Vintage Sinks

Care and repair of enameled cast iron, copper, stone, and steel. Plus: visit a soapstone fabricator in Vermont.

If you’re lucky enough to have a vintage sink in your kitchen, it’s probably one of the things you treasure most about the house. Still, old sinks tend to show their age in unexpected ways, posing a dilemma for residents. Rather than rip out the old and replace it with a new one (even if it’s salvage), first try a trick or two to get that sink back in the pink. the cast iron question

I once lived in a house with a porcelain-oncast-iron sink; its basin was rusted through. It was usable, barely, but anyone washing dishes had to take care not to get scraped knuckles. Or tetanus.

Provided the sink is not so far gone, several strategies may help refurbish a cast-iron sink finished in vitreous enamel. As long as the working part of the sink is free from rust spots and large chips—and isn’t rusting away—the sink can be cleaned of stains, touched up with automotive paint, and waxed to protect the fragile glossy finish. On the other hand, if rust or other heavy damage has invaded the basin, popped up around the pipes, eroded the drain, or affected other heavily used areas, the sink may be ready for new life as a yard planter.

That’s because, outside of a foundry, it’s next to impossible to re-create the high-heat bonding process between cast iron and enamel that took place when the sink was made.

Companies all over the country refurbish ceramic tubs and sinks [ text cont. on page 43]