Gordon JamesOne of the most important decisions you need to make when planning a new or renovated kitchen is which type of sink to install on your kitchen counter.
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No, your sink probably won’t be the center of your kitchen like a kitchen table, kitchen island or refrigerator – but it will serve a big purpose (more than anything else in your kitchen) and should be well designed to withstand that wear and tear while adding a touch of visual style to the mix.
We’ve come a long way from kitchen sinks made only of plastic or stainless steel. Today, you can buy a beautiful granite composite sink that not only looks great, but also has the durability you’re looking for – the kind of durability you won’t get with most other sink options available today.
Granite composite has many advantages (over standard granite), including its ability to withstand large temperature fluctuations, its natural resistance to scratches, stains and flakes, and its ability to be manufactured in a variety of colours, including matt finishes, which you would find difficult to achieve on your own with traditional granite.
At the same time there are of course some disadvantages to choosing granite composite sinks.
Below we go into more detail about the shortcomings of these appliances, so that you know exactly where you stand when you choose one of these beautiful sinks for your kitchen area.
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!
Advantages of Granite Composite Sinks
The popularity of composite granite sinks has exploded in recent years, and it is not difficult to see why.
A luxury without the astronomical costs and regular maintenance of traditional granite. This material is super strong and durable, but not so strong that you have to look at the glasses or the dishes you throw in the sink to rinse or clean them.
Low price compared to fixed granite washbasins
Another reason why people really like composite granite sinks is that you get 99% of the traditional granite look without the high price tag – and that’s (usually) enough to make people go that way.
Traditional granite sinks can cost an arm and a leg, and once you start looking at some of the more exotic granite models, they start costing even more.
Nobody wants to choose between buying a new car and a sink – and if granite sinks aren’t that expensive, sometimes it feels the same when you look at the traditional granite price tags.
However, granite composite is still much cheaper than what you would spend if you followed the traditional route. It is not uncommon for these sinks to cost 25-50% less than traditional granite, making them a product you will certainly want to consider.
Permanent
The durability of granite composite is absolutely unbelievable.
You get much of the hardness, strength and stiffness that a traditional granite sink would offer, combined with the uniformity, formability and flexibility of composite materials at the same time.
That means you get a slim, sturdy sink that looks solid and durable, without having to worry about dishes that will break instantly if you drop it in the sink for rinsing or cleaning.
Different sizes, styles and shapes
When dealing with natural granite materials, you have to work with what Mother Nature decided years ago – something that is not fully taken into account when deciding to continue with granite composition.
Thanks to the hybridization of granite and composites, there are many more styles, many more shapes and many more customization options if you choose to go that way. If you decide to go this way, you will open up a world of creativity in kitchen design.
Non-porous, hygienic and heat-resistant
Natural granite is quite porous and needs to be sealed (and then resealed regularly) to work well as a sink, a maintenance that most homeowners simply don’t want to do every six months or even every year.
In granite composites, on the other hand, a very non-porous and almost hydrophobic material is obtained that repels water and wickerwork from the back.
That’s why it’s a much more hygienic sink, because there are no no nooks and crannies where bacteria can hide, like in a granite sink.
Cleaning lamp (no chemicals)
To make your granite composite sink as good as new, it is very simple and uncomplicated.
Regular cleaning from time to time (perhaps about once a month) will make a major contribution to maintaining the appearance of the surface.
If you clean particularly acidic or stain-sensitive objects, you can flush the toilet a little more aggressively that night – the pasta evening or another evening when a little wine and more runs down the drain – but otherwise you don’t have to keep the granite composition as you do with traditional granite sinks.
Disadvantages of granite composite wells
While kitchen designers and homeowners around the world have only flooded granite composite sinks in recent years (and for many good reasons, as mentioned above), this doesn’t mean these sinks are without disadvantages.
Lower cost source Options
To start with, granite composite options are considerably cheaper than traditional granite options, but they are not an economic choice for today’s homeowners.
Stainless steel sinks are still an absolute stumbling block on the market in terms of price, while they offer many of the same advantages (perhaps a few more) that granite and composite sinks cannot offer.
If you choose a new sink based on price alone, don’t just look for a granite composite.
Low risk of flaking and tearing
Although the risk of cracking and splitting when combining granite with composites is significantly reduced, this does not mean that the risk is completely eliminated.
After all, you’re still dealing with 95% natural granite that can be compromised – even if it’s protected by 5% resin or another composite material that keeps it in place.
A granite composite sink may be a little harder to touch than traditional granite because of the resin impregnation of this material, but you don’t have to throw heavy pots and pans into the sink without expecting anything bad to happen.
Fairly large, bulky and heavy
Stainless steel sinks are popular for their ease of installation, especially as they are light enough to be easily operated with one hand.
That won’t happen with granite composite.
This equipment is still quite large, quite bulky and certainly heavier. You’ll need a little help installing the new sink, but you should also consider strengthening the area around the sink (and perhaps even under the sink) to make sure your choice of granite composite doesn’t stress your sink or cabinets.
Special maintenance required
Every year or so, special care will be needed (or if there is something particularly acidic or very likely to stain your sink, as mentioned above) – even if it is less special care than that required by traditional granite.
Some companies have developed special non-chemical cleaning agents to help you work quickly with granite composite. This is an excellent solution if you want to keep everything clean (and hygienic) without damaging the surface or damaging the resin in your sink.
However, you do not have to go through the resealing process that you may have had to go through with the traditional granite options.
This is a great advantage, even if special precautions are needed, because few people complain about having to close a granite sink every 12 months to make it look good.
Higher maintenance potential with lighter colours
For obvious reasons, light colours in the world of granite composition are much more likely to stain than dark colours.
You may find it more interesting that lighter coloured granite composites are more destructive and even more likely to stain than traditional lighter granite washbasins.
Much of this problem is related to the type of resin used in lightweight composite sinks, a resin that can absorb a lot of acid or stain and then stick almost permanently. The only way to get rid of it is to destroy this piece of resin and then repaint (or replace) the whole sink.
If you live in a household that eats a lot of pasta or drinks a lot of wine (some of which end up in the sink), make sure you clean quickly and effectively, otherwise you risk staining your light granite compositions.
Much of this problem can be avoided by using a darker color. But if you want the visual impact to be as bright and white as possible, you need to do more cleaning in your kitchen as a compromise.
Granite composite sinks brand
Many large companies nowadays do an incredible amount of work in the world of granite composite shafts, but there are three options that stand out from the rest of the package.
When you spend money on granite composite sinks, you want to make sure that the money is well spent, and you really can’t go wrong with the options offered by the three companies we highlight here.
Blank
Blanco’s employees have developed their own granite composite material, which they call Silgranit, a granite composite material that consists of 80% granite dust and 20% resin and composite material.
With a wide range of styles and colours (as well as shapes and sizes), these granite washbasins are durable, easy to clean and absolutely beautiful – additions worthy of any new kitchen design.
Granitek
This Italian company was founded in 1997 and is a real pioneer in the world of granite composition.
These granite washbasins combine natural stone and acrylic resin to create a beautiful and highly durable hybrid material that offers the best of all worlds in granite and composite materials.
Kraus
Kraus is known all over the world for its high-quality rinsing kitchen products, which the company has been producing for decades. Kraus has a reputation for producing some of the most impressive products in terms of technology and design for kitchen sinks – and that extends to their granite composite sink options.
The design Kraus proposes is very minimalist, very modern and elegant, and looks like what you would expect from Apple (or any other high-tech company) if they entered the world of sinks.
These sinks are durable, sturdy and well designed in every respect and are made of the highest quality composite material.
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Gordon James
Alan Giles