Kitchen

Reply to: You can install two separate sinks in a countertop. In fact, in the old days, before double-bowl sins were invented, the only way to have a double sink was to install two, and sometimes three, sinks side by side. They were not common in homes but often used in restaurants and hotels. A couple of issues: The narrow countertop strip between the sinks is not strong enough to support the weight of the sinks + water, and will need to be strengthened. You will need a single cabinet wide enough for the two sinks -- at least 48" or possibly wider for the size of the sinks you are talking about, or two cabinets. Two cabinets is often not as good a choice since the sinks cannot be installed as close together. The countertop strip between the sinking will get a lot of wear, more so that the rest of the countertop, and will show the wear much sooner. You can take two ordinary stainless sinks and have them welded together by a stainless steel fabricator. Once they are re-polished, you cannot see the seam. In fact, when double bowl sinks are made at the factory, they start as two separate sinks that are then joined, welded and polished. If you live in or near a fairly large town, you probably have one or more stainless fabricators locally -- you know, the guy that makes restaurant countertops and fixtures for the local jail. It will ordinarily be a lot cheaper to join two good 18/8 or 18/10 stainless single sinks bought at Home Depot than to have one large double sink custom made. The quality would be the same, especially since the custom fabricator is probably just going to join together two single sinks he bought at Home Depot and smile when he hands you the bill.

Q