The Best Sinks for Commercial Restrooms

Commercial restrooms are often overlooked when restaurant and retail business owners plan out their interior design. However, restrooms are a great opportunity to further incorporate your brand’s personality within your location. Customers will greatly appreciate you taking care of their restroom needs, giving them a pleasant experience in an area where many of your competitors may be lacking.

When designing commercial restrooms, it’s important to know what qualities will make your sinks ADA compliant and the elements that aid functionality and leave a lasting impression. Here are some tips to help you be the most effective in all of those efforts.

Qualities of a Good Sink for Commercial Restrooms

Having modern sink features and design in your commercial restrooms conveys to customers that you’re prioritizing that space. It also encourages more handwashing over a sink that looks out of date and dysfunctional. Qualities of a good sink for commercial restrooms include:

  • Simple and elegant designs that are pleasing to the eye.
  • Durability, with a finish that is scratch and stain-resistant.
  • Styles that prevent standing water from accumulating on the counter space in between sinks.
  • The ability to clean and maintain them easily.
  • Closely placed drain outlets along the drain channel.
  • Custom built to fit accordingly with the space requirements.
  • The ability to easily suspend them from the wall.
  • Adhere to ADA Compliance guidelines.

What Makes Sinks ADA Compliant

Making sure you have an ADA-compliant bathroom allows your commercial restroom to be used by everyone, including those with disabilities. Prioritize the following so your visitors are adequately taken care of:

Toe clearance. The height of an ADA sink courtesy panel enclosures should be at least 9 inches above a finished floor and a minimum of 30 inches wide. The depth for toe clearance should measure 16-25 inches from the front of the sink.

Knee clearance. ADA knee clearance requires a minimum of 29 inches between the area underneath the sink and the finished floor. There must be enough clearance space to extend a maximum depth of 25 inches under the front edge of the sink and the width should be a minimum of 30 inches. For height, ADA sinks in commercial restrooms should be 34 inches above the finished floor with a depth of at least 8 inches from the front edge of the sink. The slope of the knee clearance shouldn’t exceed 1:6. So for every 1 inch of depth, the height needs to decrease by a maximum of 6 inches.

Mounted accessories, obstructions, and reach parameters. When installing mounted accessories in commercial restrooms they’ll need to be reachable from the front and side with set parameters to be ADA compliant. For forward reach, the parts must be mounted no more than 48 inches and no less than 15 inches above the floor. When the forward reach is over an obstruction with a depth of 20-25 inches, the item cannot be more than 44 inches above the floor. Obstructions with a depth that is more than 25 inches should not be installed. If the floor space allows for a side approach and there is no obstruction, the accessory should still be no more than 48 inches and no less than 15 inches above the floor. If there is an obstruction it can have a maximum height of 34 inches above the floor. If the obstruction has a depth that is over 10 inches, the accessory cannot be any more than 46 inches above the floor.

Mirrors. ADA standards require that mirrors hung above sinks for commercial restrooms should be no more than 40 inches above the floor. It is not required but highly recommended to have at least one full-length mirror installed in every commercial restroom that is accessible to all.

Soap dispensers, hand drying, and waste receptacles. Soap dispensers should be installed over sinks and all of these items must be mounted to comply with the ADA reach ranges explained above.

We Make Sinks for Commercial Restrooms

CustomCreteWerks makes sinks for commercial restrooms using high quality, eco-friendly and flexible elements that are customizable to fit your needs. We incorporate ADA compliance and ease of use in all of our designs, while also taking into consideration your space and budget requirements. To top it off, we use a proprietary N-Hansed finish that keeps your countertops stain proof and damage-free for years to come.

Contact us today for more information!

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