Apron-front, farmhouse sink options… and why I decided AGAINST FIRECLAY.
I thought there was one kitchen decision that was finished… But then I remembered that if you think something is not a problem, it is most likely because you have not yet determined the extent to which it is actually a huge problem.
This is what I want in a sink:
single bowl.
apron front.
offset drain.
undermount.
white.
I had originally wanted the 36” Rohl Shaw farmhouse sink… the larger size is visually appealing to me. But I’ve scaled back to the 30” sink because I’m not planning to bathe in the kitchen, and we don’t have a huge amount of space.
However. Over the last week, I’ve gotten my PhD in fireclay… I ended up in the quagmire of 500-open-tabs, trying to convince myself that a sink that gets half 5-stars and half 1-star doesn’t equal a possible problem.
The review here pretty much sums up everything I read about installation issues: it will be amazing to look at, but you your husband might abandon the project halfway through.
What I already knew:
Ooooh pretty.
$$$$$$$$$.
Heavy.
What I did not know:
–fireclay can crack.
–or discolor.
–or craze.
–it can develop pitting.
–the sink measurements vary by as much as +/- 2%, across ALL PLANES.
–sometimes people have issues with drainage: if the pitch is off slightly, the water can pool in a shallow area away from the drain.
Basically, fireclay is a natural material; AND the sinks are handmade… which means, depending on your personality, EITHER:
Perfection is in the imperfection.
Or it will make you crazy.
I usually skew towards crazy… especially in the service of something shiny, but I think this is going to be a rare practical exception.
PLUS, I have to consider that my sink-installation-guy is brand new to the process.
I can guess how he will feel about me supervising the job; clutching my pearls, playing YouTube installation videos, and reading aloud instructions, (via bullhorn) that explain how YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WHEN TIGHTENING THE FLANGE.
I gave Paul a brief overview of this potential in-home circus, and he said getting it level wasn’t even his biggest concern… he was worried about the issue of how a true farmhouse sink shows the face of the cabinet’s rough opening.
And how for someone who has done this 500 times, no big deal… but for a guy who is married to the customer, and ALREADY perceives the customer as being “difficult,” there is the concern of mis-cutting / not-NASA-level-alignment / +/- 2% variation / and the extreme unlikelyhood of the lady of the house being satisfied with “we’ll just fill that space with caulk.”
This review details (with photos,) how a woman bumped her fireclay sink with a crockpot and a huge chunk fell off the front… This was sort of the deciding factor for me because regardless of whether this is a miniscule possibility:
A– I am a risk-adverse person who likes to control all factors.
B–my installation guy is NOT going to want to replace the sink… ESPECIALLY if it involves mathematical sorcery and removing the countertop.
So I started looking at other sinks… I really like a wall-mounted sink with an integrated backsplash.
I revisited the vintage option. I do really love an old sink, and they can be had for next to no money… but ultimately I think I’m addicted to the practicality of an undermount/being able to wipe the counter directly into the sink.
Below is my dream sink amalgamation. If I were a foot shorter, I’d do this… those are old utility sinks, and they are DEEP. But already I feel hunched over washing dishes, I can’t imagine reaching down another foot.
I see this version on craigslist from time to time or at the salvage yard and they look amazing in person– super thick and solid. Although you’d have to retrofit the drain to fit a garbage disposal. Most vintage sink drains aren’t large enough.
Considering everything– that I like the look of a farmhouse sink, I want to undermount, and it needs to be apron front because I’m 6’, Paul taller, and I’m hoping that installing the sink closer to my body is going to be a big improvement.
So I think what I’ve ended up with is the Kohler Whitehaven… these are sort of a faux farmhouse. They have a self-trimming face that covers the rough opening of the cabinet. So it LOOKS like you cut the cabinet to fit the front of the sink, but the lip of the sink is actually covering it.
Savanna Hancey
April 9, 2016 @ 1:54 am
Thanks for the post! I love farmhouse sinks and have been researching for our kitchen remodel. I have a couple of questions… How is your farmhouse sink holding up? Are you glad you went with a 30 inch sink vs. 32 inch sink?
