my shiny, new kitchen sink

Lime cleaner left streaks and ruined the finish on the chrome faucet six months ago. I was secretly happy we had a reason to replace the faucet, but the sink was a trickier problem to address.

The hardest part when replacing an undermount sink is finding a sink with the exact dimensions as the cutout in the countertop.  It took six months to find an off-the-shelf sink in the exact dimensions.  We were afraid to go with a special order, just in case it didn't work. 

Step 1:  We scoured the web and all the hardware stores.  Finally, a score at Home Depot.  A single bowl undermount stainless sink from Kohler's company, Sterling.   $250 off the shelf.   I am thrilled Home Depot now carries a single bowl undermount stainless style, something they didn't have when we first started looking.

Step 2:  Hire a willing granite company to send their crew to torch, pry and buff the shellac from existing sink and install the new undermount.  $220 for 2 guys for 2 hours.  Check. 

Step 3:  Back to Home Depot and Lowes to find a replacement faucet for just the right amount of holes (3 existing in the granite).  This limited us because we wanted a soap dispenser and easy to turn-on-with-messy-hands lever, but not a goose neck (divides the kitchen).  I found the perfect faucet at Lowe's.  A bronze Price Pfister for $160 and a $20 bronze soap dispenser.

         

Step 4:  Max rigged the faucet to be installed without the deck plate, used plummer's putty to seal the new stainless drain (Home Depot, $30) and reinstalled the old disposer and new faucet. (30 minutes.)

Result:   Shiny and new. The single bowl makes the whole kitchen feel bigger.  Not to mention much more practical for washing platters, pots, babies, puppies, watering orchids....  The soap dispenser - soap bottles = eco happiness and one less thing on the counter!

Success six months in the making for something seemingly so simple.

Lesson learned:  Be careful what product you use to clean lime.

(it wasn't me!)

And one more tip:  Add felt pads under the sink bottom and sides to muffle sound.  (Wal-mart, $2)

Next on my Spring to-do list:  re-do kitchen grout, freshen flowers beds and a dining room paint project.  Stay tuned!