Which color pulls did you want to use? I think the ones you've selected would look nice in an oil-rubbed bronze finish, but I'm not sure I like the other options. And I misunderstood the question about the backsplash. I now realize you want to run it ONLY behind the sink, not for the full length of the counter run. I think you should do a mockup of the look to see if it suits you. Most of the pics I find with an extra-tall bs behind the sink have the short 3-4" bs behind the rest of the counter. Why don't you mock it up with cardboard? If you get some corrugated cardboard, and maybe spray paint it black or charcoal, you can tack it up to the wall and see if you like it behind the sink alone, or want to blow the 450 and get the short bs piece too. Keep in mind that if you choose the sink-only option you can probably also change your mind later and get short bs pieces of the same type of soapstone, if you have a stone yard nearby that offers precut but not installed soapstone. They only put those backsplash pieces in with silicone caulk, so if you have the option of buying a precut piece, you can install it yourself. So whatever your choice, it's not necessarily unchangeable.

Thanks for the suggestions. Suzi, I do love the sink. Part of me wonders if I'll regret getting it made to look like new with reglazing techniques, after all I bought an old house for the character. I'll try the oxyclean first. Kathleene, I didn't know about the Clorox and Comet and I'm afraid I've subjected this sink to both for the last 16 years :( Were the sinks that you had resurfaced in the kitchen or bathroom? What type resurfacing did you have done? I really don't understand about the brown stain by the drain. This sink is made by Topeka, a pottery sink- not cast iron. What would cause the rusty spot or the dark brown where the porcelain is worn from the water? Thanks a lot, Terry

We currently have a, now discountinued, cast iron Kohler sink with a drainboard, and we like the drainboard a lot. So, my initial gut thought had been to look for one with a drainboard. Initially we had been planning to reuse this sink but the rethought that thinking we would be fools to invest that much money in countertops to install an odd-sized sink that could not be replaced if something happened to it. The micro-edge does look lovely and we may yet end up with a stainless (even though I am more of the porcelain look person myself) solely because of some other issues we have with size constraints. We too learned many years ago that you get what you pay for, and an initial larger investment upfront pays off in the long run. Perhaps some of those complaints about disgusting looking stainless sinks were from people with the really low end sinks. Even though I know that the top mount sink came later than the era of my house, I too to seem to prefer them aesthetically. Perhaps it is because of the feeling they evoke of kitchens from a earlier era. It's too bad there isn't something similar to the microedge availabe in cast iron. OTOH, I can definitely also see the idea of thinking of my kitchen as not a period piece but as something that has evolved over the decades and has not been static set in one time. I'm sure the housewife who first coccupied it would have been thrilled to be able to upgrade portions of it to the latest technology like micro egde sinks.

I think it will look terrible and you must sell me those sinks immediately! Seriously, I have a craftsman-style bungalow and am about to put in copper kitchen counters; already have copper cupboard knobs and the look really works well, especially with deep yellows and Morris greens. I have the original fir trim, so the orange tones are perfect -- this might work a bit differently for you with painted/white trim. Yes, I'd sink the bowls in a bit, more so they don't scream "2007 Vessel" than "I'm Copper", but sitting on top really wouldn't be offensive - that's more an issue of usability and how you think they'd work functionally. Fixtures: my kitchen faucets will most likely be copper, but I'd suggest polished nickel over the satin you're considering. In my experience modern brushed/satin fixtures bring out the gray in nickel but polished finish leaves the warm golden undertone, which would work better with copper. (Plus the polished nickel is vastly more historical, if authenticity is a plus.) Sounds gorgeous! Have you consulted Jane Powell's books?