January 11, 2010

Weekend Project | Basement Sink

Overall, I’d say most of the original character has been stripped from this house. The doorknobs, the built-ins, the pink and green bathroom (admittedly, I’m relieved about that one) they’re gone. But we still have a few details, the molding, the solid wood doors, the odd cupboard. And down in the basement, this beauty:

Oh, not the stove. That’s just nasty. I’m referring to that fantastic, metal sink. This room was once a second kitchen (yeah, I know, someone ate FOOD down here), but now it is being converted into our new laundry room. We’ve ripped out the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the stove – all necessary actions due to termites, rot, and a ghastly amount of filth. We’ve purchased a new washer dryer (thank you Black Friday Sears!) and we’ve gotten a quote from a plumber (whose raised eyebrows at the mention we were keeping this sink only makes me more determined). Now all we need to do is refinish it so it can take it’s proper place as the centerpiece of this room.

Yeah, that’s bad.

But this is my kind of project. I love bringing poorly treated rejects back to life. It’s cleansing not only for the sink, but for my brain. I find this relaxing, active meditation. This is because I’m nuts.

So I started by removing the sink top to get a good look at it. Hmm, this is cumbersome and really dirty. I think it needs to go outside. (Note that every time we pick this up, our gloves become immersed in grease.)

So we brought it out back where I can zap it with the hose. I removed all the doors and drawers, and in the bright daylight realize the cabinet has been refinished before, there is some sadness at that fact. But what relief that they thought to remove the handles before painting, they are in mint condition! Everything else was drenched in 409 and I went to town with the scrubbies.

The sink itself will get a good cleaning and a homemade refinishing. We still have to scout for a new faucet, I think Ace Hardware carries vintage styles.

It didn’t take long to realize I was completely kidding myself that I could do this in one weekend. There is a lot more rust than I first thought. It’s going to take two days to clean and sand before I can even prime it.