Kitchen sinks fulfill a practical task in our day-to-day lives, but they’re also an important design feature of the kitchen.
In the scenario your sink breaks and needs replacing, it’s probably a job you’ll need to get done as soon as you can. Other times, installing a new kitchen sink is necessary to modernise a kitchen or add a new striking feature.
There are a few different options when it comes to choosing kitchen sinks, and costs do vary.
This article will cover the cost of installing a kitchen sink, factors that affect the cost and other common questions surrounding kitchen sinks.
Kitchen Sink Installation Cost & Prices 2022
By taking quotes from Wickes, B&Q, Victoria Plumbing and other stores, we found the follow average costs for different types of sinks.
Supply Only
| Type of Sink | 1-bowl | 1.5 bowl | 2-bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless Steel | £50 to £125 | £65 to £175 | £100 to £250 |
| Ceramic | £100 to £250 | £150 to £350 | £200 to £500+ |
| Composite/Quartz | £150 to £350 | £250 to £500 | £400 to £800+ |
| Fireclay | £200 to £500 | £300 to £700 | £600 to £1,000+ |
| Natural Stone | £500 to £1,000 | £600 to £1,250 | £800 to £1,500+ |
| Cast Iron | £500 to £1,000 | £600 to £1,250 | £800 to £1,500+ |
Evidently, stainless steel is the cheapest option. Even two-bowl stainless sinks with strainers cost around £250 or so.
Natural stone and fireclay are high-end options that can cost well over £1,500 for large family-sized sinks. Remember, these are the costs of the sink only – taps and other fittings are separate.
If you need new taps too, these can cost around £50 to £500 or more for hot water taps from brands like Quooker. A high-end kitchen tap can cost as much as £1,500.
Labour Costs
By contacting 12 plumbers, we discovered the following average labour costs for fitting various sinks. Plumbers typically quote hourly rates of between £40 and £80.
If you’re looking to change your worktops while adding a new sink, you might be better off calling a kitchen designer.
Labour costs are highest for replacing undermounted sinks, as these require significantly more reworking to the countertop.
In some cases, it might be necessary to remove the entire countertop which is time-consuming, often spreading the job across two days.
| Type of Work | Job Duration | 1 bowl | 1.5 or 2 bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Like-for-like replacement | 2 to 4 hours | £100 to £300 | £150 to £350 |
| Replacing with New Overmounted Sink | 3 to 6 hours | £130 to £350 | £200 to £450 |
| Replacing with New Undermounted Sink | 4 to 10 hours | £230 to £500 | £350 to £600 |
Altogether, the all-in total cost of fitting a kitchen sink varies from around £200 to £350 for a simple stainless steel sink to over £2,000 for fitting a high-end undermounted sink.
In the middle of the range, fitting a decent stainless steel or lower-cost ceramic sink will likely cost within the region of £500 to £750.
Factors Affecting The Cost of Kitchen Sinks
Here are the main factors affecting the cost of kitchen sinks:
Materials
As noted already, materials are one of the most significant factors affecting the cost of kitchen sinks. If you’re after a decent, budget sink, stainless steel is almost invariably the best option.
For higher-end sinks, consider ceramic and composite. From there, high-end options include natural stone like granite and marble, fireclay and cast iron.
Size
Sinks come in either 1-bowl, 1.5-bowl or 2-bowl formats. They may also come with an attached drainer. 2-bowl sinks with drainers are the most expensive sinks of all.
Removal of Old Sink
If you’re removing an old sink, expect to pay disposal costs. Removing undermounted sinks is more complex than overmounted and requires disassembly of the countertop.
Expect to pay more to remove an undermounted sink.
Taps
A sink isn’t a sink without a tap. Kitchen taps can cost anywhere between about £50 for budget options to £1,000 or more. For high-end hot water taps from brands like Quooker, expect to pay more than £1,000.
Waste Disposal Units
Sink waste disposal units grind down any food waste that enters your sink drain. They then dispose of that waste as a fine paste which is ejected into your wastewater. Waste disposal units cost around £200 to £750.
Plumbing
Reconnecting your taps and plumbing is straightforward if you’re after a like-for-like swap with a new sink similar to your existing one. But if you plan on adding new taps and other features, the cost of plumbing the new sink in will increase.