Amber
April 9, 2016 @ 9:37 am
I found your blog today and have laughed to tears — I’m pretty sure we are two parts of the same soul. My husband read the post about the Kingdom mirror and is convinced I wrote it about he and I but changed the names. Ha! Love finding another kindred spirit!
Gen
April 9, 2016 @ 10:27 am
Thank you for sharing your experience and all these details. This is very informative and has probably prevented me from a disaster with my future tiny house kitchen!
Jenny
April 23, 2016 @ 10:04 pm
Wow, thanks for the tip! My husband and I are starting a kitchen renovation and everyone was talking about fireclay sinks and how amazing they are. I think I’ll go with the Kohler.
Pam
September 16, 2016 @ 5:15 pm
I have the 30″ Rohl undermount fireclay sink. No apronfront, I didn’t have the money for a new cabinet so I had to get a sink that fit in the old cabinet. Love the sink though, 13 years later it still looks great. I have a couple of tiny chips, mainly from careless teenagers and my preference for cast iron cookware, but they do not affect function at all. I use Barkeepers Friend to clean it. I love it because I can stuff a few days worth of dirty dishes in it and no one can see, lol, or I can bath small children in it. It is HUGE!
Just discovered your blog and am enjoying reading it, especially your CL luck. CL in my area is mainly filled with dealers hawking cheap furniture and bedding. I did have one good CL find, a mahogony chippendale highboy (repro, but gets the job done). Found a mahogony Federal dresser on the side of the road once. I have yet to finish that project, so you are a kindred spirit!
Myrna Schkolne
September 29, 2016 @ 11:03 am
I researched sinks thoroughly and bought the Kohler Whitehaven because it seemed to beautiful and rugged. Within four months of installation, it had crazed. Kohler replaced it, but the expense and hassle of installing the replacement (undermount) was enormous. Four months later, the replacement has crazed too. Kohler will replace, but that’s not the issue!! Will I be calling every four months for a new sink?
Don’t touch this sink. You are looking for problems, and Kohler knows it. I am the only person who uses my kitchen sink. I am careful, and nothing I did could have caused this. By the time the first sink was taken out, it looked like it had been in a barn for 100 years. Disgusting!
Carmen
October 1, 2016 @ 10:20 pm
This post is the answer to my prayers! Thank you!!
Nikki
November 26, 2016 @ 4:58 pm
i could’ve written this exact blog. Can you tell me if you’ve had trouble with yellowing with the sink you finally chose?
Ruben
April 23, 2017 @ 10:12 am
In 2017… I’d take a look at Blanco’s Ikon apron sinks…have the apron sink look but made out of silgranite and a variety of colours. We found it lighter and less issues than the fire clay or iron. Silgranite has been good to us in drop in applications so we thought we’d try out the Ikon and we are very happy.
Price was reasonable also about Cdn $700.
Also they are the same size as each other so in the rare occasion you need to replace, you can get the exact same size back again.
Sharon Gunther
May 20, 2017 @ 7:58 am
Here’s my handy tip for the day 🙂 As a kitchen designer, I have fireclay sinks sent directly to the company building the kitchen cabinets, and they cut the rough opening to fit the sink. Even my professional installers recommend this. Also they must be supported from underneath with 2x4s. They probably shouldn’t be installed by , let’s just say, my husband. He’s better at fixing my laptop. Good luck! It’s going to be beautiful!
Jackie
May 23, 2017 @ 5:38 pm
Are you still happy with your choice? I am doing a kitchen remodel and have hit the “ack! What sink am I getting” stage.
Your posts are always helpful and hilarious. 😀
Meredith
June 2, 2017 @ 11:27 am
This is my first time on your blog. What a breath of fresh air. I have been dreaming of cabinets and farmhouse sinks in my sleep! I’ve definitely had so many browsers open doing research that I had to restart my computer! Why is every decision so difficult? Thank you for helping me not feel like a crazy person in my constant quest for knowledge. Obsessive much? My husband keeps telling me we aren’t trying to re-build Noah’s Arc… just pick something! I think after all of my research and lost sleep, I’m going with the Kohler Strive Undermount 30 inch in stainless steel. It is also self-trimming, which research tells me is the best. Only problem is that I have only found that Kohler offers a self-trimming which is pricey $$$$. Thank you for easing my mind!
