Stainless Steel Bar Sinks – What to Look For

Stainless steel bar sinks can bring a touch of modern elegance to your kitchen or bar. But, of course, the real beauty of stainless steel is that it does not rust and is extremely durable. It can be stained, however, by acidic foods if not cleaned up in a reasonably time period.

In addition, stainless steel bar sinks, although meant and designed for bar use, are small enough that they can also go well in the kitchen as a secondary sink.

stainless steel bar sink

With bar sinks, even though a stainless steel bar sink fits perfectly with almost any decor, you don’t have to worry about aesthetics as much as you do with a regular kitchen sink. What you want most with a bar sink is its utilitarian functionality.

The best stainless steel bar sinks feature 16 – 18 gauge 304 series stainless steel. This keeps them durable for many years. And it’s because of their durability that stainless steel is the preferred material for bar sinks. Depending on the style and brand, a good stainless steel bar sink can run you anywhere from $50 to $300.

There are basically three ways to mount a stainless steel bar sink – undermount, top mount, and counter top.

Undermount bar sinks are called for when, from a design standpoint, you want a seamless flow from the countertop to the sink – as if it were all one piece. Many people use this if their countertop is made of natural stone or some other solid-surface. This will give your bar area a nice, clean, stylish, and seamless look. These are also the easiest type of sinks to clean and maintain.

A top mount sink is the most prevalent type of installed sink and one that you’ll find in most bars. It’s self rimming with a lip that just hangs over the top of the counter. This is also typically the second easiest to install. You simply lay it through an opening in the top of the counter surface (usually laminate, tile, wood, granite, or marble) and using underneath the sink brackets, attach it to the counter.

A vessel bar sink sits on top of the counter top making it the easiest to install although, some vessel sinks are semi-recessed into the counter.

When installing a stainless steel bar sink, it’s worth spending a few more dollars to buy a pull-out faucet with a spray-head instead of the normal swivel faucets. This gives you the flexibility of targeting the water exactly where it’s needed. Also, stainless steel sinks, due to the different percentages of compounds in their makeup, come is slight variations of colors and brilliance. So, from an aesthetic standpoint, make sure that the faucet color matches as close as possible to the color of the bar sink.

Since stainless steel bar sinks come in a variety of sizes, shapes (round, rectangular, square vs rounded corners), and models. You may need to look at more than a few to find the perfect one that fist you decor. A good place to start, however, is with franke sinks, a world class provider of kitchen tools and systems.