There are a two basic types of stainless steel sinks: undermount and self-rimming. The undermount is used in installations where the countertop material is the same all the way through such as granite or a solid surface (i.e. Corian). It's usually installed by the countertop fabricators because of the liability in drilling the counter material for the anchors that will be used to mount the sink. After the undermount sink is attached to the c-top, the rest of the install is the same as the self-rimming sink, which is the type of installation that will be described here.
- Determine your sink configuration and finish. There are a few options available in stainless steel finishes with the most popular being the brushed and mirror finishes. The mirrored finish is very bright and shiny, but as you would expect, it shows water spots very easily.
The quality of a sink is also determined by the thickness of the steel (known as the gauge of the steel) -- the lower the number of the gauge the thicker material. Typical gauges range from 18ga to 22ga.
Typical residential sinks come in a single, double, or triple bowl configuration, with the bowls of equal or unequal size depending on the needs of the consumer. Some sinks come with a small bowl made to accommodate a food disposal.
Sinks come drilled for the specific faucet to be installed on it. Determining factors are whether the faucet is single or two handle, has a sprayer incorporated in the spout, or there is a soap dispenser, all of which will determine how many holes you will need punched out of the sink.
Note: Most applications have the faucet mounted to the countertop on an undermount sink and the faucet mounted to the sink on the self-rimming sink.
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Author: Neil Lazarski