That's a really cool sink. If you have an architectural salvage place in your town, I bet you'd find lots of vintage sinks. If they aren't in good condition, you can have them reglazed. I actually saw one just like this out by the curb in front of our neighbors house. They are renovating, and guess they decided they wanted something new.

Joyce- Where exactly...does this neighbor live? LOL

Good idea about checking architectual salvage places :)

Drum roll... Here is a sink... exactly like that... CURRENTLY FOR SALE:

http://thisoldtubandsink.com/vidobapoovca.html

They're asking $1295, which is an entirely normal price for this kind of sink (assuming it's in good condition). It comes with one of its legs, but if you want to mount it in a counter like that picture, you don't need to worry about having the legs--just have a cabinet built to support it (these sinks are heavy, easily 150 lbs). Personally I think in a world where Kohler charges $1800 for its new, non-vintage-looking farmhouse sinks, this price is reasonable. Expensive, but not ridiculous. But maybe I'm saying that because I'm in the market for a vintage-style sink and I'm trying to psych myself up... :-)

Also, if you haunt eBay and Craigslist, searching for vintage or antique or cast-iron sink, you'll see sinks like this pretty often. However, ones exactly like that are on the rare side. Usually the sinks in the style you posted--the ones with the curved-corner backsplash and wallmount faucet--have an apron like Arlosmom's sink, which is pictured on this thread--scroll almost all the way down, to her Feb. 28 13:23 post:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0203083718652.html?93

For example, here's one like hers for sale:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1930-vintage-porceilin-cast-iron-sink-great-condition-/250805211124?pt=US_Sinks&hash=item3a6527cff4

And here's a double-bowl version very similar to the one you posted (but again, it has an apron):
http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-vintage-cast-iron-2-basin-farm-sink-w-legs-/170628035522?pt=US_Sinks&hash=item27ba3933c2

By the way, since sinks like this are cast iron, which is currently impossible to refinish (one place I know of is working on finding the supplier they would need to do it, so that might happen, but nobody actually does it right now... more details below), it's critical to get one with the porcelain in good shape. The porcelain refinishing that people sometimes use on antique bathtubs does not last at all on kitchen sinks, because they get far too much abuse (and use far hotter water than bathtubs). It might be fine for a nick on the edge, but any stains or ESPECIALLY wearing through of porcelain anywhere in the bowls themselves or on their divider is DOOMED. You'll be refinishing it every year or two at a major cost, and god knows what kind of chemicals you'll be getting in your house, on your dishes, etc. in the process.

So, in short, find a sink that has no wearing through of the porcelain (because the cast iron underneath will rust if there's no porcelain on it) and no stains you can't live with. You will probably be able to find sinks in this style for half the price of the one linked above, but you will pay far more over time trying to keep the thing refinished. And even if someone does go back into business refinishing cast-iron sinks, it will be expensive, on the order of $900-$1100 for a sink this size. I say that because there's a place that refinishes the porcelain on vintage steel sinks and that's what they charge. Then you also have to factor in shipping for a 150-pound sink. In other words, if you love this kind of sink, pay up front for one in good shape and you will save yourself money and hassle down the line.

Historichouseparts.com also has vintage kitchen sinks, and they do reproductions, but none in your exact style right now.

PS Also, here's another one in that same style, but in a single-bowl version with a drainboard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Similar sink on eBay

If you're anywhere near upstate NY, I've got one in my basement. Deep, 40 inches, double bowl, backsplash, old faucet still attached. It will need to be refinished. It was in the kitchen. We took it out and replaced it with a cheap 40 inch triple bowl, with the plan to put in a smaller sink when we get to a kitchen reno next year.
The previous owner slapped white paint on it to sell, which naturally peeled. It was pretty disgusting. There's so little workspace in this kitchen that, cool as it is, I'd like to reclaim the real estate for counter space. Besides, we couldn't find anyone to refinish the sink within 100 miles (a rural area).

Well, I'm in Wisconsin and I have one, with a cabinet, that I've been trying to figure out how to price and how to sell.

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Try ebay & Cl too. If you google architectural salvage, you will find places near you. I know of a bunch on the east coast, but I believe you are out west. Maybe you could also call consignment shops.

Everybody, look on eBay and at This Old Tub and Tile if you're wondering how to price. For selling, put it on Craigslist if you don't want to get involved in shipping (but the Craigslist audience is of course much smaller than the eBay audience... you can always put it on eBay and specify local pickup, though, and maybe someone not too far away would be willing to pay a moving company to bring it to them).

Betseyhac, your sink/cabinet combo is a midcentury look that might be appreciated on Retro Renovation. People put cabinets (including cabinets with sinks, like yours) up for sale there all the time. You could join and post yours.

