Fireclay Farmhouse Sinks {Durability and Quality}

 

Well, I said I wasn’t going to talk about my kitchen anymore.

Oops.

But I’m not really talking about my kitchen, just my kitchen sink!

 

farmhouse sink

 

I’ve had many of you ask about the durability and quality of my sink, so I thought I would share with you a few of the things that I found out.  (After I made my purchase.) Smile

I will be honest that I often choose form over function.

Here are the two things I considered when looking for my sink online:

1.  I wanted a pretty farmhouse sink.

2.  I wanted an inexpensive, pretty farmhouse sink.

That’s it.

 

Here’s what I didn’t know before I started looking for a farmhouse sink:

Farmhouse sinks are NOT cheap!

Sheesh!

I about died when I started searching the web for a farmhouse sink!  The prices are steep!

The best deal I found was the farmhouse sink from IKEA.  It was only $313!

image

I bought it, brought it home, and it didn’t fit in our cabinets.  By like half an inch!  UGH!!

If our dishwasher wasn’t right beside our sink, Cy may have tried to rebuild some cabinets to make it fit.  But he wasn’t able to do it with out some major changes to our lower cabinets, which would have ended up taking a lot of time and more money.  Not  good.

After looking online for hours, it seemed the cheapest farmhouse sinks were $600, and then they go WAY up from there.

I found my farmhouse sink at Signature Hardware.  You can purchase items online or at their store.  We needed our sink quickly, so I picked it up at the store since it was located in Northern Kentucky.

 

farmhouse sink

I LOVE my farmhouse sink!  It is was the most expensive part of the budget for our kitchen makeover, but it was worth it.

Since buying our sink, I’ve done a little research online to find out more about fireclay sinks.

I wanted to share with you what I found out.

 

First of all,  What is Fireclay?

Widely used in London, England, for their durability and style in the late 1800s, fireclay sinks finally have made a design comeback. Fireclay sinks are forged at extremely high temperatures, which cause the clay and glaze to unite. The result is a sink that is not only extremely durable, but also will look shiny and new for many years to come.   (source)

farmhouse sink

source

How durable is fireclay?

The modern fireclay apron sinks are commonly covered with a thick layer or glaze which is irrefutably acid, alkali, chip, scratches and impact resistant.  (source)

 

I love the look of fireclay farmhouse sinks because they are classic, elegant, and a great focal point for you kitchen.

farmhouse sink

Fireclay sinks do not rust, discolor, or fade.  Yay!!

 

farmhouse sink

(source for the two pictures above)

 

 

 

 

How is Fireclay different from Cast Iron?

image

(cast iron sink – source)

A cast iron sink is beautiful as well, but here is the difference…

Cast iron is fired at a much less temperature than fireclay, and not as durable. The glaze is softer than the glaze on fireclay. Cast iron also chips easily, and when it does, rust appears under the glaze. Plus customers are specifically asked not to use abrasives or harsh cleaners.   (source)

We had a cast iron sink in our last home, and I loved the look.  But I accidentally chipped part of the white glaze off when a pot slip out of my hand.  Sad smile

image

Cast iron sinks are usually more expensive than fireclay sinks, but some believe they are more durable.  Here is a great link that discusses the pros and cons of fireclay vs. cast iron sinks:  http://www.ehow.com/about_6672827_fireclay-vs_-cast-iron-sinks.html

As you can tell by what I found out about fireclay sinks, I am very happy with our purchase!

And after living with this sink for almost two months, I can honestly say that I am VERY pleased with our fireclay farmhouse sink.

It cleans up so easily and truly makes cleaning the kitchen more fun.  I’m not kidding! Smile

So I hope that helps you out if you are looking to buy a farmhouse sink in the near future.

What is your favorite type of sink?

34 Comments

  1. I LOVE the farmhouse sink. (I’m trying to win my husband over.) My dream one is a copper farmhouse sink with embellishments/design on the front of it. I about DIED when I saw how expensive they are too!

    Your kitchen is gorgeous. I love it.

  2. Thanks for the information. I had never heard of fireclay. I hope someday to have a farmhouse sink in my kitchen! I’m starting to favor one big sink over double small sinks. The double sinks I’ve had in the past are just too small to put large pots etc in for cleaning. Anyways I love your new farmhouse sink!

  3. Thanks so much! That information is GREAT! I didn’t know what it was either, but I wanted to know. Thank you for being so smart, Traci, and doing my “homework” for me! My husband has been looking as well, trying to get ideas, so this is really going to help him out! I too have had a cast iron sink for 18 years and I love it, but it is getting pretty scratched up. This fireclay stuff sounds great. yours sure looks great! Thanks, Gail

    1. Gail, I bought a vintage wall mount cast iron sink for our laundry room at an estate sale. They make kits (sold at the big box hardware stores) that allow you to refinish this type of sink. Ours didn’t turn out flawless, but I didn’t follow the directions to the letter, either. Just a thought since you said you love your sink…

  4. I love your renos Tracy…. we are in the middle of kitchen renos too (we got rid of our white cast iron sink) cause when we moved into our home a couple months ago I was soo grossed out with it. It was stained and rusty faucets and it needed bleach everyday to get it clean. My husband (also a WONDERFUL DIY husband) just installed our stainless steel one. I love the look of your farmhouse but we decided to go stainless again…. as I loved it in our previous home! I have to say THANKS SOO much Traci for your blog— I love it and have used many ideas. When we moved into this home the light fixtures needed updating but it wasn’t in our budget so my husband spray painted all the main-floor ones… nobody can believe it when we tell them!! Much love!!!

