sooooo... I went to the salvage yard today

and found a perfect condition used Kohler hi/low kitchen sink in white porcelion that looks just like this one for $35!!! (the one in the photo starts at $420)



so now i'm off to research how to install it, so any suggestions/warnings would be appreciated!

:woohoo: :bounce:

why? you ask... because my BIG skillets won't fit in the regular 6" deep two sink stainless I have now, and fuggitabout trying to get my 22" deep stainless pasta tossing bowl clean without water all over me, the floor, the counters (and usually one of the dogs)

It's just time to quit complaining every time I wash cookware and get a sink big enough for the jobs I ask it to do

:evilgrin: that's my story and I'm sticking to it

:rofl:

i currently have the 6" 2 sink type and i hate i, too. i've been planning on replacing it for a while, but just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

price was just awesome!! I can't wait til Saturday when we install it

:bounce:

and wonder how you ever managed before. What a great find your new sink was! and a high-rise faucet - works so well together. The soap dispenser will quickly become indespensible, it is so handy. When we replaced ours earlier this year, we went with the one below, so I know what convenient pleasure you have in your future. Looks like this, but we configured it exactly like your pic. Spray nozzle on the far left:




--

Of course, our kitchen sink is still sitting in the pile on the back deck covered with a tarp - :crazy: - another delay and we're now waiting for the special-order pan drawer cabinets we decided to go with to come in. In the meantime, drawing water from and washing dishes in the bathroom sink and using the toilet as the garbage disposer - makes me realize how lucky I am and how much we have when our oh so humble abode is actually together.

Waiting for pictures so I can enjoy a fully put together kitchen vicariously... Ommmmmmm :)

less "country" style in the new kitchen

I really liked that set too though.....

....... you install it with caulk.

Look at the underside of the rim, where it would contact the counter. Is there any caulk residue there? Are there any obvious places to mount/attach hardware?

My sense is you're going to see caulk residue but no place to attach hardware, like clips or brackets or some such, to mount it to the counter.

If that's the case, you just put a bead of caulk under the rim and drop the sink into place. Make sure there are no gaps in the caulk so the rim doesn't leak later if you get water on the countertop. The caulk seals and 'glues' it in place. It will be slippery at first, so leave it alone until the caulk sets - maybe overnight. Then just plumb it all up and call it 'new'!

Couple of tips .....

Install all the faucets and drains before you install the sink. It is much easier to do this with the sink out of the counter. Once installed, all you need to do is connect the drains and the supply lines.

Use all new supply lines. Since everything is apart anyway, replace all the old stuff.

You'll encounter shut-off valves right near where the plumbing comes out of the walls. Likely as not, the handles will not budge. Don't force them. Instead, get a big wrench and loosen the packing nut a bit. Then try to close them. If they're still tight, loosen the packing nut a bit more. Now they should turn enough to allow you to shut the valves. When you go to turn the water back on, tighten the packing nuts again. Not too tight, or they may leak. If too loose they'll also leak, so go with a gentle tightening, open 'em up, and if they leak from the valve stem, tighten till they juuuuust stop leaking. The packing will expand with time and seal it for good. Indeed, these shut-off valves may well be the biggest issue you'll face.

Here's a picture of a shutoff valve:
http://www.myguardian.com.nyud.net:8090/code/watershutoff/fig3.jpg

The hex at the top is the fitting on the supply line. The bigger hex, just behind the valve handle is the packing nut. That's the one that you'll need to loosen. Your valve may look like this or may be 90° off from it. No matter. They all work the same way.

Use the braided steel flexible supply pipes. Make sure the one you get matches both your supply valve at one end and the faucet fitting at the other end. These are available in many lengths and several flavors. Best to take your new faucet and old supply pipe to the hardware store to match it up.

Be slow and careful and all will turn out fine.

Oh ...... and be ready to get some aches and pains. Working under the sink to make those final connections is less than fun. Working upside down, on your back, in a hole, with no light.

Have fun!

:hi:

Oh, by the way ...... I know you're hot to replace your counter and will probably wanna save this sink to reuse it. It will probably not come up from your old counter very easily. When it comes time to replace the counter, just cut the sink away from the counter by cutting the counter on either side of the sink. With that small section loose, you should be able to easily chip/scrape/pull away the old counter remnants and have the sink good as new again.

sealer around the sink (which is all there is to clean off from the old installation too... there was a tiny bit of old formica still stuck in one spot, but it peeled right off and it looks like just a bead of sealant just at the edge) I'm thinking just some good silicon sealer with do the trick.