Here is a link that might be useful: Retro Renovation Forum - for midcentury sinks and steel cabinets

This is incredibly helpful, but, Ideagirl2, what you've said above about the difficulty in having this type of sink repaired or refinished concerns me. The basin of my sink stained really easily. I had to soak it daily in bleach water to keep it white. Plus, the drainboard has the chip on the side.

I just bought a very similar reproduction sink - but I sacraficed one basin for a drainboard. I thought the price was quite reasonable after doing some prices on actual vintage sinks - this one is $825 brand new - shipping included.One thing I really liked about is that its porcelain on cast iron (vs. the materials alot of new sinks are made of) - it will FEEL authentic.

Its available here:
http://www.signaturehardware.com/product4985

Lavender. I took a look at Lauren Calder's movie and I just loved her kitchen.. It has a lived in happy feel to it... it's almost as my favorite Sunroom pic of yours with the black cat. I love your inspirational posts... keep them coming.:)

Betseyhac, I think the chip on the side could be refinished with the same stuff bath refinishing people use, because that part of a sink doesn't get much abuse or much superhot water. But the ease of staining would concern me too. I don't know enough about porcelain to know why that would be occurring but maybe the shiny glaze came off so it's less resistant.

I started the thread below when I was ecstatic to find out that somebody somewhere did reporcelain vintage sinks. However, they did say that they only reporcelained steel ones and had stopped reporcelaining cast iron ones due to supplier issues. They were looking for a supplier, so maybe that will happen... that would be great, but in the meantime, I certainly wouldn't spend several hundred bucks or more on a sink that might not be able to be reporcelained within anything resembling a reasonable amount of time, if ever.

Apparently the problem is that the results using today's materials are unpredictable--they might save your sink, or they might ruin it--and yesterday's materials are no longer legal because they include lead. Antique porcelain contains lead... but note the word "contains": it doesn't come out. However, the process of making it used a ton of lead and is no longer legal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread on reporcelaining vintage sinks

Thank you for all the great info on vitage sinks. I'm not sure if I want to try to find something actually vintage and have to deal with all the refinishing concerns...or buy a new 'vintage' style sink.

Greenhousems- I just love that kitchen. I agree with your lived in happy feel, description. It seems like you could just start cutting veggies and helping out with whatever she's cooking...and all those plants are wonderful! :)

Has anyone seen a vintage sink with a large bowl, at least big enough for a half sheet pan (13'' x 18'')? The bowls in the ones pictured look rather small.

I like this Kohler sink from Lowe's (about $1,300) but I'd rather have a double sink, if possible.

Johnliu- This sink is 30" x 22" x 8.6" and the sink on the Laura Calder video looks plenty big enough to hold sheet pans...if I can find one similar :)

Here is the place I used for all my salvage. Had it all shipped to me on a Roadway truck. Great company with wonderful customer service. Also Roadway is a wonderful company and very reliable. Of course gas is now way more than it was in 2005.

http://www.noreast1.com/kitchenbath.html

largest guide to salvage on the Web:

http://www.collectibledetective.com/s/223/architectural-antiques.html

re-store in Seattle and Everett:

http://www.re-store.org/index.php

Earthwise in Seattle:

http://earthwise-salvage.com/

If you will just Google Architectural Salvage you will get a wealth of places....add your largest city near you and you will have more than you can shake the proverbial stick at ! c

I bought a large single bowl porcelain on cast iron vintage sink for $100 at my local Habitat for Humanity last fall. It was covered with dirt, and most likely because of that the staff didn't price it as high as they might have.

I have long been on the watch for one and this one was really nice. I was actually there looking for a stainless steel prep sink that day and looked at the cast iron one only in passing. When I got home I was telling my DH all about the ss one, I wanted to slap myself on the head 'cause I didn't buy the cast iron one on the spot. I was in a stew all night and was there the minute they opened in the morning to nab both of them. Luckily for me, my tunnel vision the day before didn't lose me the sink that I had been hunting for several years. It's out in barn now, but I think it's about 27" or 28" from side to side on the floor of the basin. Where it's not as big as modern sinks is the front to back distance. I think it's probably only 14" or 15". It's meant to be on a nominally 24" deep counter but considerable depth is used up by the curved edges and the integral backsplash.

One thing to keep in mind is that there is a considerable difference between a porcelain on steel and a true porcelain on cast iron sink. Obviously there's the weight issue, but I think cast iron sinks are nicer: quieter, more heat-retentive, and possibly longer-lasting.

