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I am considering using an Americast composite kitchen sink. What are the pros and cons of this type of sink?
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I hope they're good -- we have two, a single-bowl kitchen and a bar sink. They seem fine so far... the price was attractive, and I was tired of noisy SS. They charge a premium for the unusual colors. Trivial to install.
*KevinI have a large kitchen sink that is americast. It has developed a defect which I suspect is from straining pasta. I think I would consider purchasing it from a plumbing supply house vrs. Homeimprovement center. Thier quality just seems a bit better.over all it has done its job for the last six years.regards Kevin
*How did straining pasta damage your sink??????
*I am not aware of there being differences in the Americast sinks sold at various places. This isn't the same as faucets. The best prices, by the way, are from on-line suppliers.
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Ameri-cast isn't a composite like Corian or Swanstone but is basicaly a porcelan-on -steel product with a cast polymer backing. It is a "new" cast iron. It more chip and scratch resitant than cast iron or solid surface and insulates warm wash water much better. Works great as a bath tub also.
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For which we will soon be using our single-basin 25" when a little one arrives this winter...
*Americast is good! There is no difference between the sinks you buy at an home improvement place and a plumbing supply. I have used these on many jobs with no problems.Louis
*I've put two of them in for clients over the last couple of years. Both of them chipped within the first 2 months and one of them is really beat looking after 6 months, so much so that the client is bummed.Steve Zerby
*I have an Americast tub, but I probably wouldn't get an Americast sink. The tub doesn't get pots and pans washed in it, so chipping isn't much of an issue. Its installation ease was a big factor in choosing it over cast iron. A cast iron sink isn't that heavy, however, for weight to be a factor. All porcelain will chip, but the odds favor the heaviest, best quality one can find. A thirty-three inch, double bowl, dual level Americast (Silhouette) sink is about $255. The corresponding Kohler cast iron sink (Executive Chef) is about $302. Avoiding the chipping woes might warrant the more expensive one.
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We installed 2 of them in our kitchen and are not happy. they very quickly became scratched and are now full of surface chips. They scratch very easily. Unfortunately, these are tile edge sinks so, replacing them is not an easy option. I would not recommend these sinks to any one.
-Will
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After Steve posted I zipped into our kitchen and inspected our sinks meticulously. No scratches or chips in 6 mos. but we'll be careful.
I spoke to two kitchen installers who both said don't buy Americast; one also said the sinks don't stay seated well because they are light, depend on adhesive not clips to stay put, and are rarely flat under the rimming flange. Kohler may be a bit tougher. This is enough bad news to get me to stay away from the sinks. Too bad, they do look nice.
What recommendations do y'all have, besides ss?
*Have installed Kohler cast iron sinks...And it is all about the owner not the sink...one owner has no mars or scratches while the other owner has many...They can't handle major use and or abuse for like SS.Near the sinks,aj
*Yeah, Barry and AJ are right on about this. Even a ss sink can be messed up with enough effort.
*I would feel comfortable with it for a tub. In fact I put one of them in for the people who chipped their sink right off. They are meticulous people, and genereally careful. They like the tub,don't like the sink.I put porcelain cast iron in my kithen, but the Le Creuset pots will get it if you aren't careful. I think Stainless is the toughest, but I don't like the noise or the aesthetic.Steve
*A kitchen reno supplier suggested some sort of composite material that I'd never even heard of, and I can't even pronounce it... No, not Corian.
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I am considering using an Americast composite kitchen sink. What are the pros and cons of this type of sink?