I think stainless steel sinks go with anything, just like faucets, but I would probably try and get the stains out of the porcelain sink, they are such a classic. Is it a stain or chipped? I never had a stain that couldn't be removed with either comet or some type of rust remover.

I've scrubbed that thing with Comet like my life depended on it and still nothing. It's not horrible I guess. I haven't tried a rust remover or bleach yet. It would save a couple hundred bucks if we kept our current sink.

jamnich314: maybe this post may be useful ; not sure if you have tried it all already?

How to Clean a Porcelain Sink

I have a stainless sink and faucet. Personally, I think they go with everything. My DW and fridge are stainless but my stove is white.

Try bleach. You can soak paper towels in bleach and just put them on the sink.

Gemcap great link! Jamnich314 I would read the article if I were you, bar keepers friend works well with rust type stains, and it seems to act more as a polish, I use it on my stainless steel sink. I'm really against scrubbing to vigorously. I would usually just sprinkle a cleanser dampen it and then put a paper towel over it. You can do the same thing with bleach. For black type of marks you need more scrubbing power, I think they are residue from a pan hitting the sink, but again don't over do it, you might make pits that are harder to clean. Bon Ami is also a good general cleaner that will clean without doing damage, although you usually need something stronger for stains, i.e.. red food coloring, but it too will work with the black marks.

Funny thing: the previous homeowners left a bottle of bar keepers friend under the sink and I never thought to use it. It's still sitting there right now. I'll have to give it a good soap cleaning, then bleach, then finish with bar keepers friend and hopefully I'll have a beautiful sink and save myself a few hundred dollars.

Thanks for all your input everybody!

Has your wife any concept of the kitchens of the last, oh, say 30 years? When white was the default color of appliances? When stainless was the thing to have in a sink?

I have a porcelain sink in my little condominium I rent out. Bleach does the trick. There is even a slice into the porcelain that gets dirty, which bleach cleans. It also removes all those pot marks.

Good luck.

I have an enameled cast iron sink that can be cleaned but still has icky spots where the finish has actually worn down. So it IS possible that the sink can't be saved. But that's unusual.

Stainless steel will look fine, as will a cleaned up sink. Good luck!

(It's a drop-in sink, right? Not mounted under or flush to the tile? If it is, you probably won't be reusing it anyway.)

Fori, he said he was replacing tile, with laminate, so drop down sink would be the only choice.

I have stainless sink with black appliances; my daughter has stainless with white. I truly have never noticed, but everyone in my family has stainless sinks. Just not something I have ever thought about.

If you go with stainless, ake sure you get the best quality/lowest gauge (16 or 18) you can afford. It makes a world of difference.

For the icky spots with worn finish, they sell special enamel paint that works well and helps prevent rust.

If I replaced my tile with laminate, it still wouldn't make my sink a drop-in. :P

The reason the finishes get worn down is from using harsh products like Comet, Bar keepers, scrubby pads. I've also read that bleach will open the pores of porcelain enamel. Damaging products make the sink more susceptible to staining. Kohler has a polishing cleaner and a list of recommended products.

So I used dish soap, then cleaner w/ bleach, then bar keepers friend last night. It definitely made a big difference. There are still black/gray scratch marks in a few places and around the drains there are still yellow/orange marks but I'm not sure if those will ever go away. I still have yet to try straight-up bleach on it to see if that will make a difference.

A stainless steel sink will go with anything and will last you many, many years and does not have to cost a lot of money.

As a Kitchen Designer, I have a few opinions/suggestions. The first question would be "are you keeping your home?" If so, do any type of sink and countertop you want!

I can tell you that very few people use porcelain sinks any more, the majority being stainless. I would also ask why you're choosing laminate vs granite or quartz. Depending on where you live, and the size of your kitchen, you can do a stone CT.

Stainless sinks go beautifully no matter what color your appliances are. Do a matching faucet as well.

We moved into the home about a year ago; it's our 'starter home.' We will be selling and moving to a larger home in probably 3-5 years. It's a fairly small kitchen (less than 50 sq ft of counter top) in a fairly small house (~1,100 sq ft, 2 bed, 1 bath). We looked into quartz, granite, solid surface, etc. but the price hike just isn't worth it. Adding something that nice to this house won't raise the value very much. We aren't touching the cabinet, appliances or flooring either. Just replacing counter top and backsplash. The laminate (with a nice edge) and new backsplash should make the kitchen look WAY better.

A picture of the current kitchen is below. You can see the sink in question as well as the counter and backsplash.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thinking practically- if you can clean up your porcelain sink and that would make you content in the short term, try all the tricks in the trade to clean it before you spend any money.

I like your sink and would keep it if possible.

SS sink with white appliances is no problem whatsoever.