There are some issues I've read about regarding porcelain cast iron sinks having some lead content in the porcelain. That makes it more sturdy (shinier and more resistant to chips and cracking I believe), but may come with some lead food contamination risk. I don't how real or serious that risk is; perhaps it's like the perennial "radioactive-granite" issue. My current sink is porcelain on steel and similar to the one picture above in the cabinet. It has a chip on floor. It's annoying and a cleaning hassle, but hasn't progressed in 20 years of hard use while I have dawdled my through various iterations without replacing it. I don't think I'd install a damaged sink though, simply because of the hassle factor if you found a better one later and wanted to change it out.

I don't believe these old sinks can be refinished at this time in a way that would allow the hard use a main kitchen sink gets. They might be fine for a pantry or laundry sink.

If you're determined to own a vintage sink, then I think you should follow up all the architectural salvage leads and be prepared to have a nearly-perfect one shipped to you. Here on the East Coast there is a well-developed salvage business community. From looking at the pics JohnLiu posted of the Portland home tours, it looks like it may be the same out in your neck of the woods. You may have to settle the sink issue before you can go much further if your space is tight since there are many non- standard (by modern standards) models and you may have to pounce on the first really good one that meets your more critical need (possibly double bowl vs integrated backsplash or drainboard).

For a good looking old-style new sink, I think Kohler makes some, but my impression is that they are quite pricey. And of course, they now must meet current lead-free standards, which some people think may compromise the sturdiness.

Double-bowl older sinks usually have pretty small basins. I'm pretty sure I have an old one (with legs) out in my barn. I can measure it for you, if that would be useful.

My longstanding desire for an old sink was partly what lead me to buying my Franke/Villeroy Boch farm sink. I knew I wanted a large single bowl, however, so that option may not be what you want. (There are double-bowl farm sinks pout there, I believe.) I finally decided the cost of an old CI sink was going to exceed what I wanted to invest in the sink. Who knew I was going to ever find a nice single bowl like I did last year? Even though it's in great shape, it's still somewhat smaller than my French farm sink so it's going to find a place in my laundry/utility room.

HTH,
L

There are tons of salvage places here in the NYC-Boston corridor and surrounding environs.

But the kind of sink you are looking for is pretty easy to find, so you should look for a local source, see it in person, and save on shipping.

One caveat - I've used three old sinks throughout my house, and getting the right drains, faucets, etc can be tricky. Make sure it fits something standard.

Try these. They are all new and close to what you are looking for. Try looking for utility sinks rather than kitchen sinks.

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/feature_item.asp?cat=87&subcat=4

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=CS30200

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=K-6607-4-0

Here's another vote for salvage houses. You might not be able to walk in on a single given day and find exactly what you're looking for in perfect condition, but if you start looking ahead of time, at several places, and are willing to accept a small chip or two in a place you can stand, your chances are much improved. You might even fall in love with something a little different than you thought.

If you are anywhere in the northeast, I recommend visiting New England Demolition and Salvage in New Bedford, Mass. Seriously. For selection, organization and price, particularly on vintage plumbing, they are the best I have found. I have no financial relationship with them, other than as a happy customer. It's on a couple of levels in an old stone mill/warehouse near the water. Nice, helpful owners.

I have not bought a kitchen sink, but have bought vintage bathroom sinks from them (no problems with installation, 2+ years perfect operation). They usually have a variety of porcelain (I think), cast iron and soapstone kitchen sinks. The last time I was in they had 2 particularly gorgeous, very large kitchen sinks, one with a large, intact antique wooden counter and drainboard attached. I think both were priced around $600? Maybe $800? That one had been sold though. I just really hope the person planned to keep the wood ...

But that is the thing about vintage. There were different companies operating back then. It's not like now, when everything is standardized. Keep your eyes open, visit lots of places long before you need an item and you may find something you never imagined existed.

Good luck!

There is not much for salvage around here, so for about 10 years I've been in love with the much-too-expensive Kohler Harbourview,

www.amazon.com/K-6607-3-0-Harborview-Self-Rimming-Wall-Mount-Utility/dp/B000ZU9QUU/

American Standard makes a more inexpensive version,
www.amazon.com/American-Standard-9062-008-020-Country-Kitchen/dp/B00084MY8O/

I'm trying to justify one or the other in our new laundry room, for washing eggs as well as laundry (right now we are using the old stainless steel sink removed from the kitchen during our remodel 12 years ago), but that's an awful lot of eggs, even for the American Standard!

Becky

Check out Clarion sinks--I think they're reproductions or at least similar. Again, not cheap, but new isn't always bad...

To reemphasize the importance of eBay, I have something to reveal.

