Here’s a quick overview of the four main types of kitchen sinks:

Undermounted

As the name suggest, this sink is fitted beneath the kitchen surface. This allows the cut edge of the worktop to be seen which means it can only be used with waterproof materials such as granite and marble. They come in a wide variety of style and colours, however they don’t offer an integral draining board.

Inset

Inset sinks are set into a hole cut out of the work surface (left.) Typically made of stainless steel they come in a huge variety of styles and sizes including twin bowls, 1.5 bowls and circular. Most come with an integrated draining board and they can be used with any work surface. They offer great value for money.

Integral

Modern materials such as Corian can be moulded to create a worktop and sink in flawless, seamless length. There are no joins so it creates a very sleek and stylish finish, however, it can be quite costly and dishes have to be drained on the work surface.

Belfast or Butler

Typically made of ceramic, the Belfast or Butler sink sits below the worktop which means they do not have an integral drainer. They look great in country kitchens (right) and are normally pretty large which means makes the great for doing the washing up. The only drawback is that dishes and glassware can easily get chipped by the hard ceramic surface.