Beautiful idea requiring lots of maintenance? Not so, says William Garvey. A longtime tradition in English butler's pantries, teak sinks are watertight, long lasting and absolutely quiet. It's just what the master wants.
Garvey is furniture designer and craftsman in Devon. His work extends from a whole range of sinks to baths and showers. Prices start at $1250 for the sink above and the pieces are beautiful. (Via Wallpaper) MGR
1250usd?
give me a hammer and a chisel and i'll make one.
wood and water...seems so wrong.
even the most hardcore cutting board cracks if not propperly maintained. (thank you john woo magic oil)
me of me inc.,
i'd like to place the first order, for one of those tubs...
Yeah, crazy expensive, and seems like it might be impractical for a bathroom sink, which sometimes has unsanitary stuff going down it. I like to know I can scour my sink with bleach if I need to.
It does seem like it would be hard to maintain, as well, but don't the Japanese routinely use wooden tubs for bathing?
"wood and water...seems so wrong"
Nah. People did sail on wooden ships for quite some time.
I do agree they would be hard to scrub with bleach...
I read (I think in Organic Style or Budget Living) about someone skilled who made a beautiful wood sink and counter and used Marine grade sealant. Makes sense to me. Those wood boats don't decay for years.
I think these sinks are gorgeous, but too expensive for me.
"Nah. People did sail on wooden ships for quite some time."
Not anymore...new ships don't use wood hulls.
Furthermore even those require lots of work about twice a year.
older boats require so much upkeep...
Also there is diffrence between being submerged and left in water and a constant cycle of getting something wet and haveing it dry
I still think bad idea...how many years could this possibly survive? most sinks (i've seen) are built to last a lifetime...at least long enough to be considered "vintage"
Must have the tub...
Once you have experienced a good soak in an ofuro (the Japanese tubs) you will never want anything else. I bet they cost a fortune from this guy.
I recently saw some stainless and copper versions that went for $4000-$7000. We all can dream...
P.S. - There must be a way to keep these up. At least the baths. I bathed in some that were many decades old and still seemed to be just fine. From what I hear, though, you are encouraged to keep many soaps and cleaners away...
Once toured a house that had a teak shower stall & sink. After 10 years of use, it looked nasty. However, it did have a heavy finish (sealant?) that was peeling & blistering. Wherever water did not drain, such as corners & flat surfaces, the wood looked bad.
Perfect for a rarely used guest bath (As if that is something we all have).
Really beautiful pieces. And teak is one of my favorite woods. But like most everyone else who have already posted, I worry about how hygienic the wood might be (keeping it clean, germ-free and all) and how the sealant might wear over time (esp after years of scrubbing with a bleach-based cleaner). Maybe save the teak for shelving/cabinetry or deck-type flooring in the bathroom instead?
Teak does wear well outdoors, though. You see good teak outdoor furniture all the time. My parents used to have a boat with teak. They took good care of it and while everything got wet often, they kept a cover on the boat out of season. While the floor and cabinets are worn fifteen years later, it still all looks good.
It's good that they're water tight, because I'm salivating over the one pictured...
(What a horrible image, sorry...)
I'm one of those obsessive compulsive germ people. This is beutiful and scary to me. If I can't bleach it, scrub it, chemically remove all traces of any sort of germ or microscopic life from it, it freaks me out. If only you knew of my bathroom rituals...Pretty but I just couldn't do it.
The butler's pantry thing is just made up. Copper sinks exist in those pantries, not teak. And you wouldn't be able to wash anything that had an acid base--no glasses with lemonade or tomato juice, etc, as the acids would dull the teak.
The Japanese use the wood tubs for soaking, but no soap and no dirt enter.
Actually, I do remember reading that wood sinks were used to wash crystal in the big manor houses. (Apparently, less of a chance they'd break.) I think this might have been a British-only thing, though.
I have no idea how they cleaned them, though.
Wood and water lol, not a problem at all. Have you all really done any research on wood sinks. People have been using wood and water for many centuries. While teak oil, deft, or other finishes may not last or take bleach, but epoxy will. I guarantee my wood sinks to be maintenance free for at least ten years. A simple refinish job is all that's needed if major problems should occur. Bleach included, but maybe not straight bleach. Mix the bleach with a little bit of water to dilute it to some extent. Then clean the bleach off well after each washing. I read where epoxy will withstand temps to 200 degrees. I boiled a scrap piece of wood with epoxy on it for 3 minutes. No problems at all. Put tootpaste on it, grape juice, tea stains, coffee, for long periods of time. Nothing effected it. Epoxy is completely waterproof.
i live in a 120 year old house with an original teak sink in the pantry. i still use it regularly. i clean it with lemon extract and then a natural oil based wood treatment. the only problem is from the small changes in the shape and size that comes from temp. change and normal wear and tear (chipping corners, knives in seams etc). it is also incredibly easy to repair when damaged.
I feel copper sinks with embossed apron will be more beautiful, Please pay a visit to see http://www.china-sinks.com to see beautiful copper sinks made by China traditional copper crafts.
Best wishes.
Tomfan
Being made from Burmese teak, these products are all illegal in the US. Support one of the wooden bath or sink makers that use environmentally and politically responsible woods such as Ars Piscina or
Hello all,
I read this article with interest as my company is the exclusive N. American dealer for the Wm. Garvey line. We have a great article that answers many of the questions here on www.SinksGallery.com. The exact link is below if you click my name
Cheers,
JackH
Do you have a US representation? Please let us know we are an architectural firm based in Southport CT.
Thank you,
Noelle
Noelle,
....we are the US representative... Give us a call if you are interested in a quote on any of the Wm. Garvey products. We work with architects, designers and builders throughout N. America.
Regards,
Sinks Gallery
www.SinksGallery.com
1-877-320-0800
...and to address the strange "Tomfan" china sink message (an attempt to drive traffic to his website). There is only one place to buy copper sinks that are actually warehoused and sold in the US by a US company - see Copper Sinks Online
These folks sell great hand hammered copper sinks at wholesale prices with free shipping!
Whoops - try: http://www.coppersinksonline.com - the URL didn't seem to work above...
For another great collection of wood sinks and related products see http://www.bathroomvesselsinks.com
Shawn
Well I am a producer of copper sinks and know that they are the most clean material that there is plus they help get rid of some bacteria if you are interested in copper sinks please send me an email and I will send you pictures of the best copper sinks that you have seen and original hand hammered products.
email me at artecruz@ml.com.mx
We are also coming out with new designs that are going to facinate you.the sinks that tomfan makes are just copies of the real work that we do here in Mexico they dont even hand hammer them all my work is hand hammered so please want real and original sinks give send me an email at
artecruz@ml.com.mx
well everyone have a good day!