tall enough to pour into the bowl, but not too tall that the water splashes all over. The advantage to this is that there are standard faucets that can be used with this application, but it also requires a precisely cut hole in the counter top to ensure a proper fit of the countersunk vessel.
Julia Ritzenthaler is Owner of boutique online furniture stores, http://www. UniqueVanities. com, http://www. UniqeMirrorsOnline. com, & http://www. UniqueLightFixture. com. For more information about unique bathroom vanity ideas, visit us online or email us with your questions at uniquevanities@msn. com.
Choosing Your Kitchen Sink
With modern technology, there have never been more options for your kitchen sink – not only in terms of material but also in an astonishing range of shapes. In a forthcoming article I will be examining the types of mounting and shape options, but now we’ll look exclusively at the stuff your sink is actually made of.
The most popular material by far is Stainless Steel. A steel sink is strong and lightweight, hygienic and easy to clean. It’s steel as well so it’s tough. They don’t really like scratches and abrasions, but apart from that are a very practical solution.
There can be a huge variation in the quality of a steel tub – and more or less you get what you pay for. The better quality models feature a base that is welded to the sides, giving a much stronger and more dense base – check for the weld mark which you should see underneath the bowl. Cheaper sinks are just stamped – pressed into shape from a sheet of steel, and as such the steel gets stretched – leaving it thinner and more likely to deform with only a small amount of pressure.
Now there’s the traditional ceramic sink. Ceramic sinks usually made by baking porcelain or fireclay and are extremely tough – they do have a reputation for looking old-fashioned (which I am sure would fit in with many kitchens out there in England!) but there are modern styles out there and their popularity is very much on the rise.
Ceramic is durable and resistant to most of the abuse you will throw at it, but is a very unforgiving material that will break crockery that is dropped on it and heavy impacts are liable to create cracks.
For those wishing for a sink that is the same colour as the surrounding worktop, a quartz material may well fit the bill. Quartz is made from crushed granite or quartz and mixed with a polymer that provides it with cohesion – and also waterproofs and seals it. ‘Quartz’ is as tough or tougher than granite, and a quartz sink could well last a lifetime.
Quartz has the advantage of being exceptionally tough and hardwearing, easy to clean, with great resistance to the evils of scratching, denting and staining. It is however really quite expensive – but all those advantages do come at a price, and a quartz worktop and sink is gonan hurt your wallet no doubt about it.
Corian is another synthetic stone-like material, originating from Dupont, that is comprised of a mixture of acrylic resin and alumina trihydrate that creates a thermoformable (bends with extreme heat) substance that is as hard as rock, and with this substance you can make a sink and worktop truly seamless, which has contributed to its continued popularity amongst consumers.
Corian is a durable substance that offers very good impact and scratch resistance, and has that advantage of a seamless look – but it is more expensive than similar alternatives.
Copper is a rare alternative, but there are situations when it would certainly suit a kitchen, so it is worth considering. It is rather a soft metal that does oxidise, so it should be kept dry after use and kept coated with beeswax. The copper sink is made of an alloy with zinc, it is hammered into shape and then fired for hardness. It is available in a range of finishes (no one copper sink ever being quite the same as another) from bright and polished to reddish-brown.
Copper can be re-polished, but it not very hard wearing, needs lots of TLC and attracts scratches easily.
All the types of sink materials offer advantages of one sort of another, and care should be taken when choosing the material that it matches your needs and the uses that you will make of it. If I can suggest one thing it is that it’s best not to skimp, cut corners elsewhere if you need to, but a sink is an important part of your kitchen – and one that could so easily look unappealing and unhealthy.
Alex Winwood works for Worktop concepts, a major supplier of granite quartz and Corian kitchens.
Choosing a Stainless Steel Sink For Your Kitchen
In the house, the kitchen might just be the room where the most people would gather. Everyone eats. Thus, it should also be pleasing to the eyes. One of the accessories that can beautify the kitchen is the kitchen sink. There are different types of kitchen sink. There are various stainless steel uses and one of them is its usage in stainless steel sink. But your dilemma will not end here. You still have to choose among different styles and sizes of this stainless steel sink. This is where another difficult task would come in.
Among the various stainless steel uses, the stainless steel sink is one of the most valuable that can contribute to the daily life of those people who use this type of sink. Anyhow, one of the first things that you should put in mind when you shop for this sink is your counter top’s dimensions. The most common rule for a better kitchen layout and structuring would be to put a single basin in a smaller kitchen and to install a double- or triple-bowl one for a much larger kitchen.
A double-bowl sink would also be ideal for an average-sized kitchen. Usually, a kitchen like this would have cabinets which are 36 inches long. When you want your kitchen to stay as it is, with your cabinets intact, then you should base the dimensions of your stainless steel sink on the dimensions of the cabinets.
