Everything But the Kitchen Sink

So while the crews are all hard at work, and BJR is continually busting his backside to get this addition done, I have taken on the job of cleaning up the garage kitchen sink.

I bought her in North Carolina, off of Craigslist a few years ago, for 40 bucks.

You have to look past her rough exterior.

I had a vision.  Of course, not everyone shares that vision — and that’s okay.

That’s why there is chocolate and vanilla.

The sink is porcelain over cast iron and is likely from the 1930s. So, not quite as old as our DRF, but I’m no purist on that issue. I love her fluted drainboard and deep apron. But most of all, I loved her price tag.

It’s challenging to balance the need for the new addition  to be user-friendly, have some character, and not sink a lot of money into the temporary living space.  The more money spent on the garage kitchen — aka, summer kitchen, sounds much more attractive than garage kitchen — the less money the budget will have to put towards my forever kitchen, in the main house.

After watching half a dozen You Tube videos, and reading numerous blog posts, I gathered the necessary products and started tackling all the years of neglect.

A trip to KSS in Kalamazoo, http://kssenterprises.com/, was key to getting off as much of the iron and buildup as possible before re-glazing the sink.  The knowledgeable people at KSS knew exactly what “cleaner” would work best on the sink.  “Cleaner” is code for chemicals — in other words, how much could I nuke her without killing her. Or burning off my own skin.  (Yes, I wore PPE, for all you worrywarts.)

After 5-6 rounds of dosing the sink with the napalm cleaner, and 5-6 rounds of scrubbing until my hands ached, I had made quite a bit of progress.  Nothing will probably ever grow again in the area of the yard that I did this little chemical peel, but that’s why I did it on the dirt.  Gives a whole new meaning to the term “chemical peel.”

Putting On the Shine

Now came the fun part.  After a very strong husband moved the sink in the garage (BJR — my hero!) to protect it from dust and dirt off the fields, I was ready to begin.

There are more professional ways to do this — they also cost about $400. That would be worth investing in, if it weren’t for this sink being the summer kitchen sink.  So, instead, I went the route of the Rustoleum kit to the tune of $20.

Never panic when doing the first coat.

I repeat, never panic when doing the first coat.

Because the first coat is gonna look splotchy.

Have faith, grasshopper, I said repeatedly to myself.

While I was hard at work applying the epoxy, there was a bit of traffic on the road. Gotta love country life.

I ended up putting on a total of three coats, waiting the required one hour between applications.

I am diggin’ my vanilla sink. She is chippy and shows signs of her age, yet she is the right balance of budget and charm for the summer kitchen.

Next I have to get the faucet for her working… But that is tomorrow’s project.  Cross your fingers for me.

Either way, it’s all good.  Just look at the sun about to set over our DRF.

At first, I was a little bummed by the empty, already-harvested fields. They seemed depleted. But I am beginning to see them a little differently now.

They are just patiently waiting, showing the promise of another season, and another chance to grow.

Lord, thank you for granting us all another chance to grow.

Even when we seem depleted, Your mercy and grace let us begin again.  

xo