Changes to the Countertop or Benchtop
Unless you’re replacing the sink with another sink of the exact dimensions, you may need to change or replace the benchtop or countertop.
2 metres of kitchen countertops can cost anywhere between £100 for laminate to £1,000 for quartz.
Different Types of Kitchen Sinks
There are three main kitchen sinks and a few other niche higher-end options.
Kitchen sinks also come in three typical sizes, 1-bowl, 1.5-bowl and 2-bowl. A 1.5 bowl kitchen sink features the main sink and a smaller side bowl beside it.
The three primary kitchen sink materials are:
Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks
Stainless steel is excellent for kitchen sinks. It’s super-hard-wearing, hygienic, strong and scratch resistant. Stainless steel is also crack-resistant. Stainless steel doesn’t corrode and remains easy to clean. Most sinks are made from stainless steel – it’s the cheapest option.
- Extremely durable
- Crack resistant
- Hygienic
- Widely available
- Cheaper
The average cost of a 1-bowl stainless steel sink is around £100 to £400.
Ceramic Kitchen Sinks
Ceramic is aesthetically pleasing, but it’s still super-tough and hard to scratch or break. While ceramic isn’t quite as tough as stainless steel, it’s still highly durable. Ceramic sinks look the part too.
- Durable
- Hygienic
- Usually comes in white or black
- Scratch resistant
- More expensive
The average cost of a 1-bowl ceramic sink is around £300 to £500.
Composite and Quartz Kitchen Sinks
Composite and quartz kitchen sinks are a higher-end option. They come in many different colours and can match other quartz or stone worktops.
Granite is a typical material for kitchen sinks and is super-tough. Like ceramic, composite sinks are tough and hardwearing but aren’t as impact-resistant as stainless steel.
The average cost of a 1-bowl composite sink is around £300 to £600.
- Durable
- Hygienic
- Multiple colours
- Scratch resistant
- More expensive
High-End Kitchen Sinks
There is a handful of other high-end kitchen sinks, including:
- Cast iron, made from a single piece of iron coated in ceramic. Extremely tough and look superb.
- Fire-clay, a variant of ceramic.
- Glass (applies only to the surround)
- Natural stone, such as marble.
Some of these sinks will set you back over £1,000. A single-bowl cast iron kitchen sink from the brand Kohler costs £1,090, for example.
Overmounted vs Undermounted Kitchen Sinks
There are two main formats of sink: overmounted and undermounted.
Overmounted Sinks
These are inserted into the hole on the kitchen benchtop or countertop. They’re typically all-in-one sinks with a drainage area connected to the main bowl. These are easier to fit, especially when you’re swapping your current sink out for another the same size.
- Slot into the top of the benchtop
- Overmounted sinks are swift and easy to install
- Installation is cheaper
- On the downside, the seal around the sink can wear and leak
Undermounted Sinks
These are instead inserted under the kitchen benchtop or countertop. This enables the countertop to flow over the sink, which forms a clean indent in the benchtop. Undermounted sinks are more typical in higher-end kitchens.
- Installed under the benchtop
- Harder to install
- Installation more expensive
- Often more watertight and leak-proof
Virtually all the above popular sink materials, e.g. stainless steel, ceramic, composite, etc, can be either overmounted or undermounted.
How Long Does It Take To Install a New Kitchen Sink?
Overmounted sinks are relatively easy to install, so long as the countertop can receive the new sink. A simple like-for-like swap may take as little as 2 hours.
However, if the new sink differs in size and shape, then it’s probably necessary to change the countertop. This extends the duration of the job to 4 to 6 hours. Unless extensive reworking is required, replacing a sink will take less than a day.
To Sum Up
The cost of installing a new kitchen sink ranges between £200 or so for ultra-basic swaps to over £1,500 for complex undermounted sink installation.
If you’re looking for a budget sink, stainless steel is the way to go. It’s ultra-hard-wearing and ticks all the essential boxes. Higher-end options range from ceramic to composite and cast iron.
Installing a new kitchen sink is technically straightforward. In some cases, a plumber might need to work with a carpenter or countertop installer, but often, they’ll be able to complete the whole task themselves.
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We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay to install a kitchen sink
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