Porcelain sinks are both beautiful and easy to clean. On the down side, it's a brittle material and easily cracked.
Heavy usage can result in cracks appearing or the unintentional dropping of a hefty object on the porcelain can chip off parts of the enamel. All these chips and cracks can be unpleasant to look at and might prompt you to want to replace the sink.
Durability — Porcelain sinks are highly durable and stand up well to everyday wear and tear, though care should be used not to drop heavy items in the sink.
Drastic temperature shifts
Like a lot of household objects or fittings, drastic temperature changes cause damage to bathroom sinks. Repeated temperature shock can lead to swelling and cracking of your porcelain and enamel.
Porcelain sinks may be a larger initial investment, but over time, they pay themselves off as a result of their quality and durability. Porcelain is known for its durability, and can last up to 30 years or more through optimized care.
Abrasive cleaners: Abrasive cleaners that contain harsh chemicals can stain, scratch, or damage the finish on porcelain sinks.
Best for: Affordability, durability, and low maintenance. The most common option for a kitchen sink material is stainless steel. This material is well-known for its water-resistance, durability, and scratch-resistance, and is also often recognized for superior rust-resistance and antimicrobial properties.
Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.
The best material for repairing a porcelain sink is epoxy. However, buying epoxy that isn't specialized for porcelain sink crack repairs can lead to poor or unsightly results. This is why it's recommended to get a porcelain sink repair kit. This kit contains everything you need to carry out cracked sink repairs.
Porcelain must be sealed for the same reasons you seal shower glass doors. Our sealants are also effective on baked enamel bath fixtures.
Stainless steel is easily workable and has a long service life that will retain its clean finish look, with little to no maintenance costs. Additionally, due to the special high chromium and nickel-alloyed grades, it can resist scaling and retain strength at extreme temperatures better than porcelain.
Porcelain is considered the hardest clay available today and it starts out as... ceramic. It is heated in a kiln at an extremely high temperature (higher than ceramic), so it is less porous and dense. Porcelain is very strong with a smooth finish.
Porcelain sinks remain popular for kitchens due to their durability, non-porous surface, design versatility, easy-to-clean nature, and heat and cold resistance. If you're looking for a kitchen sink, you have several options: porcelain, stainless steel, cast iron, stone, enamel, concrete, and more.
Uneven drying of the piece causes cracking, which means that certain portions of the pottery shrink more than others. The key to avoiding these hazards is to dry the item in a constant atmosphere and to do the required prep work to guarantee that the entire piece dries at the same rate.
First, put the piece on a flat surface, such as a tabletop. Then give it a little tap. “If it rings it's probably fine,” Lackey says. “If it's a dull sound, it means you'll want to look a lot closer.” That dull sound usually — although not always — will indicate a crack or defect.
Porcelain is less likely to crack under extreme heat, whereas ceramic can become damaged, cracked, or even change shape when exposed to extreme heat.
This is likely the result of thermal shock. In this case the clay and glaze expand at different rates when exposed to temperature variation, and this change causes the object to crack. To be more specific, the body has contracts more than the glaze.
These can appear for a number of reasons, but ultimately time will be what makes them worse. It could take months, years or even decades for a crack to really become pronounced in your porcelain! In kitchens (and some bathrooms), temperature changes can be a major culprit in the formation of porcelain cracks.
Porcelain Kitchen Sinks
Strong and durable, porcelain sinks hold up well over time when cared for. Porcelain sinks are available in a wide range of colors. Porcelain can mimic the look of natural stones, like marble. It's a low maintenance material that's easy to clean.
Acrylic
This easily moldable plastic is one of the most affordable and versatile kitchen sinks you can find. It's easy to clean, strong, sound absorbent, and the nonporous surface is resistant to mildew and dirt buildup.
Porcelain, Ceramic and Fireclay Kitchen Sinks
Their non-porous and high gloss finish makes the sinks stain-resistant and fairly easy to keep clean using normal everyday household cleaning products.
For white porcelain only, bleach can be used to remove stains; never use chlorine bleach in colored or vintage porcelain, as it can damage the finish. For both white and colored porcelain, liquid oxygen bleach (such as hydrogen peroxide) is a good alternative.