we are redoing an old house and are thinking about using a farm sink in the kitchen. I would like to hear the pros and cons of this animal as it is expensive, is it worth the extra expense in terms of comfort & ease of use, or is this the newest thing the designers have foisted off on us?
thanks
john
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I did a farm sink cabinet a few months ago and ran into a few problems you might want to know about.
If I were doing another one, I would bring the sink to the shop so the cabinet could be custom fitted to that sink.
Yup to every thing Dave said. (was that a Shaw ? )
Creative shimming for sure, Get the sink to the cabinet maker so he can build to fit.
Use the face frame as the scribe around the bowl.
Darren.
Third time lucky on trying to attach the photo.
It may have been a Shaw but I'm not certain. I didn't do the sink installation but had a couple of conversations with the HO about how it might be done. The plumber was supposed to be an expert with these sinks.
In the Knots forum, there's a post about someone cracking their farm sink. From the description, it sounds like the sink had been shimmed then the drain flange overtightened. They also have a disposal which probably contributed to the stresses in the sink.
If there are any experts out there, I would sure like to hear how they do these. If I ever do another one, I think I may be tempted to use silicone caulk or some kind of pliable material under the sink to give it a little "wiggle room". The only thing holding these sinks in place is their weight and the clamping pressure from the drain flange. If the sink bottom isn't in nearly full contact with the cabinet, it looks like a problem waiting to happen.
I arrived to the site today to find a Cobalt blue Kohler Apron front sink waiting to be installed. Wow
Darren.
How the world turns...my dad used to rip these out when he was renovating. Nasty heavy ugly things. As a kid I had my hair washed in these, and still remember the sensation of my front teeth rubbing on the rim.
Makes you wonder whether someone has a million of them stashed away, or whether they still have the equipment. It's hard to follow fashions -stuff never wears out, so they change fashions just so you'll have to buy new stuff every 5 years. Ok, sorry about the rant, but you did ask if it was a trend.
Like all solid sinks - don't drop your crockery in, they're not forgiving.
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
I am the proud owner of a farm sink we installed in a newly constructed house. As a woman I've found it extremely useful having one large opening so I can wash a turkey roaster, the dog, etc. and when water sloshes over not having the front of the kitchen cabinets ruined.
I want to add a note: We moved and will be remodeling the kitchen soon here and again putting in that type of sink but since they are deeper make sure you will have the proper "fall" to the drain line, especially if you are tying in to another drain area. I chose a lighter acyrilic model rather than the heavier ones so that beefing up the cabinets is less of a problem.
You may want to consider changing your faucet to one that has a higher arch because you'll be using the sink for larger items and the standard faucet can get in the way of pan removal.