When designing a luxury kitchen for your home, the obvious things to consider carefully are the style, color, finish of the kitchen cabinets, the type and efficiency of the appliances, and the material to use for the kitchen countertop. When it comes to selecting the most used appliance in any kitchen, the kitchen sink, the decision is usually stainless steel, and the reason is obvious. Not only does stainless steel kitchen sinks come in a vast assortment of brands, size, color, and styles, the sink itself is easy to clean and requires very little maintenance. Plus, a high-quality stainless-steel sink is essentially indestructible, but when it comes to what really makes a kitchen sink easy to maintain and keep clean, most of us don’t realize it’s not the type of kitchen sink selected, but how the sink is installed in the kitchen countertop that has the largest impact in keeping your kitchen clean and maintenance free.
The right installation method for your kitchen sink is the key to avoiding long term maintenance issues, and preventing sanitary problems in your kitchen. Plus, the right kitchen sink with the right installation method can completely change the look of your kitchen. So, before you select a stainless-steel kitchen sink, you need to carefully consider how the sink will be installed in the countertop.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 3 installation methods that’s currently available for the stainless-steel sink market.
We will start with the stainless steel sink installation methods from the 1930’s when the stainless steel sink was first introduced: the top-mount, sometimes called the drop-in installation. As the name suggests, with this installation method, a self-rimmed sink simply “DROP” into a sink opening on the countertop. The installation is simple and straight forward, the sink itself is also very cheap to make, therefore this type of sink and installation method are typically found in the lower-end market.
The problem with top mounting a self-rimmed sink is because the rim sits above, or on top of the countertop, creating a “ridge” that prevents the home owner from sweeping debris and liquid directly into the sink, making clean up around the sink very difficult.
Another issue with top mount/drop in installation is the space between the sink rim and countertop must be caulked to prevent leaks. This caulking that is applied on the surface between the countertop and sink rim is exposed to the daily elements that goes around a kitchen sink, from oil, wine, vinegar etc. The caulk’s natural tackiness is also prone to trapping dirt which eventually breakdown the caulking and cause leaks into the cabinet below, or simply break away, creating a “perpetual maintenance issue for the home owner”
So, the final conclusion is even though the drop in installation is easy to perform, and a self-rimmed sink can easily be purchased online or at any home center for under $100, the care & maintenance problems a drop in installation inherited may not make it an attractive installation method for a homeowner in the long run.
Now let’s talk about the second kitchen sink installation method on the market. This installation method has also been around for 90 years, and is the popular under-mount installation. As the name suggests, the sink is installed underneath the countertop.
This means there is no exposed sink rim sitting on the countertop, making wiping away liquids and debris into the sink significantly easier vs. top mount/drop in installation. In addition, the under-mount sink is usually made from a thick gauge of stainless steel, making under mount sink a preferred product for mid to high end kitchens. The minimalist look of an under mounted sink can also give your kitchen a cleaner look by omitting that unsightly sink rim from view.
This promotes mold build up and causes mildew to grow, definitely not something you want around the area where food & meals are prepped daily.Another issue with installing a kitchen sink in the under-mount installation method is the countertop is exposed, therefore leaving it vulnerable to damages from pots, pans and other heavy cooking utensils.
This is especially a problem for the newer countertop materials such as quartz and the more and more popular porcelain countertop material. These new countertop materials are heat resistant, easy to maintain and extremely hard, but when it’s hit accidentally…
…this extremely hard material has a tendency to” Crack” rather than just “Chip” and once these new countertop materials are damaged, it is not repairable.
In summary, under mounting a kitchen sink does have some esthetic benefits, and it is easier to keep clean vs drop in installation, but it still has too many flaws to meet the requirements of the modern day homes.
Now let’s dig into the 3rd and last stainless steel sink installation method available on the market, the FLUSH MOUNT installation.
FLUSH MOUNT installation was invented by Mila International around 15 years ago, and it’s the only new installation method for stainless steel sinks on the market since the stainless-steel sink was invented more than 90 years ago.
The FLUSH MOUNT installation is conceived to meet the new demands and esthetics of the modern kitchen, while addressing the flaws of the outdated “Under mount” and “top Mount/drop in installation” methods.
With a flush mounted sink, while the rim is visible, it sits completely flush with the countertop, which does not impede clean up like a top mounted sink, one can simply wipe any liquid or debris into the sink without the rim getting in the way.
The Flush mount sink also does not have an overhanging countertop like under mounted sink installation, so there is no place to harbor dirt or liquid and allow mold and mildew to grow.
A flush mounted sink rim also protects the countertop against damages from pots and pans accidentally hitting it.
This is especially important for modern countertop material like porcelain, which the exposed flush mounted sink rim not only protects the countertop from possible damages, it also hides the unfinished edge of the porcelain countertop.
In a nutshell, the PATENTED FLUSH MOUNT INSTALLATION is an advanced installation method for the popular stainless steel kitchen sink with all the benefit of the “under mount installation” and “drop in installation” without any of its flaws.
So, when you are ready for your next big kitchen renovation, take a look at the advantages of flush mount installation and flush mount sinks from Mila international…the choice will be crystal clear.
