Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Gunk & Sparkles, Saving A Vintage Sink

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
We haven't been able to throw ourselves into our half bathroom "remodel" yet this week, but...

The night we did the removal of the toilet and everything else, I got right to disassembling our (original to the bathroom) 1958 Kohler Marfield shelf-back sink and soaking bits and pieces in a hot water and vinegar mixture.
Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
I LOVE VINEGAR. Long before Pinterest, I even loved vinegar. The stuff's amazing.

I had my work cut out for me, clearly. The faucet leaked for who knows how long, leaving the spout covered in black crud and the sink below stained greenish-blue. Along with that there's 2 coats of paint in random places on the sink itself and supply lines.

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
I entertained just getting an inexpensive sink on eBay with some generic single hole faucet but this one has character and since the faucet is as old as it is, it can just be repaired. I was thrilled when Guy found the repair kit at the Home Depot!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
The vinegar and hot water soak worked like a charm. A little scrubbing/broken fingernails later even the water supply lines were shiny. The spout took the most damage, losing a bit of chrome here and there. Hardly bad enough to warrant replacement, though.

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
How cool! I love finding makers marks! It reads, "Kohler U.S.A. 2776 11x11 1M" and is dated December 2nd, 1958. Pam over at Retro Renovation has an ad that features my sink, called at the time by Kohler, a corner lavatory.

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!
I'll end up replacing the drain plug and we'll rebuild the faucet-y bits so they don't drip anymore.

Mmm, decades of sink caca!

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

For the sink itself, I used Bar Keepers Friend and a Dollar Tree magic eraser to remove the hard stains. 

Ready for our real deal, Kohler shelf-back corner sink now?

Little Cape Cod: Rehabing a vintage Kohler shelf-back with water and vinegar!

Isn't it PRECIOUS?? I love it!