WARNING: The following pictures are intended for adult, colorblind highly imaginative audiences only. If you are primarily a "left brainer," you may want to shield your eyes, as your creative spirit may be forever damaged.
Hopefully, the sight of this horrid kitchen doesn't result in vivid nightmares for any of you.
This was my kitchen.
(By the way, the mesmerizing red-orange tea kettle came with the home - it's really what sealed the deal for us.)
Thankfully, everything in the picture except the stove is now GONE.
Quickly moving on to the new love in my life, my new, old sink....but first, a couple obligatory inspiration photos:
As much as I wish I could reveal the entire kitchen to you, it's not finished. Not even close.
(hey, it's only been 2....months....ugh)
But I would like to share my very tasty Craigslist score with you...my new, old sink, complete with faucet:
Directly out of a REAL farmhouse on a REAL farm in the REAL country.
$50.
I thought I was going to have to refinish the porcelain, so add another $40 for that, but still less than the cost of a new kitchen sink.
But, after scrubbing the sink, what I thought were "rust" stains, were really lime scale (I think?? Please correct me if I'm wrong).
It was A LOT of work to clean it. First, I soaked it in vinegar (according to Pinterest, this stuff can do everything from cleaning showers to refinish wood?), which helped considerably:
The sink in the "soaking" process. I thought we'd have to throw away the faucet, but it turned out looking brand new.
I'm not a patient person, so I took my vinegar-smelling self to Lowes and bought some CLR.
I chose it because it looked the most lethal. (In my war on lime)
Nice, right?
The drain is brass - I love it, but we had to remove it to make way for the garbage disposal...blah!
Okay, moment of truth, check out my baby now...
It's not actually installed here...there's a outlet on the left that had to be moved, but it gives you an idea of my new sink in all of it's $50 wonderfulness!
Like my backer board counter tops?
Please excuse the mess, but I wanted to show you how it looks with the new (non-orange-red) porcelain tile countertops. (I promise, more on that later).
If you squint, you may notice my bead board back splash?
We had been given some remnant granite to use, but when preparing to cut it, we realized that it was stained beyond repair....so we had to make a quick (and inexpensive) decision.
My plan is to get the cabinets painted this week...we'll see if management (my toddlers) allows this to take place.
So, fingers crossed, there will be yet another "How to paint your kitchen cabinets like a professional" pin on Pinterest very soon!
Have you ever re-used an old porcelain sink? How did you seal it? I don't want to refinish it, as I like the old, slightly dull look. But it stains really easily. My dad suggested car wax? Has anyone tried this?
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks for stopping by!
take care -
7 comments:
It's an amazing find! I would splurge now, and get the whole thing redone. You'll be glad later, when everything is installed and it's harder to have it done. There are a few things on the market that are like car wax. I have tried several to seal my sink after scrubbing but they don't really work. My sink is not that old, but it must not be great quality, because it's got hairline scratches in it that stain up really quick and I can feel the finish is worn off the bottom already.
You have some great elements, I look forward to the reveal :)
Hi Erin! I remember as a pre-teen a kitchen sink like that. I hated it because you had to use a dishpan to wash the dishes and rinse on the side of it. I was so excited when my parents re-did the kitchen and got a double sink! It is quite nostalgic, though. I hope you enjoy it more than I did!
What an amazing find, Erin--especially at that price! We're in the process of buying a farmhouse and I'm hoping to find a similar sink.
I have a sink similar to the one you have but older and original to the house. I have tried everything on the market and all the tricks and NOTHING works except to have the sink redone by professionals. Even if I place a glass in the sink over night it leaves a ring - good luck. BTW, you did get an excellent deal even if it costs you $500 to redo the sink properly but the good news is it will last your lifetime.
AHHhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been wondering about you. I'm so excited to see that you have been busily working on your lake house. And I LOVE that sink!!!
I have a double...and I really don't ever use the other side so that drying part should be just perfect!!
My finish is shot! (Not antique or cool my any means...circa 1997 with a hard life is my guess.)
Anywho. I have this soft scrub stuff and I use it about once a week. It's easy. Squirt it on, wipe it around, leave it to "soak", forget and wash it down the drain some time later.
I'm a faithful dishwasher user but I do end up with dirty stuff in there...I guess it's not that handy to scrub it but I don't like to scrub the toilets either...maybe I just have an aversion to scrubbing. :)
I love it! Renovate on! I can't wait to see the rest of your kitchen.
I think your kitchen is not that bad, Erin. I do like the red countertops and, of course, the red kettle. But I think your photo inspiration would go well with the space. With regards to your question, the way to seal a porcelain sink is to clean it with trisodium phosphate. This chemical cleanser will remove hard water and soap stains. After rinsing and drying, coat your sink with a clear acrylic topcoat and leave it for 30 minutes. Repeat the coating twice with a 30-minute drying session in between. After two days of curing, you can now use your newly sealed and cleaned sink.
It's fantastic! I know nothing about having it sealed, but I LOVE it!!!
And welcome back... I've missed you!
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