Reasons why you SHOULDN'T buy a Belfast sink

proof that belfast sinks are able to exist without puppies or flowers

Belfast sinks…if you don’t own one, you’ll definitely have seen them on Instagram. They’re perpetually photographed with a bunch of flowers plonked inside or even a reluctant puppy. But tired gimmicks aside (burn), for practical reasons they are a bit, well, Marmite. They seem to be disliked and loved in equal measure, with Belfast sink owners more likely to reside in the dislike category. We noticed this when we got some discussion going on our Instagram.

In most other walks of life, the only way you can discover if you don’t like something is to take the plunge and buy the thing, try it and if you don’t like it change it. Well that’s not quite as easy when you’re installing new kitchen components. One of the reasons why we included a shopping module in our online renovation course is because we know how stressful the decision making process is.

What are the reasons to hate Belfast sinks? Well, let’s see now:

Belfast sinks are really low down

Due to the depth, Belfast sinks are much lower than normal sinks so you end up stooping whilst washing up which aches quite terribly. For vertically challenged types, this might not be too much of an issue but if you’re more of Gandalf than a Frodo then you’re going to have issues. Coping mechanisms include doing a rockstar/legs akimbo posing whilst you’re scrubbing those pots.

Belfast sinks don’t drain very easily

Belfast sink designs haven’t really changed for many decades and are actually not brought up to modern standards in terms of draining. Whereas your standard sink shape gives all of those little food particles a helping hand down towards the strainer, the Belfast sink trundles along with it’s near horizontal ‘bowl’ leaving random food nuggets stranded like flotsam and jetsam at low tide.

Belfast sinks hog cupboard space

When we bought our Belfast sink we were completely unaware of how small the cupboard space under the sink would be, it’s one of those little details that you just don’t think too much about until it’s there in your kitchen. This means we’re constantly juggling that cupboard around for all of those handy bottles of cleaning stuff. We came up with a semi-solution in the form of a cleaning caddy which brings a little bit of method to the madness, it helps because we can simply remove the key items in one go for cleaning missions.

Belfast sinks aren’t the best with wooden worktops

Possibly the biggest bugbear of any Belfast sink owner has to be the border line between the sink and wooden worktops (those brave/silly enough to go with wood with a Belfast!). Wooden worktops are topic that we’ve blogged about before but it bears repeating that where there is water near wood, over time it is going to affect the look of the wood. We’ve been really careful actually, ensuring everything is dried down and even a few years on, it’s not doing too badly but it really is worth thinking about if you’re a carefree type.

Belfast sinks are incompatible with laminate worktops

Had a great idea to get the Belfast sink look but with a cheaper laminate worktop option? Well not so fast bucko. Inside that laminate is a shed load of chipboard that water just can’t touch, and laminate worktop edging would not be sufficiently waterproof to prevent water ingress into the core of the worktop. You’ll have to think of another solution unfortunately.

Belfast sinks use a shed load of water

One of the benefits of a Belfast sink could be that you’re able to wash a small toddler in one, that gives you an idea of the size of them. Child-cleansing benefits aside, you’d have to be pretty ‘anti-eco’ to think that filling one up to the top to wash your pots was A-OK. Not long after we bought ours, we bought a white plastic bowl to make things a little more sustainable.

The reason why we love our Belfast sink

Just look at her. Many of your kitchen planning conversations will probably be practicality vs price vs ‘the look’. And we’re sure you’d agree that a Belfast sink looks the part in our kitchen. Style over substance? Maybe. Would we change our decision? Nope! Designing a kitchen is all about balancing the look you want and what it will do for you, and sometimes aesthetics win over function. It’s all about personal preference. Make it the way you want it, but go in with your eyes open.

Good luck with your sink!