Franke Fireclay

Franke Fireclay sinks are all handcrafted and many are created by the respected and world-renowned firm of Villeroy & Boch, which has been making fine ceramic creations for over 260 years. Still a family-owned business, Villeroy & Boch has served as Royal and Imperial Porcelain Manufacturer for royalty and aristocrats as well as becoming popular with the public due to the quality of their beautiful and distinctive designs.

Franke by Villeroy & Boch fireclay sinks are impervious to household chemicals with an ultra-smooth dirt-repellent CeramicPlus finish: guaranteed for a lifetime of beauty and function under normal use.

The slip (liquid ceramic) is comprised of quartz, china clay or ball clay (kaolinite) and chamotte (a ceramic raw material consisting of silica and alumina) which is injected into porous plaster molds at high pressure. When not quite dry, the still fragile pieces are fettled manually and the uneven places smoothed with coarse and soft sponges and water to create an even surface.

Waste outlet and tap fitting holes are then punched out, each according to the individual design of the sink. At the same time, the first manual total quality inspection is completed. With large fireclay sinks, the drying time at room temperature takes several days. The final drying in the dryer reaches a maximum temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and takes about 40 hours.

After drying, the sinks are fettled once again by hand, with the final glaze sprayed on the surface. The thickness of the glaze is 0.7mm to 1.0mm before firing and the consistency of color is closely monitored to assure uniformity.

The sink is then fired for 20 hours in a tunnel kiln at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit before the craftsman makes the last of numerous inspections as the sink is completed. The shrinkage involved in the firing process from start to finish can result in a linear shrinkage of up to 5% which can yield a 2% final variance in the size of each sink.

Each sink is tested to stringent tolerance guidelines using regularly calibrated testing equipment which detects the actual size of the pieces, faucet hole sizes, impurities and deformations.

For undermount sinks, the unglazed mounting rim is ground flat to ensure a perfect fit in the worktop. Premium finishing guarantees even surfaces for optimum fitting and perfect sealing and individual pieces are ground with rotating disks in a wet polishing operation to assure a perfectly leveled installation surface. The sink is then carefully packed to prevent damage during transport.

Practical and attractive accessories are available for many Franke Fireclay sinks, including grids and cutting boards.

Franke Fireclay sinks offer:

• Extremely hard, scratch resistant surfaces
• Hygienic surfaces, with smooth dirt repellent finish
• Durability
• Insensitivity to acids and alkalis

The Franke Fireclay finish allows:

• Less cleaning time; stains from tea, coffee, red wine or limescale are easily removed
• Fewer cleaning agents; aggressive cleaning is unnecessary
• Reduced water consumption needed to clean a fireclay surface