An Introduction To Stainless Steel Sinks

We know that when most people think about a kitchen sink their ideas on the fixture might not be the most glamorous. With the idea of dirty dishes, scrubbing, and cleaning often coming to many people’s minds, it is important not to overlook that a kitchen sink is a clear focal point of a kitchen. Kitchen sinks come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Oftentimes, a standard, stamped sink is used in the construction of newly built homes or remodels as many tend to focus more on countertop space and cabinet color. While a standard, builder-grade kitchen sink can get the job done, little more is offered by them other than utility. With our hand-welded stainless steel kitchen sinks, you can feel good knowing that in the eyes of most homemakers, your sink has all the necessary utility features, and also an elevated and sleek look.

What Is Stainless Steel?

Stainless steel is a metal alloy that is resistant to stains, rust, and corrosion under typical circumstances. While these typical circumstances are not one hundred percent transferable for every household, a durable sink made of stainless steel can withstand daily washing use, contact with chemicals like detergents and bleach, as well as the weight required to wash dishes in the sink bowls. These quality sinks made of stainless steel are better at resisting damage from heat and impacts of weight. An important thing to note about the stainless steel alloy is that it is the simplest alloy available containing both chromium and nickel. These two elements that are present in the stainless steel work to increase the durability and strength of your undermount sink.

Stainless steel is used in the kitchen and appliance industries largely because of the alloy's high durability relative to its price point. Many times a stainless steel undermount sink is fabricated by using a single sheet of the material and molding it to create the sink’s shape. The best stainless steel sinks and stainless steel sinks with deeper sink bowls and more sink space are created by welding multiple sheets of the material together.

Stainless Steel Sink Quality

The manufacturing process for the best stainless steel sink like ours is labor-intensive, with both the seamless drain and half-inch radius corners as standard features. In order to keep prices competitive, we partnered with a factory near Hong Kong, China, with whom we have maintained a great working relationship over the years. The stainless steel sinks are carefully hand-welded, securely packaged, and shipped to our warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio, where every sink completes a detailed inspection process before they ship to our customers. Some of the many quality features that our stainless steel sinks offer include:

Gauge Thickness

Our sinks are made with 16 gauge stainless steel and every sink is carefully hand-welded. Most company’s manufacture their stainless steel sinks by stamping them, meaning the stainless steel is stretched into the desired shape when a mold is pressed into a sheet of the material. Stamped sinks end up being much thinner due to the stretching that occurs during the molding process. Our sink materials are not stretched or molded, they are welded together. We start with a flat piece of 16 gauge stainless steel. The sheet of steel is cut with a laser like a dress pattern, the sides are folded up, and then are welded together. Since our stainless steel is never stretched, it is much heavier than most sinks that are labeled as 16 gauge.

Grade Of Steel

We use type 304 stainless steel for all of our sinks. 304 stainless steel is also referred to as 18/8, meaning it has 18% chromium and 8% nickel in its makeup. These properties make our sinks extremely durable and help prevent corrosion and oxidation.

Insulation

All of our stainless steel sinks come with 1/8 of an inch thick sound pads on all sink walls and on the bottom of the sink. Also, our stainless steel sinks have a thick layer of undercoating paint. The thickness of the steel, sound pads, and paint layers all work together to help dampen sound.

Finish

Our stainless steel sinks have a uniform, light #4 brushed finish.

Another Important Characteristic of our Stainless Steel Sinks

Radius

The radius of a sink refers to the curvature of the walls and corners. While most people love the contemporary look and larger workspace provided by a zero radius sink, its 90-degree corners can cause some problems. On the flip side, sinks with large curves between the bottom and sides of the sink can make large portions of your sink unusable.

We have adopted many unique features that truly set Create Good Sinks apart from any other metal sinks on the market. One characteristic to our stainless steel sinks that is extremely beneficial is our genius ½ inch radius corner design. This ½ inch corner sink design provides our customers with the elegant and space-saving look that a zero radius sink has, but eliminates the zero radius sink’s harsh 90-degree corners. Our sinks are minimal and rectangular to keep up with current trends but have just enough of a rounded corner to make cleaning a breeze.

Stainless Steel Sink Benefits/ Advantages

There are many different benefits that come with having a stainless steel kitchen sink in your home. Some of the most notable advantages of a stainless steel kitchen sink include:

• Stainless steel is sanitary and easy to clean
• Stainless steel is easy to match with appliances, faucets, and hardware.
• Stainless has a timeless appeal and is complementary in both traditional and contemporary kitchens.
• Stainless steel sinks will never flake, chip, or rust and are built to last a lifetime.

Stainless Steel Sink Maintenance

To maintain your stainless steel kitchen sink and any stainless steel accessories, we recommend a thorough cleaning once per week using a stainless steel cleaner. A great stainless steel cleaner that we recommend is Bar Keepers Friend. Be sure to use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge when cleaning your sink. It is important to avoid harsh cleaners, pads, and bleach as these can cause damage to the stainless steel.

Over time, scratches in the stainless steel will blend into the sink’s brushed finish, creating a patina. A great way to reduce the risk of deep scratches is by using our custom-fitted stainless steel grids in the basin of your sink.

A Simplified Sink Care Guide

• Rinse and dry your sink after use.
• Clean your sink once a week with a soft cloth and non-abrasive cleaner (we love Bar Keeper’s Friend!).
• For additional shine, finish with stainless steel polish.
• Do not use steel wool, wire brushes, and abrasive pads. These can cause unwanted scratching and flecks of metal can leave rust stains in the sink basin
• Cleaners containing bleach or chlorine should be avoided, when possible.

Choosing The Right Stainless Steel Sink For You

The design and placement of your stainless steel sink are going to be based on personal preference and on variables in your project's design.

• With our ledge workstation sinks you will want to make sure that your faucet is about 9" or more from the center of the stem to the center of the sprayer head. This will ensure that the faucet will reach far enough out into the bowl of the sink.

• For our smaller, single bowl sinks, we typically recommend centering the faucet with the overall length of the sink. With double bowl sinks, you can either center them with the entire length of the sink or you can place it in line with the divider of the sink.

• With our larger sinks (46" and over), dual faucets can be a very smart choice. You can divide the work between two people or have a prep and clean station going at the same time. We typically see dual faucets placed symmetrically, between two equal halves of the sink.