It's a cast iron sink

they also recomended putting all the stuff on it first (the big sink drain is already there, only the garbage disposal hole is empty---albeit with a bunch of plumber's putty around it I need to clean off)

the stainless has clips but the Kohler install sheet doesn't say anything about clips, only the "high quality sealer" once it's in place

luckily for me, we installed the old faucet around 6 years ago so I don't expect the shut off will be stuck, but that's a great hint if they are

Mr. Ketchup is pretty resistant to putting new counters in (unless I figure out how to get them installed by someone else LOL) he says "We just repainted and re-did everything to work with the counter colors, why change them?" so I don't see new counters any time soon.....

Looks lovely.

I'll be replacing mine sometime this winter... it's deep enough, but the gorram thing shows every splash of tea or coffee (it's white) and it's scratched (it's fiberglass.)

Stainless steel, how I do miss you!

this one is white too, but won't be so touchy about being cleaned as fiberglass as it's cast iron with white porcelain so my myriad coffee stains will come off with a bleach based product (ala Scubbing Bubbles or some such)

...... unless it is really gentle, like Bon Ami or Bar Keeper's Friend. Any liquid cleaner will do just fine as the enamel is likely impervious to them all. Enamel has two enemies ...... chipping from things dropped into it and a worn finish from over-vigorous or long term cleaning with scouring powder. Beyond that, an enamel on cast itron sink should outlast you.

good thing I buy Scubbing Bubbles at Costco by the six pack

:rofl:

and the only scouring powder under the sink happen to be the two you mentioned, funny that huh?


I checked the sink carefully for chips before I brought it home, none there :bounce:

I love my Kohler sink. Husb's advice is great, I would only add that you should check your counter and cabinets to make sure that they are strong enough to support the weight of the sink. Some cabinets need an extra support brace under the sink.

Here's a link to the Kohler sink I put in earlier this year. I can fit anything into it!!

http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?from=thumb&frm=&module=Kitchen+Sinks&item=316202&prod_num=5988-2§ion=1&category=5

we have little cross braces around the corners of the cut out so I think it will be OK

I just spent an hour cleaning it up-- thanks to AZ hard water it had major build up of crusty crap around all the holes and the old faucet cover plate that was one of the rectangle all in one jobbies (like I'm replacing)

it had to be really clean cuz the new faucet is 4 distinct units.

now that it's all cleaned up, there is some wear and minor scratches on the enamel (as expected) but definitely OK for my needs and no chips anywhere, it's mostly just cosmetic dulling of the enamel surface.

it's gonna look great! my house in CA that I built with hubby #2 I installed a Kohler just like this one and I loved it!

even know what to look for! In my opinion, it is not about the find, but the waste! When I throw things out, if no one wants them, I display it in the dumster area (one man's trash, is another's treasure). I actually got a picture out of there (dumpster) and yrs. later put it out there and my neighbor took ot home.. It got yrs. of use.

i just posted the pic from the link she gave me LOL

I went looking specifically for a sink at the yard, and cast iron is hard to miss. since it still had the Kohler sticker on it, it really wasn't any talent on my part to spot a quality brand name heheheh

I was looking for either a one basin or a hi/low so it was easy to go down the line of salvaged sinks until I found anything that was close, then once I found something close, I just looked closer

it was a heck of a score though, it cleaned up really really well. But I expected it to, since that was part of the "search" process

you'll get to know me, I'm a major thrift store/bargin hunter :)

is recyclable, reusable and holds up with reasonable care for years.

I've never been one to look at labels, but quality shows in everything from clothes to cookware to furniture. there is something satisfying about the heft and feel of quality materials that just can't be confused with glitz ya know?

Part of my frustration in my kitchen is the low quality cabinets the builder installed. I doubt I'll do much in this house since we are selling in about 2-3 years which is why I'm doing the "Design to Sell" upgrades, but the next house (which I assume will be a major Fixit) will get the full treatment. The salvage yard had tons of full kitchens of cabinets of top quality units.

I think I've found my hobby hehehehe

I've used this for very stubborn stains and mineral deposits on my sinks. I've only used it on these cast iron sinks and it works very well. You have to use gloves but at least it doesn't smell of chemicals. I may use it on my current kitchen sink before I give up and replace it.

