Remodelling Dilemmas: Single Vs. Double Bowl Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks

Although sinks top the list as the most-used item in your kitchen, what do you really know about them? Which kitchen sink material performs better when handling the abuse of hot pots or pans coming straight from your stove? Which material will resist chipping and which is most durable? The answer to all these questions – stainless steel sinks.

Compared to sink materials such as stone, iron, porcelain, or composite, stainless steel is relatively lightweight. One great feature that kitchen stainless steel sinks come with is their sound-deadening technology. There are many models that offer sound-shielding padding underneath the bowl which reduces the deafening clanging of pans and pots during dishwashing. Higher quality kitchen stainless steel sinks are made of 18-16 gauge or thicker – an important feature to consider as it prevents dents and scratches.

But when it comes to their size and number of bowls, which models are preferred by homeowners – single or double bowl ones? Here are their pros and cons.

Single Bowl Sinks

People who have single bowl stainless steel kitchen sinks love them for the following reasons:

• They don’t take up too much counter space, which makes them ideal for smaller kitchens;
• They are spacious enough to wash large pans and pots;
• They are versatile as you can put a temporary dish basin in the sink to have a section for hot-soap water, for example.

Reasons why some people don’t like single bowl sinks:

• Delicate dishes are more easily broken as they are exposed to crashes and bangs from heavy dishware in the same sink;
• You don’t have the option of separating dirty and clean dishes.

Double Bowl Kitchen Sinks

With these sinks, you can:

• Use one side for food prep and the other for washing dishes;
• Separate dirtier dishes from more delicate items, like glassware.
• Dry clean dishes on one side while you use the other side for washing.

Reasons why some people don’t like them:

• Neither side of the sink is large enough for washing stock pots or cookie sheets;
• They take up too much counter space;
• One side of the sink is rarely used, so a double sink is merely like having one small sink.

At the end of the day, there really isn’t one type of sink that is better than the other. Now that you know more about both types, you can choose the one that fits your needs and preferences best.