#Should I buy a Black Kitchen Sink? blacksink blackkitchensink sinkcolor

I hate stainless steel so that is not an option. I have avoided black in the past for fear of it never looking clean or being hard to maintain. I have read up on all the internet tips for cleaning black porcelain sinks, but the question is, HOW much more work will it be to maintain over a lighter color porcelain? If you have a black sink, would you buy another one if you had it to do over?

posted by Lylo to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Does your area have hard tap water?* Mine does and my neighbor's all black bathroom fixtures always have dull white spots contrasting against the glossy porcelain despite frequent cleaning. She says she regrets the decision to put them in.

Look into granite composite sinks: they come in speckled nearly-black but with a matte finish that minimize the appearance of water spots.

*If your shower curtain/door show spots, you've got hard water.

I've got a black stove and it's very unforgiving - spots, splatters, etc show instantly. I like my black stove but probably wouldn't buy another for just that reason

posted by leslies at 9:44 AM on September 6, 2009

I have a black sink made from some artificial product. I made the mistake of washing white latex paint down - but nothing a little steel whool wasn't able to fix.

posted by jkaczor at 9:53 AM on September 6, 2009

There's probably a reason why 99% of sinks aren't black.

posted by furtive at 10:06 AM on September 6, 2009

What jamaro said. My mom has a black kitchen sink and really hard water where she lives. She tells me I alway need to wipe it down with a dishrag after I use it. Which I forget most of the time since I never do it at home.

She's a total neat freak (apparently that trait skips generations) and the sink looks great. But like having a black car you have to be pretty proactive about keeping it clean. Although it takes just a second or two each time you run the water, if you let it slide it will easily look dirty.

In my place there is a toilet, bathroom sink and bathtub that are all very dark brown and I hate them. Not necessarily because of the dark brown color but mainly because it's hard to gauge how dirty they are and I am the type that pushes it a little with cleaning sometimes. If you are on top of cleaning this might not matter as much to you. They also are not very attractive although black is certainly better than dark brown.

posted by fx3000 at 10:31 AM on September 6, 2009

We also have a black sink made out of some composite deal (fiberglass? I actually dunno). Prior owner made a big deal of the sink when we were looking at the place. It cleans pretty easily, even with the occasional rinsing of paintbrushes and sheetrock mud. No scratches, AFAIK. My wife's not a big fan (in fact, she hates it - tougher to gauge cleanliness, as mentioned above), but I'm mostly indifferent.

posted by jquinby at 11:27 AM on September 6, 2009

furtive writes There's probably a reason why 99% of sinks aren't black.

Money.

I've had black corian or similar counter tops but not sink and it was much easier to keep clean than our black stove because it didn't have any kind of nooks and crannies to trap dirt.

We've had a black kitchen sink for the last 5 years or so and love it. Mind you, it's not porcelain- I don't think I would like it if it was, but I can't tell you what mine is made of. Something very sturdy that we bought at Home Depot. With three kids at home, that's what I love about it is the fact that even if it is a little dirty, you can't see it. Now having a black stove top is a different story- if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't have did it.

I purchased a vacation cabin with a black sink. Works perfectly. Water stays in and drains whenever I want. Holds lots of dishes. Looks good too. Not a lot of water spots and we have hard wawa at the cabin. My black car gets dirty as all get out.

posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:38 PM on September 6, 2009

I have a black composite granite sink (mix of hard plastic and granite, I think). It has a matte, slightly speckled look rather than slick, shiny black. I love it, and visitors comment on it. It's easier to keep looking clean than my previous stainless steel sink was, but the water here isn't hard. The main trick for me is is to make sure to rinse out all the baking soda that I occasionally scrub it with, or I'll have white dusty streaks.

posted by PatoPata at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2009

My old house had a black sink of the kind you describe. Got it at a scratch dent sale and it matched the rest of the appliances. No problems no different from any other color.

posted by TDIpod at 5:54 PM on September 6, 2009

We've had a black ceramic kitchen sink for 12+ years with no problems (city water, spots on plastic shower curtains). The sink looks great.

posted by Rain Man at 6:02 PM on September 6, 2009