The Kitchen Sink

Stage 2 of the plaster is almost complete. I’ve run in to a small problem. Well, actually, a large and heavy problem. It’s the kitchen sink. Over a year ago I bought a circa 1900 kitchen sink. It is one of the big cast iron monsters with the drain board and backsplash. I think it is sometimes called an apron sink. It is 4.5-feet long and weighs several hundred pounds. Right now it is the kitchen sink but I’m going to be getting rid of it.

The kitchen is 285 sq ft and a very odd shaped room. This kitchen has never had modern counters and cabinets installed. I was really working with a blank slate and so I went through many revisions of the design. The sink was going to be the center piece in versions 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 15, 22, 23, & 28. It did not make the final cut, however, in version 36. I decided to hang on to as long as I could because it is nice to have running water in the kitchen but now it is in the way of the plastering. I can’t finish the ceiling or a small part of the wall without moving it. The sink is way to heavy to just move it around when its in the way so I’m going to sell it and just get rid of it once and for all. Sniff

I went down to a local antique/salvage place I’ve dealt with many times (Side Note: The owner is the woman whose daughter I didn’t rent to. We talked about that when I was in there. Her daughter is 18 and so is the boyfriend so the mom understands why I didn’t rent to them. She doesn’t hold it against me. I made some suggestions for talking with potential landlords and the mom got right on the phone and told the daughter. I hope it helps.). The owner said she give me $150 in store credit. I think it’s worth more. I walked down the street to another antique store that sometimes deals in this sort of thing. I had talked with the owner about the sink before but she said it is too big for her shop. She said it is worth $250 - $300 retail. I’ve decided to put an ad in the paper and try and sell it that way. That means it will be in the way for several more days at least.

I think that will work out, though. I need to get the area cleaned up and sort of recoup form stage 1 & 2 of the plastering. Getting the plaster from hawk to trowel is not an exact science and a good amount does end up on the floor. Here is a hint for you: cardboard and not plastic makes a good drop cloth for this sort of thing. With plastic, the plaster lands on the plastic and you step in the plaster and now the whole mess is stuck to your shoe. The plastic becomes almost useless almost immediately. Below is a picture of the mess so far and a diagram of the blank slate kitchen.