Why Choose an Undermount Stainless Steel Sink over a Traditional Style Sink?
You may have noticed a trend in high end magazines over the past few years. Many of the sinks in both kitchens and bathrooms have the sink mounted underneath the countertop. For example, if there was a granite counter, the granite would be cut with a hole the size of the sink bowl, and there would be no visible part of the sink above the counter. The sink edge is recessed under the granite counter.
Appearance
An undermounted stainless steel sink is becoming more and more mainstream for many reasons; the first and most obvious being looks. With undermounts, the lip of the sink material is not visible above the counter top. A very clean and uncluttered look is the result which is very desirable with contemporary designs. You will gain a bit of counter space where the rim used to be (however small it is).
Cleaning
No longer will you have to scrape and dig to get built up grime out from under the rim of your sink. No rim means a smooth, easy clean up of the counter area. You may have to clean the joint between the counter and the sink, however, because the joint is on the side of a surface and not on a flat surface, much less dirt is accumulated.
Any dirt which happens to collect in the joint is also much less visible than in traditional on top of counter sinks. You will find yourself cleaning this area much less than before.
Choice
Although you will see the stainless steel of the sink at close proximities to counter, it is more of a possibility to choose faucets of differing materials than stainless. The stainless is less prominently in view.
Because it is increasing in popularity, you have many styles and shapes to choose from at a variety of stores. You will find under mount sinks in one basin or two basins with varying depths.
Stainless steel is an ideal material for undermount sinks. Durable and scratch resistant, stainless steel lends itself well to the mounting process.
Countertop Materials
Because laminate style counters are not designed to have moisture near the base (they are primarily designed to protect from moisture on the top), solid type counters are a better choice to go with under mounts. Materials such as granite, concrete, Silestone, Corian or other solid and water resistant forms are ideal.