have a bar sink - if you want it to look coppery for ever - you'll have to clean it. I like the beat up look.

I briefly considered it as well...for about 2 hours, then the lady at the plumbing place said " it will look gorgeous with your granite, you will love it, and I assume you have full time help at home to help you care for it and maintain it.". *note sarcasm!*

I replied "I am the help at home and I have 2 young boys, soon to be teenagers, and now will you please show me a silgranite and stainless steel sink!"

And that was about how long I considered a copper sink! I love them, and I have no doubt that someday, I will own one! But not now!

I had a similar experience that christine40 did. my KD and the plumbing place both said "hope you plan to dry it after every use". Um, no thanks! :) I have considered it for my bar though, just because I do love them!

I think the patina on an old copper sink is beautiful -- no stainless sink can look so good after a lifetime of use.
Lynn

If you are OK with the sink changing what it looks like every single time you use it, then you might be a candidate for a copper sink. It can have sections that you dropped a lemon on that will be bright, and others that tarnished dark almost black and those can be right next to each other and even overlap with some blotchiness. Most of it will be a rich varied brown. And it will look different tomorrow than it did today. But, if you want a shiny new penny every day forever, stay far far away.

Cleaning,waxing and drying(lol) is for cheap imported sinks made in India,China,and Mexico. And some US made sinks too.

A good one does not look scratched after use like SS.

It patinas over scratches.

If you want it to look like an old genuine copper penny there is no maintainence.

If you want it to look like new copper you have to polish from time to time but depends on use.

See link below for Copper Sink FAQ.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rachiele

Good friend (in whose kitchen I spend a LOT of time) has a deep round copper prep sink. The finish is hammered and it's undermounted in her wood-topped island. She loves it and has never polished it. It's a fairly uniform brown, with shiny or duller blotches depending on what's been prepped recently. Since it's deep and undermounted on a brown countertop, the color variations don't show as much as, say, a copper farmhouse sink situated right underneath a window. The sink is very organic-looking and fits beautifully in her French country-style kitchen. Definitely not a material if you need things shiny-shiny all the time, but the patina is beautiful, like an old penny.

Ditto Zeebee. My mother-in-law has that same hammered undermounted copper prep sink in the wood-topped portion of her island (hey, are you friends with my mother-in-law?). I'm sure it's the best money can buy, and there is no special care to keep it looking good. She's had it for years.

I have an apron copper sink and love it. What others have said is true. It changes daily but it doesn't bother me. I ordered mine in a darker finish not the bright copper. It will get shiny and bright if you have certain foods sit on it it for a while. I have a friend that has a shiny one and she keeps it that way by smearing ketchup all over it to make it the same color. I have to say it is one of the things people always comment on in my kitchen and love. I can post pictures if you want to see the "changes."

I love my copper apron sink and it looks even better than new now that I've used it for just over a year. Mine is a darker, hammered finish. If you wanted a shiny smooth surface sink permanently, it probably would take a lot of work but most copper sinks on offer out there are not in that range.

I've had almost every kind of sink available -- stainless, enamel cast iron, china, integrated corian and the copper has been the easiest to clean and maintain by far. The only sink that comes close to the ease of copper is my SIL's silgranite sink.

The 'patina' is actually easily removed, often by accident.

Some vinegar, lemon juice, just about every acid, will strip it back to bright as a new penny so fast you may not have a chance to wipe it off.

If you do not mind the sometimes mottled appearance while it ages back go for it.

Personally I love them. A friend of my has an old family cabin and they have an old beat up copper sink in the kitchen. It's just a big old square sink. Looks awesome over time. For me it looks like "it has soaked up some of the good times and good vibes" type of thing.

A few years back, didn't we decide on a system of elimination for determining whether you're a good candidate for a copper sink?

Do NOT get a copper sink if two or more of the following are true:

a. you iron your jeans

b. you are bothered by cupboard doors or dresser drawers being left slightly open

c. you wear white jeans jackets, or any jackets with rhinestones or fringe

d. you immediately notice when something isn't symmetrically ordered

e. you can't concentrate if 'stuff' is left out on counters or around the house

f. you make your bed the second after you get up

g. you find yourself smoothing out the edges of all the Scrabble tile pieces already played on the board

h. you'd never get glass-doored cabinetry or open shelving because you can't stand to see the everyday contents on display

i. when your nail polish is chipping, you repair it immediately

j. you straighten the hanging guest towels in other people's houses

:-)

I LOVE my copper apron farm sink. It is dark brown and hammered. It does change color (from dark brown to new penny color) with certain foods left in it but changes back quickly. I find it to be low maintenance and beautiful. I bought mine already sealed and apply a quick seal (like a rub-on wax) every few months. I bought mine online at coppersinksonline and couldn�t be happier.

Circuspeanut,
I love your list of questions.
Just perfect.
~bp

I absolutely LOVE my copper farm sink; but it has only been installed for about 3 wks. and already there is a scratch on the apron part ;(

I emailed Coppersinksonline and she said it looked like a scratch from a: ring, belt buckle, zipper, etc. and that it should disappear on it's own in about a month. She also game me formula for a solution to put on it (which I haven't done).

Despite this, I LOVE this sink. I have just a small kitchen remodel (new granite, farm sink, faucets and BS) ..... but this is, by far, my fav thing. The inside is easy to keep clean, we did opt for the one that is supposed to drain better, I clean it every day, but do not wipe it dry.

Good luck with your decision!

jody