NY Good Questions: How Can I Restore the Sink's Surface?

4.29sink.jpg Dear AT,

I inherited a rental apartment with a partially painted stainless steel sink.

The paint appears to be a flat finish.

I'm not very handy and am a bit afraid of what I'll uncover if I try to undo too much, especially around the faucet area.

I do love to cook and need to have a spotless, more sanitary work area.

What can I do to restore the sink's surface to a more functional one? Thanks! Ilona

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Comments (22)

I really think you have to treat yourself (or convince your landlord) and replace it all. I am pretty handy at things and I can't think of anyway to get that looking sanitary and pleasant.

that looks a lot more like a utility sink than a kitchen sink- I too would be afraid to use it for food preparation. Have you spoken to your landlord about the problem? Is that up to rental code?

Citrus-based paint stripper. It's non-fum-ey, you can decide after you get hte paint off how you feel about it. Sinks are not bad to replace, nor expensive for a simple one. I'd say as a paying tenant -- you deserve better. :)

weird! I use bon ami on my stainless sink and it works wonders. Maybe try that an a little elbow grease and see what you can get off? That'lls help the metal areas, but I agree with janicea -- you probably need paintstripper for the painted stuff.

Steel wool maybe? Go over the whole sink to give it a uniform finish?

I'm sure this isn't up to code. Get your landlord to change it, pronto!

Wow. This looks like a lost cause. I'd go to Build It Green in Queens and get a cool vintage sink (maybe $30 tops) and a new faucet...

If you are able to get the paint off, Barkeepers Friend (the powder formula -- you can find it at Williams Sonoma or BB&B) does a great job of restoring stainless steel.

Be afraid...be very afraid. There's a reason why someone painted this in the first place, and I'm not sure you really want to find out why. Get a new sink!

It looks like your sink is a single bowl bar sink. You can get a new stainless one for under $200 and a faucet for under $50.00.

Ask you landlord to replace it.

ditto the citrus-based paint stripper THEN
the magic of Barkeeper's Friend
http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000QRB3OY/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1209498508&sr=8-5

most grocery stores carry it. It's magic, really, I've cleaned shop sinks in similar condition. (get a receipt for the paint stripper and make your landlord pay for that at least)

good luck, you'll be cookin by tomorrow night!

I am sorry you landlord is so cheap that they cannot bring themselves to spend $50.00 on a new sink. It never ceases to amaze me what a landlord considers acceptable for housing, all in the name of saving a dime. The landlord wouldn't put up with this in his home, and neither should any tennant have to.

That thing looks disgusting! I would not try to clean that at all. I'd have to buy a new one. A sink that size cannot cost that much that you need to put yourself through that.

nazrd has a point, what if after spending money on supplies and lots of elbow grease you end up with a rusted, yucky surface underneath? Maybe there's a (misguided) reason why it was painted.

home depot sells stainless sinks for next to nothing. the time you would spend getting that paint off is not worth it!

i agree with posters above -- there's a reason that was painted in the first place (rust maybe?), and you're not going to want to live with whatever's under there when you're done stripping it.

Make a racket and force your landlord to get you a new sink. Seriously.

It may be painted because some was lazy or a really lousy painter.

Stainless steel doesn't rust and it shines up beautifully.

A little bit of work and it will look great!

Why be so wasteful? Or is just that you all grew up in the city and don't know how to do this sort of thing?

I've clean up something similar. No problems.

I had to add a thought.

Paint stripper to loosen it up and bar keepers friend to polish, maybe a half hour of hard work

vs.

$200 for a new sink and about an hour to install the darn thing?

It is WAY easier to clean than it is to work on plumbing.

An hour to install?

My husband and I merely installed a new faucet into our old stainless sink and it took the better part of an afternoon!

One of the difficulties, which you may run into here if you replace it, is that new sinks do not install with the big long screws used for old sinks....I don't know how new sinks are installed--but it may not be compatible with the current configuration--so who knows what can of worms that may open.

I'd hate to try and get that paint off, but unless it is auto paint, it should come off.

If none of these solutions work then simply use a new, clean bowl in the sink for whatever you need to do - then there will be no hygiene issues

that's pretty disgusting. if you're going to try to work with it, fly lady has a great step-by-step process to clean the sink:

BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.

2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).

3. Rinse your sink well.

4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

you can find the rest of the steps here.