jacksopcam, Having lived with copper sinks for several years and a lot of friends of mine have them as well, my comments: 1) Yes, a thicker 14 gauge sink makes a BIG difference. I've seen them in the thinner 16 gauge and they dent fairly easily. I have a friend who bought a thinner gauge sink on Ebay and ended up returning it and buying the thicker gauge sink. When I was looking it came down to two companies selling the thicker 14 gauge sinks - Copper Sinks Online and Linkasink. Since Linkasink was sold through showrooms, they were 30% - 40% higher (they have to make a profit too). If you are willing to spend the money on one of these beautiful sinks, buy wisely. 2) Rachiele can make a claim that they sell the only "maintenance free" copper sink, but they make a lot of claims... Copper is copper (unless you buy a copper sink made in China or India - then who knows that is mixed in with the copper...). 3) We do not wipe our sink out - ever. ...we just let it do it's thing. The patina will change slightly over time and sometimes we leave something in it that lightens up the patina in spots - but it always darkens again (like a penny) and we love the rustic nature. We simply clean with soap and water and about once a month we wax it with the stuff we got from Copper Sinks Online. If you pour something really acidic down the sink - just rince it out with water. 4) It is easy to try and price shop copper sinks and think that by buying that $800 sink from the Ebay dealer you are saving money. These sinks have big quality differences between them. Remember, these are crafted by a copper artisan. I was told it takes almost a full day for a craftsman to make one kitchen sink! As with any artisans, there are good ones and not so good ones. What I liked about the company we bought from is that they seem to be one of the largest out there and have been around the longest. They have their own artisans making their sinks. If there is an issue with quality - you just return it. 5) Several Ebay dealers try to mask this, but they are selling out of Mexico. If you want to return the sink, you could be in for some major hassles. To me, it is best to deal with a company that has offices and a warehouse in the USA IMHO. I can't find the posts in the archives (a lot of history was wiped out on this site), but about a year ago there were at least 6 - 7 folks that chimed in one thread about how they loved their copper sinks and there was a big discussion about where to buy, thickness, etc. Bottom line is that every person I've spoken with or who has posted on this site that has bought from Copper Sinks Online has been very happy not only with the company but their products. Hope this info helps.

I'm not sure what the rules are, but I've always lived with the theory of if you like it than it works. I actually bought an ORB faucet and a stainless sink. My hardware is ORB and my appliances stainless w/ black details(knobs, handles) I call my style eclectic. I have 1930's colonial revival dining room furniture and very modern Murano glass sculptural pieces. I do a lot of entertaining and people always tell me they love my home and how I've decorated, so I say if that's what you like than go for it.

My farmhouse sink is feeling gummy. I don't think the previous owner cleaned it regularly with even soap and water. I want to take it back to shiny and let it start over again. I bought Wright's Copper Cream which has cleaned it pretty well, except in along the sides the "dimples" are staying black. So my sink looks like a leopard in some areas. How can I get those spots cleaned so I can let my sink start it's patina working again? And should I was it immediately it after getting it cleaned or wait until a few days for a patina to form again?

I've been properly chastised, LOL. I'm ready to let it go. Yes, as anyone who has been through a reno knows, it is very stressful, even if everything goes right. And so many things didn't go right and nobody wanted to take responsibility. But we eventually got most things ironed out. Other than the contractor and his employees, only DH and I know about the flaws and errors that still exist, but that others will not see. Our transformation was small compared to the gorgeous pictures I see here, but no less magical for us. Every day I revel in the beauty and function that was not part of our kitchen previously. But it came at a price in more ways than one. This is the house I grew up in. Mom managed to put great meals on the table for our family of six and never complained about the lack of counter space or cupboard space. After my dad passed away, Mom didn't want to be alone and for that and a few other reasons, my husband and I moved back "home". I got to see Mom every day for the last 23 years and for the last 9 or 10 years, my husband was her primary caregiver. He moved his office home so he could take her grocery shopping, to doctor appointments, to garage sales and second hand stores (her favorite pastime) and to her friends' houses to visit when she felt up to it. In those last years, her health steadily declined and she had two bouts of cancer. The last one took her in March of 2016. She left us the house, and because she and my dad were very frugal, she also left us enough money to update the kitchen. I miss her every day, but I am SO happy to be living in my childhood home. Sorry to get off topic, just wanted to share.