What is it?
The sink is the bowl set into or under the worktop where washing up, food prep and filling pans all happen. It is one of the most used items in the whole kitchen, so it has to be tough, easy to clean and sized to suit how the kitchen is used. It sits over its own sink base unit, takes the tap and the waste, and connects down to the plumbing below.
Sinks come in a few materials, mainly stainless steel, composite made from crushed granite or quartz bound in resin, and ceramic, and in different bowl layouts, from a single large bowl to a bowl and a half or a double, with or without a drainer. The material and the bowl layout are usually chosen alongside the mounting type, which is the main thing that decides how the sink meets the worktop.
- 1Worktop
- 2Sink (undermount)
- 3Tap
- 4Base Unit
What does it do?
The wash and prep point
Most of the water based jobs in a kitchen happen at the sink, from washing up and rinsing food to filling and emptying pans. A bowl of the right size and depth for the way the kitchen is used makes all of these easier.
Handling water and waste
The sink gathers water and sends it away through the waste and trap below, with an overflow to guard against overfilling. It is the point where the tap delivers water and the plumbing carries it away.
Standing up to heavy use
In constant use and often full of hot water, pans and sharp knives, the sink has to resist heat, staining, scratching and knocks. This is why the material matters just as much as the look.
Where is it used?
Usually set into the run under a window or along a wall, sitting over its own sink base unit with the plumbing housed below.
Placed in an island as a prep or main sink, with the supply and waste run through the floor or a services void.
A second, tougher sink often goes in the utility for messier jobs, and the same types are used for cloakroom and boot room sinks.
Types
Sinks are grouped by how they are mounted to the worktop, which is the choice that most affects the look, the price and which worktop materials will work. The bowl material and layout are then chosen to suit.
Inset
The most common and the easiest to fit. The sink drops into a cut out from above and its rim sits on top of the worktop, sealed with a bead of silicone. It works with almost any worktop, laminate included, which is why it is the default choice.
Undermount
Fixed from below so the worktop edge forms the rim and nothing sits proud of the surface. It gives a clean look and lets you sweep crumbs straight into the bowl, but it needs a solid, water resistant worktop such as stone, quartz or solid surface.
Belfast and butler
A deep ceramic bowl with an exposed front that sits on its own base unit, the classic farmhouse look. A Belfast bowl traditionally has an overflow while a butler does not. Both are heavy and need proper support in the cabinet below.
Flush fit
Set into a routed recess so the rim sits perfectly level with the worktop, for a crisp framed look. It is mostly done in stone and quartz, where the recess can be cut accurately enough to sit flush.
Integrated
Moulded as one piece with a solid surface worktop like Corian, so the bowl and the top are the same seamless material with no joint at all. It is the most seamless and hygienic option, and the most bespoke.
Typical sizes
The key figure is the base unit width the sink needs, since the bowls have to fit inside the cabinet below.
| Feature | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Bowl depth | 150 to 200 mm |
| Single bowl, min cabinet | 450 to 600 mm |
| Bowl and a half, min cabinet | around 600 mm |
| Double bowl, min cabinet | 800 to 1000 mm |
| Tap holes | 0, 1 or 2 |
How to specify
Choose the sink alongside the worktop and tap, since the mounting type and the number of tap holes have to work with both.
Mounting and worktop
Pick the mounting type and check it suits the worktop. Undermount and flush fit need a solid non porous top, while inset works with anything. This sets how the cut out or recess is made.Bowl layout and size
Choose the material and the bowl layout, whether single, bowl and a half or double, with or without a drainer, and make sure it fits the sink base unit width below. Decide which side any half bowl or drainer sits.Tap holes and waste
Confirm how many tap holes are needed and whether they are pre cut or knocked out on site, and set the waste type, including any connection for a waste disposal unit. Coordinate the supply and waste positions with the plumbing.
Other considerations
Interacting elements
The sink works closely with the elements around it.
- Worktop holds the sink in or under it, and the mounting type decides which worktops will work.
- Tap sits in the sink ledge or the worktop behind, in a hole matched to the sink.
- Plumbing feeds the tap and takes water away through the waste and trap, including any dishwasher connection.
- Sink base unit is the cabinet below that carries the sink and houses the plumbing.
- Waste disposal unit an optional add on fitted to the waste under the bowl.
Popular manufacturers
Franke
A Swiss founded brand with over a century in kitchen sinks, offering every mounting type and material, from stainless steel and its Fragranite composite to ceramic. A common trade and specifier choice with a wide, well supported range.
Blanco
A German maker best known for SILGRANIT, its patented granite composite that resists scratches, stains and heat, alongside stainless steel and ceramic ranges. Sinks carry a long guarantee and pair with matching taps.
Reginox
A Dutch manufacturer making sinks and worktops in house since 1976, in stainless steel, granite composite and ceramic, with a lifetime guarantee on its stainless steel sinks. Strong value across a broad range.