Taps and sinks

KITCHEN GUIDE / TAPS & SINKS

our time in the kitchen is spent around the sink: washing vegetables, filling pots, straining pasta, washing up, filling the kettle. If you’re a daily cook, consider at least a bowl and a half – this allows you have two sinks on the go for different tasks. Sink sizes will vary according to your configuration but standard dimensions allow for approximately 450mm width to comfortably fit into a standard 600mm carcase. Think about style, size and type of sink that fit your requirements and budget. How many draining boards? Would you prefer a traditional Belfast sink if you are going for a granite worktop? The three popular sink finishes in ascending order of cost are stainless steel, ceramic and composite. Square corners can be difficult to clean and Belfast sinks tend to be deeper than normal and so harder on your back. Stainless steel can be cleaned with everything from scouring powder to steel pads, as can ceramic although these are subject to chipping. Composite have the wow factor but you need to take care sharp cutlery doesn’t do damage. Bear in mind too that composite sinks are not suited to extensive use of cleaning products. If placed at the window, consider how the sink will bounce off light. Mechanical food disposal units fitted under the sink with debris posted in down a drain mean you can remove immediately strong smelling items such as fish skin. You must run the cold water tap at the same time and the motor is quite loud, remember to reverse the blades to ensure even wear. Accessories include chopping boards that sit over sinks, providing extra space, and baskets to collect vegetable peels.

Under or over mounted

If you opt for manmade surfaces or concrete, the sink could be moulded into your worktop with a tap hole drilled behind it. But in most cases, you will have to either buy an undermounted sink or one that sits on the worktop, often referred to as an inset sink. Laminate worktops require an inset sink as the core is susceptible to moisture. You or your joiner can cut the sink opening out with a jigsaw as per the sink dimensions, install the tap and add the sink on top. There is usually a tap hole in the sink structure. Undermounted sinks sit under the worktop and are usually better suited to impervious finishes such as manmade composite materials or natural stone. The tap is usually then drilled into the worktop or wall mounted. Undermount sinks are usually more expensive, e.g. the Belfast sink, and harder to install than inset ones.

Taps

Taps are made of metal, most commonly stainless steel or chrome steel, then possibly brass. You will see reference to the metal being brushed or polished, this is how the metal is finished and the look will be matt versus gloss respectively. Other metals include nickel, pewter and copper. Colours can be applied on top of these.

There are How about tea towels? Some people introduce small radiators in the kitchen to warm their tea towels; an alternative is to make use of the waste heat from the hot water tap to dry them out. You could have your dish towel drawer above the tank to air them out. To reduce your reliance on disposable kitchen rolls, you could invest in quick washing cleaning towels that can be dried in a similar way. two basic mechanisms to turn on taps: the simple turn type or the push type which tends to be more hygienic. Taking it a step further is the smart tap with some touch free models; more smart features include measuring and temperature indicating LED lights, among others. The tap head can either be fixed or flexible. Pull down, retractable and/or flexible hose extensions are most common nowadays as they are handy to rinse out the sink and clean vegetables. Water filters to remove limescale and/or other impurities mcmonaglestone.com can be added (if you don’t have one for the house already) while integrated soap dispensers will unclutter the otherwise pristine look of your work surface. The introduction of the boiling tap to the market in recent years has added a significant cost with the majority of systems retailing at over 1k. You can choose between a separate boiling water tap with accompanying mixer, or one through which you can get all three (hot, cold or boiling). A child safety system is available and the tap sits on the worktop, with a tank underneath. These can now make sparkling water too, at an extra cost. While these eliminate the need for kettles, running costs tend to be similar. Last but not least, at a time when we are all more conscious of our domestic water consumption, fitting taps with aerators is a practical move as they provide more pressure and use less water.

This clever cabinet SPACE TOWER by Blum makes optimal use of the storage space available. Provisions can be kept together and clearly organised.

Book an appointment to visit our showrooms to see our full range of storage solutions and accessories. Flanagan Fittings, Falcon House, Dublin Airport Logistics Park, St. Margarets, Co. Dublin K67 F303 Ph: +353 (0)1 844 8400 Web: www.fff.ie Email: sales@fff.ie