SIDE NOTES

RENEWABLE ANTIQUES IN SLATE

In a follow-up to Mary Ellen Polson’s story on kitchensink repair (OHJ May 2020), John Tatko from the venerable Sheldon Slate company wrote to tell us that they not only make new slate sinks but also refurbish old ones: “We like old stuff and I hate to see people throw the sinks away.”

Little goes wrong with natural slate, and chances are, an old slate sink that’s seen better days can be returned to use.

Most of the sinks that come into the fabrication shop in Monson, Maine,

“are in the 100-year-old range. Our company started in 1906, so there are a lot of them out there.” Slate is an incredibly durable material. A sound sink may need only surface refinishing; others require repairs or even a complete rebuild, especially if the sink has been left out in the weather.

And, if fixing your old sink is cost prohibitive, don’t worry. “We’ll build you a new one for a lot less,” Tatko promises. Sheldon Slate Products Co.,

BELOW Sheldon Slate installed this sink in a camp in Maine, 50 years ago. It was restored during a kitchen renovation.