Best Sink Buying Guide – Consumer Reports

Most kitchen and bathroom sinks come with mounting holes drilled for faucets. If you're buying a new faucet for an existing sink or vice versa, you'll need to match the hardware to the number and spacing of the holes in the sink. You can install a baseplate to cover an extra hole in the sink or countertop, but don't try to drill additional holes in an existing sink or countertop.

You may not cook every day, but is there ever a day when you don't use your sink? We subjected more than 20 double-bowl sinks from major manufacturers to a barrage of hot pots, scouring pads, dropped weights, and stains. The results of our sinks tests:

Move over, porcelain. Glass and even stainless steel are among the choice of materials that are changing the style and shape of bathroom sinks.

Vessel sinks, a modern twist on the original bowl and pitcher, sit on top of a counter or cabinet. You'll find them in glass, stainless steel, and other materials.

Some of these new materials can cost about the same as standard porcelain, known as vitreous china, and several materials were better at resisting spills, scrapes, and other mishaps. But most have at least one drawback. You can also install the sink beneath the countertop for a sleek look that emphasizes the countertop. These undermount sinks are also easy to clean since there's no lip to catch debris.