My mom has a gorgeous copper sink. It is my favorite thing in their house. She has hated it from the first day my dad dripped hot sauce in it! I don't know the brand or caliber but it has changed over the years. Again, I think it is a work of art and she thinks it has been "ruined" since she saw it in the show room. The answer really depends on what you can live with. For reference, I have soapstone counters that she could never live with but I just love them.

I had a copper sink from Premier Copper Products in our last house, and I loved it. Ours was the hammered version with an aged finish (don't remember what the company called it, but it was not bright and shiny). I really liked it, and it was a great look for that kitchen. The finish does change (e.g will go bright and shiny if something acidic is left on in it), but the finish would always return to its natural state. It is a "living finish."

Thank you for your input. Did your sink ever turn green? Did it drain properly and not puddle to one side? Did you have to wipe it dry after use and or wax it? Was the sink made it Mexico or outside usa? copper new or recycled? Was it loud pingy sounds? do you recall the gauge? Thanks so much!

I too have the hammered, aged finish, dark copper sink. I think ours is Premier Copper, also, but I would have to go look it up to be sure. Mine is top mounted on green iron soapstone. It does not puddle. We do not wax it, although we do have the wax to do so. We do not wipe it down after each use. I am pretty sure it is new copper. Pingy sounds are taken care of by pads that are attached on the underside of the sink. I don't remember if the pads came with the sink or if we purchased them separately. They did come from the same place. I ordered everything online. We also have clear plastic bubble pads that protect the copper from aluminum pans. DH does the dishes and he is not as careful as I would be about acidic food, so the copper is bright around the drain. It does darken if left alone. We have never had verdigris - that is the green stuff. I clean the sink with just dish soap every few days. I have copper pots and pans on display so everything goes nicely with the sink. I don't remember the gauge, but it is substantial. I think it is either 14 0r 16. It does not feel or act flimsy at all.

Cooper is going to change. It's a living finish. It will go from bright and shiny to deep brown and then a beautiful green. Embrace it. Love it. Have you ever seen pictures of the copper roofs on the Chateau Frontenac? They are beautiful. That's what copper does. You do have to be careful that no other metal finishes come in constant contact with copper, the copper will corrode whatever metal finish it touches except stainless steel. Copper always wins.

I don't have a copper sink, but there are studies that show copper is far more sanitary than stainless. Germs can't live on copper. It is toxic to most living pathogens. So, you do get the added benefit of sanitation. I think copper countertops would be awesome.

You will not have to remove your granite to replace your sink, I promise. You may have to pop your cabinet front off, but that's not a big deal.

Let me say that I love the beauty of aged copper in many applications, but I would never install a copper sink. To me a kitchen is a workshop, and the sink gets a lot of use and abuse. I don't want to have to baby a sink, or be concerned about acidity of things that contact it, or use special protective pads, or worry that I can't scrub it clean, or be upset when the patina inevitably gets damaged. I also don't buy furniture that needs to be protected by clear plastic seatcovers... ;-)

Exactly what I am thinking. The new copper sample looks great against the new granite but would not look good if it turns green or brown. Leaning towards going with a single basin white cast iron even though we have black Jenn aire appliances that go with the black flecks in our granite.

Kate, thank you for the kind comments. Folks, please do your homework on copper sinks. Most companies hide where they are manufactured and make purity claims they cannot back up independently.

I have had mine for a couple of months and it gets daily (and not too careful) use--looks just fine. The only way I could see any of it turning green is if you never rinse it out and only use it once a month, and even then it would only be on the ledges if you have a Signature sink, which a simple wipe would get rid of. The rest of the sink will be the colour of an old penny. If that qualifies as brown, then I guess it will turn brown because it starts out brown :-)

I have 2 copper sinks in my kitchen, both under mounted, the main one a farm style that sits proud into the room. I can't imagine not 'using' them, I think ours are used harder than any other sinks we've had. You can't mark them up like a porcelain sink, ours are pounded and there are no dents like can get in some SS sinks. There's not an inch in either sink that matches another spot in the sink, the color varies widely over the whole surface. I think it's fun to splash vinegar, hot sauce, ketchup, etc in them and see the bright spots. I sometimes write notes to the kids in them or a sign of endearment to my wife. The bright spots mellow over time and completely disappear within a week or so. We've got soapstone counters on one run w/the big sink and green marble on the island and other side of the kitchen w/the other sink, they look great w/the copper sinks. We've got oil rubber bronze faucets that match pretty well as the sinks are mostly dark.