For a remodeled kitchen wherein you will add something, you should conserve space and thus opt for a single-bowl stainless steel sink. Remember that in cooking, the cook should be comfortable in moving about the entire kitchen area. Thus, you have to avoid crowding things out.
The sink will be used daily for chores such as washing the dishes and most of all, preparing for food. Your all-business kitchen will at least become livelier with the help of the stainless steel kitchen sink. You may also match this with mild steel tube. You will have a safer kitchen then. Aside from the mild steel tube that you may put in your kitchen, you should also coordinate these two with other kitchen accessories. Your sink may have an appearance of a polished look or bronzed metal.
Depending on the manufacturer of the sink, it might take time before you will be able to choose well among different styles, finishes, look, and more. For one, there are varied looks in sinks such as antique, weathered, copper, hammered, and more. Once again, you should consider the color, style, and design of those things in your kitchen which are not movable such as the cabinets, appliances, furniture, and kitchen walls.
By choosing stainless steel sink, you will get some benefits from its being low maintenance, durable, and affordable. You may even choose sinks which are already incorporated with certain technological features that will make your job easier in the kitchen. These are only some of the things that you should know about stainless steel sink.
Useful Tips About Choosing Kitchen Sinks
Choosing your kitchen sink will depend on:
– the size of the cabinet under your sink
– the size of your store (if it backsplash or not)
– the material from your />
– your preferences
– how much you can afford
Characteristics kitchen sinks strong>
According to the number of basins kitchen sinks can be:
1. Single-pool: strong> This is a small sink. If you have a kitchen island, you could mount a sink basin in it, auxiliary to the main sink. If you have a dishwasher, you can rinse the dishes in the sink before putting them in the device.
If her pelvis is broad and deep (10 to 12 inches (25-30 cm) deep), the well may be more comfortable for you to wash large utensils that Well standard with two identical basins.
2. Double-basin: strong> sink standard 33 inches (84 cm) long and 22 inches (56 cm) wide that fits in the standard sink cabinet – 36 inches (91 cm) length and 24 inches (61 cm) wide.
The swimming pool is most often identical. Good choice for a sink if you wash your dishes by hand, you wash in a basin and rinse the other.
3. Triple-Basin: strong> This kitchen sink is bigger. You can use one of the basins to wash the dishes and the other to rinse. Use the third (usually smaller) to wash vegetables or install a waste disposal unit in it.
materials for kitchen sinks strong>
The following materials are popular variants of these wells but you can see wells and other materials, such as steel, glazed porcelain, clay, brass and copper.
1.
functional material / strong>. With it, your sink and countertop can be a whole unit, without any joints. This makes cleaning easier and gives your sink a unified look. Items such as dishes and glasses, dropped into a stainless steel sink are less likely to break. Other qualifications:
– durable, non-breakable,
heat resistant – color neutral shade of metal most comprehensive color
– Easy to maintain: it is the choice for wells in public
2. Enameled cast iron
In general, a more expensive material. It is a cast iron base with ceramic finish. Some of its properties:
– durable,
heat resistant – various colors are available
– noise and vibration damping the sink
3.
synthetic material. As with stainless steel, your sink and countertop can consist of a single unit. Other properties:
– durable, easy to maintain
– different colors are available
– You can remove minor damage (scratches, burns. ..)
. Composite strong>
This sink is made from natural materials such as quartz, granite, etc. as well as synthetic materials. The color is the same throughout the surface and the thickness of the kitchen sink. Therefore, it will be harder to notice the defects. Other properties:
– different colors are available
– easy to maintain
– durable, non-breakable, heat and stain resistant < br />
You can install your sink in a number of ways:
1. In sink Recessed / strong>: here, your sink straddles
2. As undermount sink / strong>: Here, your counter straddles
3. In tiles
4. As integral sink / strong>: As I mentioned above, your sink and countertop are one unit here, without any joints. For such a counter sink and you need materials such as stainless steel, solid surface and concrete.
5. You can also mount a sink in the
To ensure quality installation of your kitchen sink, I recommend you use the services of a professional.
Conclusion strong>
1. When selecting the design of your kitchen sink (color, form …) Taking into account the design of your countertop. It is good for them to complement each other.
2. The wells that have pools Increasingly, a flat bottom and vertical walls make it more comfortable for you to work. The area is larger, your utensils will thus be on the bottom and the stream of water from splashing out.
3. Look for kitchen sinks with specific technologies on the underside. These technologies reduce noise, protect against condensation and help control the temperature of the water in the
If you want to know more about kitchen sinks, please visit the following page: Advice on choosing sinks appropriate kitchen a> p>
