Stainless Steel Sinks - Good Choice
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Summary: The article presents the features of the now commonly used stainless steel sinks. These have a wide range of choices in terms of thickness and sizes. The sinks are prone to damage when treated by strong chemical agents.
Question: I am planning to design a new kitchen for my house and I need assistance regarding the sink that I install there. Could you tell me if stainless steel sinks are a good choice? Do they have a long life and how to judge the quality and identify goods ones? I would be glad if you could also tell me about the maintenance of these sinks.
Answer: Stainless steel has always been the first choice of a good kitchen designer, as it really gives a smart and traditional look to the kitchen. What’s more? If you have an under mount with a solid surface or natural stone countertop, it actually gives a great hi-fi look to your kitchen.
A little of the history of stainless steel will help to build your interest in it. This can be called an accidental invention, when Harry Brearley, an English metal scientist, who was actually working on problems with the barrels, mixed chromium and steel in different ratios, his examination resulted in a metallic mixture that remained tarnish-free and rust-free even when exposed to rain. This soon became famous as the stainless steel, the most commonly used in today’s household.
The composition of stainless steel varies depending upon its usage. The basic metals that make up this wonderful alloy include percentages of steel, chromium, and nickel. The stainless steel sink that you want to install in your kitchen must contain 18 percent chromium and 8 - 10 percent nickel. Often a few more ingredients are added to strengthen the properties of stainless steel. You must be wondering about its lustrous appearance. Well let me tell you it’s the chromium that adds the shine. Molding of steel to desired designs and shapes is made easy by the use of nickel.
You would be unaware of the fact that like all other metals, stainless steel is prone to rusting. But the case is slightly different here as the rusting of stainless steel is actually good for itself. The first layer forms a protection for the rest of the metal underneath. It makes the steel more resistant to corrosion. Beware of the harmful chemicals that may cause dirty patches on the steel sinks. These notorious chemicals include Chlorine bleach, cleaners that contain chlorine bleach, muriatic acid, solvents found in construction adhesives and other building supplies can and will damage stainless.
Let’s get back to our topic. The stainless steel sinks come in a plethora of designs and shapes, all in different ratios and thickness. The thickness we will refer as gauge. This ranges from 18 to 23. However it is the quality that actually counts. Sometimes a good quality 18 gauge steel may be as thick as ordinary 23 gauge steel. The 23 gauge thin sinks are a good option for oilcan and flex, but using the 18 gauge thick one is even better for the kitchen sink.
If a shiny and long living steel sink is in your wish list, then all you need to do is keep your sink well away from harmful and strong chemical cleaning agents. Scrubbing can make the situation worsen as it removes the factory applied finish of the sink. The tagline ‘handle with care’ goes very well with stainless steel sinks.
Users of chlorine as a cleaning agent must keep a watch on the sink more often. Because if left not to dry, it hardens the top layer of the sink and removes the smoothness. The wash cloth, cleaning pads that have a place on the sinks must be well dried and completely rinsed off. Rinsing off the detergents and soaps that contain harmful chemicals is a very good maintenance practice as these corrode the sink easily.
The plumbing supply houses exhibit a good variety of sinks; select the one that makes your new kitchen very attractive. Check out for sinks that have handy ribbed sideboards, custom fitting cutting boards, and sinks that contain suspended stainless steel grids.
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