My DH and I are remodeling our kitchen to look like a 1930s Art Deco-ish kitchen, since our house is from that era and we love the style. We (especially I) looked all over the universe, or so it seemed, in search of the right sink. He liked the kinds with drainboards and aprons and curved corners. I really, really wanted one that was set up for vertical faucets instead of wall-mounted ones (almost all 1930s sinks had wallmounted faucets), so that it would look more "deco" than "country/farmhouse." Something like this (see "inspiration sink" link below). We also wanted it to have at least three holes, to fit the kinds of faucets we like. At first we wanted a single sink/double drainboard one, but then research showed that those sinks always had small basins, so we expanded the search to single-drainboard models.

It turns out almost all 1930s drainboard sinks had wall-mounted faucets, so this style is VERY hard to find and very expensive when you do find it (again, see below--yikes! That sink went for $2495!). Also, we both preferred that the sink NOT be bright white, as 90% or more of sinks from that era are. We wanted ivory or cream or pale yellow or almond, something like that. A tall order, in other words.

And what did I win in an eBay auction this morning? A 1934 Kohler single bowl/single drainboard sink in near-mint condition (no stains, no chips, gloss still on all the porcelain), set up for a vertical faucet, with four holes and an apron with curved corners, and a backsplash that forms a little shelf (very similar to the sink linked below, in other words). The basin is more than two feet wide, bigger than the modern sink we have now. And it's butter yellow! And I got it for HALF the price of the one linked below!!! Even though it's in better shape--the one below had a couple of small chips in the front of the apron.

In other words, SCORE! Major score! We're so pleased. Yay eBay. I searched eBay every two or three days for almost two months, which is maybe a little... what's the word I'm looking for? Obsessive? Pathetic?? But I'm glad I did, because I saw this sink come up for auction, researched it to death, drew up our kitchen plan with this sink in it, used Photoshop to make mockups of our existing kitchen with this sink added to check that the scale of the sink worked with the room, and so on. Total obsession, but enough to convince me and DH this was indeed the right sink for us. So then I swooped in thirty seconds before the auction ended and won it! Yay.

I hope this inspires everyone here to look for what they want, especially on eBay...

Here is a link that might be useful: Our inspiration sink

Wow! Ideagirl, that is a total stunner. Love the lines and love the color. Congratulations!

Please post pics of your finished kitchen. I'm decorating/remodeling in somewhat the same time period.

I have a 42" long double-bowl Art Deco sink. The bowls are both the same wxl but one is 14" deep, the other 8" deep. It has a metal drainboard that clips to the rim and over one bowl (reversible).

Your pic is gone, but based on some of the ebay links listed here, I think mine is similar - not a wide apron, but a rim instead. It was a wall-mounted sink. It has a 7" high backsplash with a center recessed niche for the faucet.

I got it a few years ago on ebay for $150 - but it was a 9 hour drive round-trip to pick it up!!! It was VERY heavy - at least 150-200 pounds and took up almost the entire backseat of my Ford Taurus.

I jumped when I saw it because it was the best finish I've seen on a vintage sink - only a hint of rust around the drains, and only a couple small nicks on the porcelain rim.

The best part was its shape - not rounded corners, but angled beveled ones - very Art Deco!

It does not have the faucet though, but the guy did give me the galvanized drain pipe! It has 3 holes, so I'll probably get a mixer faucet, a sprayer and maybe an instant hot (if they'll all fit).

I would NOT buy a sink that needs re-finishing, that's for sure! Might as well go with one of Kohler's reproduction sinks. They have a few utility sinks that I'd die for (and the cost almost did kill me!).

OMG! I just watched that video, and although the video goes by the sink really fast, that is almost totally my sink!

See the backsplash - the angled bevels!!! Except hers is a flat backsplash with a wall-mount faucet, whereas mine is a deep (~6" to the wall) backsplash with a niche recessed in the center (so the top of the backspash in the center is only ~3" to the wall). My faucet is deck-mounted right behind the center rim between the two sinks.

I think that maybe mine was the utility version of her kitchen sink (based on depth of bowls), even though it came out of an old kitchen.

Natshultz- I took out the picture, because Photobucket is yelling at me again, for having too many pictures (LOL) and I like Laura Calder's sink so much! When you watch her cook, everything seems to fit into that sink :)

Congrats on the great deal...and finding a sink you love!

Ideagirl2- That is so wonderful that you finally found your sink...great story!

Thank you all for the links and ideas. I do not live that close to great salvage yards, since I live in eastern Washington state, about five miles from Idaho...but there are a few places to check out. At least I have my cool mud room sink and if I could find a reproduction that was even close to Laura Calder's (and I could afford it) I'd be thrilled. New or vintage, I'm just looking for a similar shape and size!