Show me your copper sink or countertops

13 years ago

I would love to see them.

Featured Answer

Circus Peanut

13 years ago

Ha! Thanks so much, all. We do love how well they turned out, given that they were a last-ditch option after not being able to afford the soapstone I originally wanted.

We built them from scratch using mdf board and roofing copper and copper barstock. I'd rate our skills as advanced DIY, perhaps? (We've taught ourselves to plaster, drywall, paint, tile, sew, reupholster, lay floor, woodwork.) We own a decent amount of tools, although nowhere to really use them adequately save my sewing room in the basement and the driveway in the summer (we're in Maine).

I didn't coat them with anything, since at the time I couldn't find any finish that wouldn't be toxic, and have just left them to patinate as they will. Upkeep gets easier over the months as they develop a thicker coat of patina. The unfinished look isn't for everyone, as they do change/spot/verdigris regularly and look different every day depending on use. Also, depending on what color you'd like to end up with, a coating would help them stay that initial shiny salmon pink.

Greenthumb, I imagine you could either wrap your laminate or, perhaps better, remove the laminate first so that you can glue down the copper all over. Our method was just like woodworking, in which we first edged the counter with bar and then laid the copper sheet down on top and routed the edges. Others have done the wrapping procedure using copper nails and metal brakes. Take a look at some of the projects depicted in the threads I link below:

I wrote quite detailed process descriptions in this thread (scroll down) and more in this one, and more recent photos here.

I'm only just now learning how to take decent kitchen photographs, so bear that in mind with the old threads. :-)

Comments (22)

shelayne
13 years ago
Here is my copper prep sink. I love it!
Circus Peanut
13 years ago
Here are our copper countertops. We made them ourselves, and just adore them. What are you considering for your kitchen?
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Hello, We have several as well and purchased from Copper Sinks Online. Here is the farmhouse: If you click on the picture, you can get to other photos from our project. Everything we were told by the copper sinks online folks is true - they are very easy to clean (soap and water). We keep ours waxed with the stuff they sell on their website and have not had any problems as described by others. We did have one issue where a lemon was left in the bar sink. There was a shiny copper spot the next day. ...after a few weeks, it was almost gone and today (months later) you can barely see where it was. It's like they have their own personalities! We love the rustic look. I would not hesitate to buy one again. I did a lot of research before buying our sink and one of the best resources was the "Copper 101" article I have provided a link to below. Two things to consider that are really big issues when buying a copper sink: 1) make sure your sink is 14 gauge (the thickest we found in the market). Almost everyone out there sells the thinner 16 gauge. This may not be as big a deal for a bath sink but it is definately a big deal for a kitchen sink. There is a huge weight difference and the thinner gauge sinks will dent over time from pots and pans (first hand experience). Our sink (14 gauge) is built like a tank. It's quiet and will outlast me for sure. 2) Buy only a genuine hand hammered copper sink from Mexico - but from a reputable US based company. There are less expensive sinks (some on Ebay) that you can buy from and most ship from Mexico - although they try their hardest to hide that fact. I have had several friends go through nightmare scenarios by buying from this huge internet garage sale. ...not saying some haven't had positive experiences, but for a few hundred dollars IMHO it's just not worth the risk. Just my $0.02. As for the sinks with a "criss cross" on the bottom - I know that Copper Sinks Online has these as a friend just bought one. They are called "Fernanda" or "Fernando" - something like that. I would just call them. One final thing. I just went to the website to get the link for the article and saw that they have a very cool video of how these sinks are made. They truly are "hand crafted" one at a time. It also underscores why there are such differences between one artisan to another - again, buy from somebody reputable! Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Copper Sinks 101
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beachpea3
13 years ago
Circuspeanut - those counters are wonderful! What kind of upkeep? Do you polish or did you seal them?
sumnerfan
Original Author
13 years ago
circuspeanuts, you are the reason I started this thread. Hubby really wants copper in the kitchen and your comment about your countertops really interested me. How did you make them? Do you consider yourself exceptionally handy? And what's the upkeep?

