The majority of washbasins are made of ceramic and
engineered stone. However, there are also rare
copper,
acrylic,
stainless steel,
enameled steel and even
glass. More about each of them:
— Ceramic composite. The most common material for modern sinks. Today
ceramic washbasins are made of: porcelain and faience. Porcelain has good strength, but is difficult to manufacture, due to which it is quite expensive and relatively rare. Faience is a little less durable, at the same time it is cheaper and looks no worse, thanks to which it has become widespread.
— Artificial stone. Most often, this term means injection marble - a composite material based on marble or quartz crumb with a filler of polyester resin with dyes. The main advantage of engineered stone is durability: it is almost the most resistant material used in modern shells. In addition, it looks very good and easy to clean. However, such washbasins are quite expensive.
— Glass. Glass can be referred to as a premium materials: it looks elegant, at the same time very original, which makes it well suited to various interiors, incl. and non-standard. The main drawback of glass is its fragility: it is somewhat worse to withstand damage than the above materials, a
...nd requires careful handling. This is especially true for heavy objects - they should not be dropped on glass shells.
— Stainless steel. The main advantage of steel is extremely high strength: such a washbasin can fly off the anchorages, but will not break and is not likely to even warp. In addition, this material has a specific, rather stylish appearance. On the other hand, steel washbasins are not cheap, and therefore are produced rarely - mainly in consideration of special conditions of use when strength and/or vandalism are important. For example, such models are good for public toilets in stadiums or concert complexes.
— Acrylic. Most often, acrylic is a composite material that combines acrylic itself (high-quality plastic) with fiberglass. One of the important advantages of such washbasins is ease of care: the acrylic surface resists stains and streaks well, is easy to clean, and old dirt does not form on it. However such a washbasin scratches relatively easily, but at the same time, scratches can be easily removed by grinding and polishing. But among the more serious drawbacks, poor compatibility with some detergents (mainly based on petroleum products) and sensitivity to high temperatures can be noted. The latter is especially true for bathrooms with boilers, where much hotter water can come from a tap than from a regular plumbing. However, this material tolerates short-term contact with "boiling water" without consequences.
— Natural stone. Expensive and prestigious material used in premium, mainly designer, washbasins. The natural stone has a solid appearance, is pleasant to the touch, is excellent against scratches and easy to clean. In addition, the environmental friendliness of this material can also be recorded. On the other hand, natural stone is very expensive, and heavy weight makes transportation and installation difficult.
— Enamelled steel. Steel, additionally coated with a layer of enamel. The steel base is strong and reliable, and the coating looks nice and provides increased scratch resistance. In addition, it can be given almost any shade, and the design of such washbasins is not limited to gray-steel color «stainless steel». The price of enameled products can be different, depending on the brand and overall quality of manufacture. From their shortcomings we can call sensitivity to impacts - from this on the enamel may appear chipping.
— Copper. Copper washbasins are primarily a designer series of plumbing equipment. Most copper washbasins are created in an antique style, with a layer of patina created on the surface of copper, which is easy to give the plumbing an ancient look. In total, copper is valued for its excellent antibacterial properties. It is not uncommon for a copper washbasin to require a table top, as copper plumbing is very heavy.The shape of the basin bowl. In most cases, the shape of the bowl does not affect the possibilities of the washbasin and is selected based on the installation features. For example, when mounting the table top (see above), the only limitation is the design of the bathroom and personal preferences of the buyer; when installing on the cabinet, you must also take into account the shape of the cabinet; hanging models inevitably have a flat back wall for wall mounting, etc.
In a separate variety can be distinguished
corner washbasins: This shape is designed for small rooms where you have to save as much space as possible. If savings are not critical, it makes sense to look at other options.
There are many national stereotypes: many users find certain countries more attractive than others. However, nowadays these stereotypes are practically unfounded. Firstly, in the country of origin of the brand, often only the headquarters of the manufacturer is located, and the production may be located in another state. Secondly, the origin of a certain country is not yet a guarantee of quality: it all depends on how carefully a particular manufacturer controls its products. Therefore, to assess the quality, it is worth focusing not on “nationality”, but first of all on the reputation of a particular brand and the price category of the product. Among the countries represented are the following:
Belgium,
Germany,
India,
Spain,
Italy,
Poland,
Portugal,
Slovenia,
USA,
Turkey,
France,
Czech Republic,
Switzerland,
Sweden,
Japan.
