While most kitchen sinks tend to be constructed out of stainless steel, there are other choices as well.  One of your alternatives is a ceramic kitchen sink.  If you want to buy one of these clay sinks, there are a couple things you should know.  First, there aren’t a whole lot of ceramic kitchen sinks available compared with stainless ones.  While they are very common in the bathroom, they aren’t used as frequently in kitchens these days.  Having said that, you can still get one, and they are often wonderful looking sinks.
The second point about ceramic kitchen sinks is that they often cost more than their stainless steel counterparts.  While it is possible to find cheaper sinks made of clay, most of them tend to be on the expensive side of the price spectrum.

Fireclay Kitchen Sinks

Sink manufacturers often refer to ceramic kitchen sinks as fireclay sinks.  They are the same thing.  All clay sinks need to be fired, which means they are heated in an oven called a kiln at a very high temperature.  This makes them stronger and resistant to chipping.  In addition, ceramic sinks are coated with a special glaze, which gives them their color and further protects them from damage.  Though theoretically ceramic sinks can be made in any color, the vast majority of fireclay kitchen sinks are white. A white ceramic kitchen sink is the most popular, so these are the most commonly available.  You can also easily find one in a color called bisque, which is a beige color.  If you are looking for a black ceramic kitchen sink, you will have a hard time finding one.  American Standard produces a line of black sinks, but they aren’t really ceramic.  They are made from cast iron and other layers of strong materials, and then they are given a porcelain glaze.  Due to the porcelain glaze, I guess this makes them partially ceramic.

Apron Front Ceramic Kitchen Sinks

One of the most common styles for ceramic kitchen sinks is what is called the apron front sink style.  What makes these sinks different is that the front of the sink sticks out a little past the end of the countertop.  While apron front ceramic kitchen sinks were once very common in homes, they nearly disappeared in recent times. In recent however, apron front ceramic sinks have been making a comeback because people want different and unique products for their kitchens.  If you purchase one of these apron front style sinks, make sure your countertop is able to accommodate it.

Undermount Ceramic Kitchen Sinks

If you are looking for an undermount ceramic sink, you are in luck.  The majority of these sinks are designed to be an undermount sink, which means that they are installed underneath the countertop.  The benefits of this setup are that you can wipe crumbs right into the sink without it getting caught on the sink lip.  If you are going to install an undermount ceramic kitchen sink, make sure you do so carefully.  Most manufacturers state that ceramic sinks size can vary as much as 2%, so it is wise to use the actual sink to cut out the hole in the countertop.

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While ceramic sinks were at one time very common in kitchens all over the world, they all but disappeared once the mass-produced stainless steel sinks became available.  It is a lot harder to produce ceramic kitchen sinks than other types of sinks, and for this reason they are almost always more expensive.  That said, there are stainless steel sinks that cost just as much or even more as ceramic sinks.  Another name for ceramic kitchen sinks is “fireclay sinks”.   The name derives from the procedure that heats the ceramic sink at an extremely high temperature, otherwise known as firing. There are some great benefits of these clay sinks, which we’ll look at a bit closer here.

Why Choose Ceramic Kitchen Sinks?

One of the main reasons people choose ceramic sinks is that they are white.  The truth is with the vast majority of kitchens using stainless steel sinks, a certain number of people want something different.  They don’t want shiny silver sinks, and a white ceramic kitchen sink is something different.  Ceramic sinks are white because that is the color they are glazed.  While it is possible to make a ceramic sink any color you want, there just isn’t enough consumer demand for manufacturers to make them.  If you want a different color, some of them are made in the color bisque, which is a buttery beige.

The other main reason why ceramic kitchen sinks are making a comeback is because of their design.  Many of these are apron front sinks, which is also a throwback to a bygone era.  Apron front sinks stick out a little farther in front of the countertops, and the front side of the sink is visible.  An apron front sink was traditionally made out of clay, and they continue to be mainly constructed out of this material today.  If you install an apron front ceramic kitchen sink, you will surely have something that will draw attention and become a conversation starter.

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