I have an old fashioned sink that I'd like have recovered. I know that bathtubs that are not plastic can have a new coat of enamel(?)put on. What is that procedure called and who does it? The sink is made of the same stuff that the old bathtubs were made of, so I imagine it could be redone, too. Any advice?
Jo
I don't know how to find a service that recoats sinks, but I'll tell you this: Do not under any circumstances believe anyone who says they can recoat the sink at your house. If you need to know why, I'll post some pictures of my bathroom sink, which was the victim of an unfortunate shortcut. It's hideous. I've seen others like it, too.
Watch for address wrap!
I've had and old claw foot (1910) tub and a few old corner sinks done. These were cast iron. Check your local area for "resurfacing tub and sinks". IIRC this was an application of enamel. They turned out great, so I sold them :)
-- Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."
i HAVE NO EXPERience but sinks are used for pots and pans, and even dishes are harder than skin. So maybe they don't last as long, I don't know.
I painted part of washing machine with epoxy appliance enamel white spray paint and it looked beautiful, like a new washing machine, and lasted as long as I had it, but then again, I never put it under water.
That would be cast iron and the enamel is *true* enamel; that is, it is glass that has been fused to the iron. Basically, the iron is heated enough to melt glass and the glass particles are applied to it.
If you know someone that does ceramics they might be able to do it. Most likely, best you could do is paint it and that could vary from gawdawful to pretty good depending on the skill of the painter.
The tub I mentioned (1910 claw foot cast iron - recycle) was bead blasted(iirc) and enameled. A beautiful site when done correctly.
You might get away with painting the outside, but don't paint the inside.
Talk to the local guy. I made trades of sinks for a re-surface.
-- Oren
Hofstadter's Law - It [a task] always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
This Old House visited one of the places that does true re-enameling, several years ago. IIRC, only a few places in the country do it, because it is hideously expensive unless you do it on a production basis, and do dozens of tubs and such at once. More like re-manufacturing than refinishing- they media-blast the old surface off until hitting undisturbed material, heat it glowing red, and apply another layer of enamel. With modern energy prices, it has to cost close to what a new fixture does, so unless the item is historical, probably not worth it, especially if you have to truck-freight it to them. I presume the one they visited was in Boston, which has enough old buildings and rich yuppies to keep them going. I presume the TOH web page has a link somewhere.
Before doing that, I'd check the architectual salvage places and Habitat ReStores within a 50-mile radius, and see what they have in stock. Decent odds you find a similar fixture with intact enamel that just needs a heavy-duty cleaning and new faucet to look like new. It'd definitely be a lot cheaper.
aem sends....
Saranac Lake, NY converted a train station into a salvage location. Many renovations were recycled there. These places are fun to visit and find a part you need :-) this was 89/90.
I bought a few fixtures, later refinished and then sold.
-- Oren
"I didn?t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you."
Not sure what limitations and purpose the OP is seeking. Bath tub refinishing was mentioned. There are companies that will do this onsite, putting some type of new finish on the bathtub while it is in place. This is a modest cost process, designed to avoide the high cost of not only paying for a new bathtub, but also the surround, tile, etc that goes with it. Not sure how much it costs.
Then there are shops that will take a cast iron bath tub and completely refinish it off site, with new enamel type surface. I believe it includes firing it in an oven. That process ain't cheap and will cost as much as a new tub would. The purpose here is salvage an antique type fixture.
For a kitchen sink, I would think the second type process might work. I'd surely carefully check if the in-place refinishing could stand up to the physical demands of a kitchen sink. I see occasional advertising for bath tub refinishing using this process, but have never seen it advertised for kitchen sinks and there may very well be a reason.
Bottom line, if this is a antique sink worth salvaging, then I'd look into it. If it's one that can be replaced by one that is similar looking and available new, I would get a new sink.
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