  5. I love farmhouse sinks, and your info is great to have for future reference, if I ever get my dream kitchen- shoot, if I ever get a decent kitchen! :)

  6. I’ve been lusting after these sinks since we started planning the building of our dream home. I also was dismayed at the price when I began researching the sinks. We decided to put a Rohl’s 36″ sink in as our main sink and a 24″ sink in the island. I found a dealer on eBay that had a “make an offer” deal going on and since we were buying two, I got an AMAZING buy (and it offered free shipping!). It was still expensive, but we did the tiling of the floors, the cabinet installation, and went with butcher block instead of granite on the island, so it evened out.

  7. you made me giggle!

    1. a pretty farmhouse sink
    2. an inexpensive pretty farmhouse sink.{sounds TOTALLY like me}

    :D
    thanks for the info!

    have a great day!
    xo

  8. Your kitchen looks GREAT! We are starting to plan out our kitchen remodel. I have found all of our products but the kitchen sink. I love your sink. I want your sink. I can’t find your sink. I looked everywhere on Signature Hardware but I can’t find it. Please Help! I would appreciate any information.

  9. Does your fireclay sink scratch easily? I have still heard that if you have a belt on — or even the buttons on pants or a shirt, can actually scratch the front of the apron sink.

  10. Hi Traci I am planning to redo my kitchen and was looking for a farmhouse sink as well and had no idea what they cost. So my husband searched the web and I heard him gasp ” do you know how much those, sinks cost” he explained! I just shrugged and said “no” .

    Good thing he found your website so now we know what to look for.

    What do you think about the polished marble farmhouse sins?
    Thanks Deb

  11. Thanks for all your input…. and research! I will post before and afters of my remodel…. definately going to figure out how to fit the farmhouse sink in my budget!!

  12. Hi! I’m trying to make the big sink choice here, my question is after a year do u still like your fireclay? They seem like a good price, but I have not heard a lot about them. Please let me know. If you can email me your anwser it would be helpful to me. Thanks, Sara sarahunt88@gmail.com

  13. We just put in a fire clay farm house sink in last week. It already has a couple of scratches because my husband washed some pots. Bought it on Craigslist!! What is the best method to remove the scratches? I hope they can be removed!!!!

  14. so do you have to be cautious about pouring leftover boiling water or anything like that about cracking?? Looking at this kindor copper but have to decide this week:(

    1. I have read that YES u should be more careful with fireclay. That sudden temp changes will cause crazing. Not to drop heavy things into it and to use a wire grate on the bottom to help with stains and scratches.

  15. Thank you so much for this information! Because of your recommendation, I ordered my farmhouse sink from Signature Hardware and love it!!! It’s my favorite part of my new kitchen!

  16. Buyer beware of fireclay. Had a Kohler apron-front fireclay kitchen sink in kitchen. One slip of the Le Creuset and it cracked where the side met the bottom. Had to be replaced and Kohler wanted me to BUY another (NOT!). Replaced with stainless steel. If you will use your sink, don’t buy fireclay!

    1. Serena,
      I have had fireclay for three years and it doesn’t have a scratch. I’ve dropped many things in it and it has held up perfectly. I’m sorry for your bad experience, but that is not the case for everyone. I LOVE my fireclay sink!

  17. I’ve been looking at the Reinhard double owl farmhouse sink from signature hardware. I’m in California so I can’t touch, feel, see. Since you wrote this article 3 years ago, are you still loving yours? I just have trouble understanding how they can chage 1/2 of what most other farmhouse sinks go for.

  18. Hi,
    I’m new to your blog and I love it!! I am in the middle of planning our kitchen renovation and would really love a farmhouse sink. How has yours held up after a few years of use now? I just worry about the possibility of cracking or chipping if a pot bangs into it or something gets dropped into the sink.
    Thanks for any information you can provide. :)

    1. Hi Christine!

      I LOVE my sink! I have had it almost five years and it still looks brand new, not a single scratch or dent. And that’s pretty impressive for a house full of boys! ha! :)

  19. Hi, found your website and we are researching fireclay sink for our kitchen remodel!
    Can you share with us the brand and style of your sink then?
    Thanks!

  20. How does one remove the tiny gray scratches that occur when pot and sink meet? Also – buyer beware, do not buy the Flat Black drain / flange, as the black paint just chips right off. SOOOOO sad. WAiting for Signature Hardware to make it better, as for now, my new kitchen is already looking old….How do others maintain a ‘scratch free’ sink?

  21. I’m also looking for a sink. I came across the Fireclay ones and have been researching them. Is yours heavy? Can you retro the cabinet? I’m thinking of replacing base cabinets . Idk thou.I have read they are not consistent on size. Do they have to be undermounted? Are you still happy with your sink? Love your kitchen. Thank you.

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