Thanks
beachpea3
13 years ago
bump
greenthumbfish
13 years ago
What the others said CP, I have absolutely coveted your CTs for quite some time now. We aren't particularly handy but I wondered whether they would wrap on to existing laminate CTs? Is that what you did? A tiny bit of a process nugget or Circus Peanut would be appreciated ;-) TIA
beachpea3
13 years ago
Thank you Circuspeanut for your information, your photos and the links!
laheen
13 years ago
shelayne, your sink & butcher block combo is really similar to what I'm envisioning for my island. How big is your sink and are you happy with the size/shape for prep? It looks like you have it directly undermounted to the wood. We'd like to do the same, but my husband read that it was a bad idea to do so, due to the possibility of water damage to the butcher block. Do you mind sharing more details? Thanks.

circuspeanut, your counters are gorgeous! I didn't even know you could make counters out of copper. So beautiful!
shelayne
13 years ago
Hello laheen,

My sink is 18" in diameter, and it is 9 inches deep, but deeper with the undermount.

My butcher block is "fortified" with several coats of Waterlox. We took extra care to make certain the sink cutout has extra coats on it. I keep it dry around the cutout for the most part. I had it done with a positive reveal, so that I would see any water on the lip of the sink. I have seen several undermounted sinks, and as long as the sink cutout is properly sealed, they seem to do fine. Time will tell.

As far as the size, it is perfect for us. It had to be large enough for my colander, my stock pots, and larger dinner plates. It is the perfect size for filling Hubby's thermos every morning and for filling the bucket for the bird bath. We have a garbage disposer attatched to it as well. I love my prep sink!

Hope that helps!
sumnerfan
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow!Thanks for the links filled with pictures. I really appreciate all the information. I'm not sure if we're up to the challenge, but it's definitely something to think about.
sumnerfan
Original Author
13 years ago
shelayne, I really want to see more of your kitchen.
shelayne
13 years ago
sumnerfan, we are still plugging away at it. I promise I will post photos closer to the finish line. I just placed the order for my doors/drawer fronts the other day, as it has taken me this long to get my courage up to do it! LOL!

It has been a long time coming. I will be sooo happy when I can say, "Ta Da!" ;^)
laheen
13 years ago
Thanks for the details! That is very helpful. I love the look of the copper with the butcher block.
michellemarie
13 years ago
My copper sink was partially installed 2 days ago. I am waiting for the granite to be installed. The masking tape is there temporarily to prevent the sink from scratching the cabinet. http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss348/mickimarie/coppersink038.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:
steff_1
13 years ago
michellemarie - Love that sink. It looks beautiful with your cabinets.
shelayne
13 years ago
michellemarie, your sink is gorgeous! My prep sink has almost the identical embossed design on the inside, so I am a little biased. :^)
michellemarie
13 years ago
Steff and Shelayne, Thanks for the nice compliments. I think my sink is going to be the prettiest item in my new kitchen. I ordered if off of Ebay and it came from Mexico. I just can't wait to be able to post more pics when it is complete with granite and bridge faucet.
steff_1
13 years ago
We can't wait to see the pictures.

I ordered my sink off ebay from Mexico also. It's not installed yet, but I'll show it off anyway.
farmhouse_cook
13 years ago
Here is our prep sink in the island and copper apronfront sink. Purchased both from Sonoran Copper online. Very happy with this choice! HTH
sumnerfan
Original Author
13 years ago
I really love the combination of butcher block and the copper sinks. Very lovely. Thanks for sharing.
coppercat
13 years ago
Using the info I found on the forums here, we put in a copper bar in our basement. The inside countertop of the bar will be laminate with a copper sink. We glued the 16oz copper flashing using contact cement to mdf. Since this was for a bar we didn't have to worry about edges because we put on an oak bar rail and drink stop. After the install, I polished the copper to get all the fingerprints from the installation off of it and within a few days it started to patina to a beautiful golden brown color. Before we start to use it I'm planning to give it a light coat of paste wax for extra protection. Here are pics of what it looks like so far. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Copper bar

Show me your copper sink or countertops

Circus Peanut

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shelayne

Circus Peanut

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