I also used WOW on our previous bathroom sink that was from the late 40s. I squirted the stuff around the fixtures where the mineral deposits accumulate, let it sit and then scrub everything off. Also, giving the whole sink a once over with the sponge. Sometimes I even used a dull knife on the mineral deposits. Not the best thing to use on a sink but the deposits could be stubborn and the sink was 50 years old. So I didn't really care. I'm more careful with my Kohler kitchen sink.

there is nothing installed and you are just working with the flat surface of the sink top

DH was worried, but with a new blade and almost no pressure, it cut right though it and left no scratches

Ok I've been busy, so first do the dishes



Goodby old sink, you've done well



YIKES! it was a mess down there



does it fit? :bounce:



take it back into the garage and put the new faucet goodies on



the shoplight is your FRIEND!



isn't it a beauty??

A great price, a successful installation, and it looks like new.

Take a lap.

We'll cheer!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

see those wood pieces? VERY important to save your fingers when putting in a heavy heavy sink LOL they held up the corners of the sink while we got our fingers out of the way to drop it in.

and the one thing I didn't expect.. my old garbage disposal is so quiet now! what's up with that?

and one other thing I really like, I bought a new strainer and it actually fits down inside the hole while open (unlike the old one) and a new rubber thingie for the garbage disposal top, so it looks brand new too :bounce:

now I have to make pasta for dinner so I can wash the big stainless bowl and the big skillet to test it out..... AND I have a new thrift store mission to find one of those cutting boards that fits over the lip of the sink. I've seen them a couple times before, so a visit to the Snotsdale stores are in order (if I get totally lucky I may even find the grate thingie to protect the bottom of the sink from my cast iron pots)

I love having a "mission"

:woohoo:

I think your disposal is quiter because this sink is such dense material that it's acting as a buffer. Stainless is thinner and sound bounces off metal louder. The old sink may have made it even louder. We installed a stainless sink in the cottage and I noticed that the new disposal out there really growls!

hehehehe

:bounce:

and the vibration made the sink act like a speaker in your stereo .... it actually amplified the sound. The cast iron won't vibrate, hence it dampens the sound.

his Saturday morning on "my" project

:loveya:

edit to add, I did get all the fun "clean the old crap off the old parts" jobs, but hey... a VERY small price to pay :rofl:

You guys should be really pleased with your efforts!! It makes a huge difference. So, how was the cleanup tonight??

bwahahahahahahahahahahhahahaahhha

it was GREAT

:rofl:

If people don't cook, who needs anything but a tiny sink. When you cook like we do around here, that's something that makes a huge difference. Although I have already put my big enamel pasta pot in the dishwasher. I'm spoilt!

to shine which means no air dry. Only my stainless pots that hang out on the rack and their glass lids and all the bowls for my stand mixer need to shine.

What's the coolest is that the big mixing bowl from my beast would never stand upright in the old sink, as soon as I put water in it, the darn thing fell over in the sink :banghead:

the new sink? it's stands there like it's supposed to so I can wash up the baking stuff (I baked a cake tonight just to test it out :D )

The big pasta bowl just won't fit in the old dishwasher. Maybe the new one? So I don't do a lot of dishes by hand, but seems there's always a couple pieces each nite.

since I do all the cooking and wash the dishes, my dear Mr. Ketchup always dries. That's the kinda guy he is!

I want a sink like that in stainless. I did get one of the tall gooseneck faucets last year, and it's wonderful. Pics look great!

flexibility is the key. the new white dishwasher should pull it all together though....

You guys are great shoppers and plumbers.

and living room (and everything I need to finish the bedroom too) over the last 8 months for less than $1000.

I had the D/W money all set, then Uncle Sam needed his cut and I just haven't been able to scrape up an "extra" $400 at one time since April but it's coming soon I know!


so glad your D/W is getting a good workout! that's what the darn things are for (in addition to hiding the mess hehe) :thumbsup:

One or two things in the sink, like bakelite handled knives and forks or the old Magnalite saucepan, don't bother me. The place just always feels neat since the d/w moved in!

You two have done an amazing job on your place at that cost. Your "can-do" philosophy is an inspiration.

for the holidays

:bounce: :woohoo:

OK, the devil made me say it. :evilgrin:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

A-1 in mine too! (dear Mr. Ketchup groaned then laughed out loud hehehe)

material-used" or "salvage"

or call auction/estate sellers and ask them, they would usually know too.

call Habitat for Humanity in your area and see if they have a resale store too.

titles to index. I have a hard time anymore with trying to come up with the title.

Our salvage yard is associated with Eco-cycle. Of course, our salvage yard is undergoing major renovations itself, so we haven't seen anything cool there in weeks.... :cry: