In a modern world many people are opting for a touch of antiquity in their homes by recreating the look of the kitchen their mothers and grandmothers cooked in sixty to eighty years ago. That is not to say they won’t have the modern conveniences like refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves. What it does entail though is the use of antique lumber to build the cabinets with as well as utilizing antique sinks and other items that give their kitchen the feel of yesteryear.

Antique sinks come in a wide variety of looks and sizes, but generally not very many colors. White, in a number of shades, is the primary color nearly all of them were made in for fifty years. You will have a lot of choices about the other characteristics. These include which side the built in drain board is on, if it has one, or one on both sides, how high the back of the sink goes, if it has one, how deep the bowl is, or two bowls, if it drops into the counter or has its own skirt on the front and possibly legs underneath. There are many more options that you seldom even see any more. One characteristic that is common is that they were normally be made out of cast iron and porcelain making them incredibly heavy compared to a modern metal sink. Many times the older sinks are heavier because the sides of them can be as thick as 1/2” of cast iron. Amazingly they also had incredibly thick coats of porcelain that have not only lasted a century and are still in good to great condition, but they will last another century before they will wear thin, especially now that we have the nonabrasive cleaners.

One important note in looking for an old sink is to be aware of whether you are looking at an original porcelain coating or a “resurfaced” cast iron sink. Resurfaced does not mean new porcelain was reapplied or added. In fact it generally means that it has been painted with a high tech paint that will only be guaranteed for five to ten years. This warranty generally includes a bunch of small print that voids the warranty if you use abrasive cleaners, the wrong chemical cleaners, or if you chip it thus allowing the water to get under the paint and cause it to peal away. There are a number of other warranty exclusions but the point is that you are often better off living with a slightly dulled or blemished porcelain finish then a brand new looking paint job. If you search about, particularly at a big enough architectural antiques store, you should find a big selection of great sinks with good porcelain, meaning no rust, chips, or serious damage, but finding the one that fits all your desires may take some time. The right store may even put you on a call list to let you know when the one that fits your criteria comes in or is found in another part of the country. A big architectural antiques dealer will have contacts up north where the best sinks are a bit more common and may be able to find one just like you are looking for at a reasonable price. Surprisingly, antique sinks, like bath tubs, may actually cost less than a new reproduction that isn’t made as well as the old ones.

The hardest features to find are very deep bowls or even two bowls in an old sink. While they were a bit more common by the 1940’s, they are not easy to find from the 1900-1930’s period, but they are out there. Don’t expect to put a garbage disposal on an antique sink, but then dumping garbage in your plumbing or the sewer lines is not such a great idea anyway. The plumbing fixtures are still available in the 8” center spread so that is not a problem if you want to get new fixtures for your old sink. Likewise the plumbing for the drains is also readily available.

There are several other critical elements that go into building a modern “antique kitchen” but the sink is definitely one of the focal points that is worth taking the time to hunt down and get right. You can even add a second deeper bowl sink into the kitchen island with a garbage disposal and custom build a cutting board or other element to hide it when it isn’t needed. If you plan on spending a lot of time in your kitchen, take the time to make it look like you want rather than wish you had every time you go in it to cook.

Brad Kittel has won numerous awards for revitalization work on Old Houses in Austin and retired