Heidi
July 10, 2017 @ 11:49 pm
Hilarious post. I was reading it aloud to my husband and we laughed out loud! Getting through a kitchen renovation definitely requires a little humor – THANK YOU! Great advice, too, by the way. 🙂
liz
August 16, 2017 @ 10:49 am
Thank you a thousand times over for this post – you are truly a marriage & lifesaver!!!!
Flip Breskin
August 26, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
I LOVE your blog!!!
I’ve attached a couple photos. Have you considered one of these?
I have a high-back wall-mount kitchen sink from about 100 years ago. With built-in DRAINBOARDS! On both sides. There is No Place for grey slime to accumulate. They’re not as deep as contemporary base cabinets so we placed it out from the wall and added a wrap around shelf behind it and routed the spray attachment and soap dispenser up there. Marble would look fabulous. This is not a good photo, but you can see what I’m getting at: https://www.houzz.com/photos/57799/Flp-Breskin-eclectic-kitchen-seattle
Later I found this faucet, which is the frosting on the cake:
https://www.houzz.com/photos/614484/kitchen-sink-2012-008JPG
The rack above the sink drains dishes onto the drainboards, which I can just wipe clean & dry. Best set-up I’ve ever found. Totally easy to keep clean. Cast-iron weighs a ton, but once it’s in, it’s in. Get four strong people to lift it into place…
ann
June 16, 2022 @ 3:08 pm
I love that sink! Wish I could find one. Your house looks like one I knew in Asheville, NC
Sweetbriar7
September 1, 2017 @ 4:14 pm
Wait, what? The Kohler can be retrofitted? Oh, Elizabeth, you may get me into trouble yet.
Donna Smith
September 20, 2017 @ 11:42 am
Do I know you? Are we related? My husband has been making fun – in a nice way, of course – of all my tabs (37 currently in ONE of my open windows, my charts, and the considerations due to my ocd (overly critical disposition), as imperfections make me fixate…and are totally incapable of lending character. I read your post aloud to my husband, and he asked me if I’d written it.
Your post had me re-rethinking my Fireclay choice for which I was about to push the BUY button! I’d been having all the same concerns as you, but I didn’t want an undermount, as I don’t like that seam to catch dirt and water. However, I decided the negative for that to me, was less than the possibility of chipping or breaking the Fireclay that would have been mounted just above the edge of the sink, or the unevenness of the Fireclay edges for the installer (though my installer has probably done a number of them).
I got the Kohler Winterhaven white tall apron in 24″ for my new tiny seaside kitchen! This really ends up being the best choice for me. I always wanted it to be cast iron from the start, just not an undermount. I have given in to the undermount, and now, I have submitted my order… I am closing tabs. And my husband is happy. Thanks for the nudge!!
Donna Smith
September 21, 2017 @ 10:19 am
Whitehaven… duh…Winter…White…what’s the difference?
Les Nightingill
September 25, 2017 @ 2:23 pm
Stumbled across your post as I started to solo install my very heavy fireclay sink, and began to wonder if the internet had a secret tip for how to just slide this baby into place! No such luck! Just your article listing all the reasons not to buy a fireclay sink. Where were you 3 months ago when I selected this monster? Future googlers: read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the wisdom here.
Haley
December 12, 2017 @ 4:59 pm
I love IT ALL! Please do tell the name of the paint shade you chose for your cabinets?! Its perfect! Is it a slightly grayish-white? I love the slight contrast but oh so subtle:-) Exactly what I’m trying to achieve without success:-/
Monica
January 13, 2018 @ 2:42 pm
I love my Rohl farmhouse sink. They’ve been around for a very long time and are the real deal. I’m a crazy perfectionist and I love my sink!