Vintage Cast Iron Sink Restoration

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Supplies I Used For This Project:

• Bar Keepers Friend 
• Scrub - Daddy
• Sand Paper
• Toilet Bowel Cleaner
• Ekopel 2K Bathtub Refinishing Kit

When Dustin and I started talking about remodeling our kitchen I knew immediately that I wanted a vintage sink with drainboards. 

I stalked Facebook marketplace in search of of the style that I wanted. 

No such luck. 

So I posted on Facebook asking if any of my friends or family by chance had seen one for sale or had any tips on where I could find one. 

Now let me interrupt for a minute to explain that in the south you have your birth parents and then you have your other parents who are really your best friends parents but you practically lived at their house as a kid so they are more an extension of your family than just a friend. These are the other parents who your own child thinks you are related to because you spend just as much time with them as you do your blood relatives. You can't pick your family but you can pick your friends who then become family. But that's another conversation entirely.... 

Back to the point - Dustin's second mom commented saying something along the lines -  "Oh I've got one of those. Come get it."

She warned me she wasn't sure what kind of shape it was in and it has been sitting outside.

I was so excited! 

So Dustin and I went and picked it up. It had several layers of dirt and grime on it from sitting outside and there was some rust. But man was she a beauty! And I just knew she was going to shine right up.

In our old house we had a cast iron sink and I had learned the best thing to clean it with was baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. So that was my first go to 

It got off a layer of grime but there were still several layers to go. 

Using what I had on hand I tried White Vinegar and then Dish Soap.  

That seemed to get another layer off but there were some stains that still refused to come off. 

I searched Pinterest and Google for tips and tricks on how to restore this old sink. 

In my search I stumbled upon someone recommending Bar Keepers Friend  - this is available in a liquid or powder form I used the powdered form. 

Another tip I found somewhere was to use a Scrub - Daddy..... let me tell you these two products combined are miracle workers! I had tried magic eraser and it could not hold up to these tuff stains. But the Scrub Daddy and Bar Keepers Friend made a huge difference!

 

For reference is a before, during and after cleaning:

And here is a little video clip showing how easy these two products took care of removing stuff - even old paint that was caked on the sink:

Ok.... so now the sink is starting to look good.... The chips on the side or scratches on the drainboard did not bother me.... but what about that HUGE rust spot in the sink basin?

Dustin tried to tell me it added character.... which it did.... but our kitchen was going to be all pretty and new. And I wanted the rust spot gone. That is not was I envisioned looking at every time I washed dishes. 

So back to Google I go. Thankfully I found a great You Tube video by Jami Ray Vintage (watch it here) where she restores a cast iron sink. I stalked followed her comments to try and learn how her sink was holding up after using her method of restoration. I was pleased to read she was still happy with it so I decided to give it a try.

Now let me note at this point the granite had already been measured and ordered for our counter tops with using this sink. So this sink was going in no matter what happened. Rust, no rust, hell or high water. This was my kitchen sink. 

No pressure. 

So I ordered this kit off Amazon - Ekopel 2K Bathtub Refinishing Kit:

I made the same error that Jamie made and did not order the cleaning product that Ekopel recommended so instead I followed their directions and used a toilet bowl cleaner to prep the sink. They also recommend something to be put over the rust area but of course in true Harper fashion I was doing the project last minute and I didn't have any on hand so I just went with it.

The entire sink was sanded (including the rust spot), cleaned and dried. 

Then it was time to mix it up! Stirring it by hand took forever but hey it worked!

Now it was time to apply! Here is a time lapse of me painting the sink to give you an idea of how I did it: 

@meharper

Cast Iron Sink Restoration ##castironsink ##sinkrestoration ##vintagesink ##diyproject ##buzybeedesigncompany ##oldtonew ##sinkwithdrainboards

Now time to learn from my mistakes:

 This stuff goes on really thick and it looks like it is going to have a texture (which drove me nuts!) so I kept applying trying to get it all smooth --- don't worry about the texture! When it dries it dries smooth. Magic I know.

I choose to do this project outside because our new floors had just been installed and because of how bad everyone said the fumes were. Outside the fumes were not bad. I actually started out wearing a mask but with the Georgia heat that didn't last long.

The problem with doing it outside was for me gnats! They kept landing in my wet paint! I tried to take a baby wipe and wipe them off. This created a bigger mess. And caused me to have these huge bumps. 

I wanted to cry. But I stepped away and let it dry. I figured I could sand that place down and redo it.....

And that is what I did. I took the sander and sanded the bumps down about 48 hours later. And I grabbed my paint can.... and realized duh! It has hardened. 

Can we insert a palm to the forehead here?!

Talk about being aggravated with myself. 

Good news though Ekopel does sell a touch up kit. I ordered it and will touch up that spot eventually but for right now we are just enjoying having the sink in our new kitchen.

The first use the old/new sink got was Maddie rinsing cucumbers and preparing them to make pickles. 

This. This is why I wanted this sink. The drainboards are perfect for laying veggies to dry on one side and our canning jars drying on the other side.

Would I do this restoration method again?

You betcha I would! I was happy to say goodbye to that rust spot.

We have been using the sink daily for about 3 weeks now and I am very pleased with the look and feel of it. 

To some it may be just a kitchen sink but to this sentimental soul it is where I enjoy washing dishing in the morning while watching the birds and squirrels hop around outside. It is where Maddie and I will make many memories prepping our canning supplies. It is one of those special touches that what will make our house feel like a home.