Great Sinks

What makes a great sink? How important is the brand name? We've looked at many sink models and styles and we've found that the Omni brand generic model is made equally as well as the brand name models and costs significantly less. We previously offered Blanco sinks at a discount to our customers, but even with those discounts they were still spending $500-600 for an 18 gauge stainless steel undermount sink. Our new line of Omni sinks have the same composition and structure of the Blanco sinks for 1/2 the price. These are only available to our customers that purchase countertops from us. We are also still carrying Moen Extensa Faucet. It is one of the easiest to install, looks great with big sinks and has a lifetime warranty. Check out our sinks here: http://www.fidnet.com/~mbruno/omni.htm. If you know you don't want a stainless sink and have been thinking of a porcelain or cast iron sink, check out the new Silgranit sinks from Blanco or Moenstone from Moen. These sinks are 80% granite, still lightweight and hold up to staining and scratching far better than the porecelain cast iron sinks. You can find out more information on Blanco sinks by visiting their website.

What Seams are SUPPOSED to look like

The question "What will my seams look like" can be difficult for many fabricators to answer. I have heard that it is an acceptable industry standard to have seams that are 1/8" thick. I would personally find that totally unacceptable in my kitchen. If your installer takes his time and makes sure that your tops go in level and straight and he uses a seam puller and colorized epoxy, you can make seams that look pretty darn good. It requires paying a little extra for shimming work from you installer and a willingness on his/her part to go the extra mile, but it is well worth it. This picture is Silestone Tea Leaf and was actually taken by our customer and sent to my email with the caption...Seam, what Seam? The homeowner was ecstatic at the look. However, it is important to be realistic here as well. If you cabinets are significantly out of level, there is only so much an installer can do. But don't let them use this as an excuse either. Have them show you how out of level your cabinets are when they come to template (with Formica removed, of course). Sometimes it's easier to just cop out and say to the customer that it's the cabinets fault when, really, the installer has 2 more jobs to do that day and doesn't have time to fiddle with yours. Also, if you choose natural granite with swirls and obvious color variations in it, then seams will be more visible due to your choice in granite and not your installers abilities. If it's important to you to have near perfect seams, choose an installer that can show you pictures like this one. Can you find the seam? maybe I should have put an arrow in there...naaa....what's the challenge in that?