What is a Fireclay Sink?

What is a fireclay kitchen sink? An overview

Maybe you have not heard much about fireclay kitchen sinks yet and wondering why you should choose them over stainless-steel sinks.

If that’s so, it’s important to get a brief overview of fireclay kitchen sinks.

Clay is basically a material that is fired with a glaze. When clay and glaze fuse together and are fired at scorching temperature, they result in a heavy-duty, hard, long-wearing, ultra-durable, and super amazing ceramic material that almost looks similar to enameled cast iron.

Besides hundreds of practical benefits, fireclay sinks are super trendy and bound to remain charming for every year and season. Also, these sinks are not exclusive to farmhouses or luxurious cottages, they just serve as a central point to every size and style of kitchen.

Fireclay vs Stainless Steel Sink

If you are buying kitchen sinks for the first time, you may feel confused about choosing the right material and sink type. As there are plenty of materials available in the market such as copper, stainless steel, granite, cast iron, and many others.

Thus, people feel a little intimidated before choosing the one available with great durability and reliability.

Therefore, many people often choose stainless steel and porcelain sinks as they are commonly available and the preferred choice of every homeowner. Let’s compare them with fireclay sinks and find out which is the right option.

Remember, stainless steel sinks should be your topmost option if you are short on money.

Usually, stainless steel sinks have been found in stylish and modern home settings. While fireclay sinks seem a more obvious choice in a farmhouse or country-style homes. But their amazing features and timeless design ensure that both of these sink types are best for modern and traditional settings, for many years to come. It totally depends on your choice and budget.

Also, stainless steel sinks are resistant to bacteria, corrosions, stains, and scratches. They are also quite easy to clean. But if you want to give your kitchen a natural-looking appearance, fireclay sinks are the best choice. Since they are created with clay and feature more sound-absorbent properties as compared to other sink types.

However, both sink types have their own features and strengths. In short, if you want a more durable and timeless design for your farmhouse, fireclay sinks are the best. But if you want a budget-friendly solution that resists all the wear and tear, then stainless steel is the right type to consider.

Fireclay vs Porcelain Sinks

What about choosing porcelain sinks? Is that a better option than fireclay? What makes it different from fireclay? Or is that just a fancy name for the fireclay sink?
There are a lot of questions that pop up in everyone’s mind as both of these materials have a lot of similarities.

Well, yes, we understand all this confusion and skepticism. Because for years, porcelain has been an ideal choice for kitchen sinks.

Then why are people switching to fireclay sinks now?

Despite some similarities, there are a lot of differences as well.

Fireclay kitchen sinks are usually handmade. The artists use a special kind of white clay while manufacturing this sink type. The white clay is only available in a few parts of the world such as Israel, France, Italy, and Limoges.

The experts mix all the white clay into the water and then pour it efficiently into molds. This whole mixture needs a humidity-controlled area to get dry. After that, they fuse the clay and glaze material together at high temperatures to get dense and non-porous material.

This is why fireclay sinks are called the most heat and stain-resistant sinks.

Porcelain also looks similar to fireclay. But the difference is, porcelain is less durable.
Porcelain can only be heated under low temperatures which makes it susceptible to discoloration, chip, and damages.

But if you are looking for a colorful sink that matches the kitchen interiors, porcelain is the right choice as fireclay sinks are only available in white and off-white shades. However, you can get different sizes in fireclay sinks as well that best suit your kitchen space and style.

What are the costs of a fireclay sink?

Now that’s probably a million-dollar question. But luckily, you don’t have to be a millionaire to buy a fireclay sink.

We agree that fireclay sinks have some disadvantages as well and the most notable one is the price of course. Since they are available in exceptional quality and features, they are a bit expensive; some high-quality sinks range in price from hundred to thousand dollars.

Well, you don’t have to spend tons of money to buy a great sink. You can choose a moderately priced fireclay sink as costs are not the indicators of lower quality always.

You can get an average cost under-mount fireclay sink for $600-$1,250. However, if you want one with lower costs, you can also rely on $325. Sink capacity, number of bowls, quality, materials, and lots of factors affect the costs.