I've seen an occasional green spot up high, under the counter edge once in a while. I just clean it off. The sinks clean very easily but are never a uniform color. You don't want to use an abrasive scrubber but a mellow scotch bright pad works great. I don't have pads in mine for soundproofing but I can't imagine needing them either. The farm sink has a copper 'apron' in front and is well supported all around. Doesn't sound any different than a SS sink, probably not as tinny sounding, more a thud, thump.

I got the sinks for the reasons you read about, antimicrobial, extremely durable and beautiful. We also wanted a 'living' kitchen, soapstone changes all the time just like the copper and the cork floors are mottled from the get-go and age as well. We have 2 different counter top surfaces and different color cabinets depending on where you are in the kitchen. It's out favorite room.

We installed a Hahn sink a year ago. I love it. I don't baby it at all and it looks better any and all the time than my stainless ever did. We have custom inset cabinets that are gorgeous but the sink is the show-stopper. Everyone calls it the best part of the kitchen. I think so too. It looks better now than it did a year ago. Truly a good investment -- if you like the look, go for it. You will not be disappointed. Now I see Home Depot has a hammered copper claw foot slipper tub. Be still my heart!

Have had undermount apron front copper kitchen sink for 5 years, and absolutely love it, we do not baby it at all, the way the appearance is constantly changing is the best part, for us.

Your statement "it would be awful if the sink turned green or something" is critical... it WILL change color and appearance, frequently. If that is unappealing, copper is not a good choice for you.

I'm thinking of the darker hammered copper sink under mounted black granite. Any one out there with photos of such a thing?

These sinks aren't hammered, but they could be (From Dino's site)

Tracy - I just bought a copper apron sink and based on my research, I deliberately did NOT want a sink with a hammered bottom since it would be harder to maintain and the dents would catch debris and hold moisture.

Based on my research, the dark bronze patinas are artificial finishes and not "living" finishes. If you do something to disrupt the dark finish, it would not be restored to the original dark finish. Think of a copper penny - it doesn't patina to dark deep brown like the finishes I think you are describing.

I opted for a sink with a natural finish - one that doesn't need to be waxed or dried every time I use it. I like the natural living patina - I don't expect it to be shiny like a newly polished copper bottom nor do I want it to be the dark brown that many of the copper sinks have.

There are a few manufacturers of "natural" patina sinks - Rachiele, Havens Metal (which I bought mine from) and I think I the world coppersmith.com. I wanted a particular configuration with a left rear drain so I went for a custom model from Havens Metal.

ETA: I did go with a lightly hammered apron front because I thought there would be less of a noticeable difference between the interior of the sink which would be getting a lot of "stuff" thrown at it and would patina accordingly and the apron front which would not be exposed to as much stuff and wouldn't patina in the same manner anyway.

I didn't go with a hammered sink either for much the same reasons that Helen stated. 42" Rachiele after one year.

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

I would be super helpful if people could post pictures of their sinks. TIA!

LOL regarding waxing and drying a sink.

My designer suggested a copper sink for my kitchen and I read the specs on the one she suggested. When I came to the care and maintenance which suggested waxing and drying after every use, I thought not in my universe will be be drying a kitchen sink every time water hits :-)

I liked the look of copper sinks but frankly not so much all of the hammered heavily darkened finishes which I found artificial and obnoxious so I began researching copper sinks and found Havens Metal and Rachiele to manufacture copper sinks that didn't need crazy maintenance (or at least crazy to me and which were just natural smooth finished copper. There were also a few other manufacturers who made sinks with a "living patina" which didn't require waxing or drying but I wanted a specific configuration with a left rear drain. I opted to purchase from Havens Metal as I posted above.

The sink arrived in its casket which I haven't opened yet. My joke is that it is actually Count Dracula inhabiting it with some of his native Florida soil :-)

As other threads point out, a copper sink is not for someone who wants shiny stuff but I like the look of the living patina and I am not OCD about polishing stuff - let alone waxing and drying my kitchen sink.

ETA - And as you can see from the pictures posted by Havens Metal, their hammered option is not that heavily dented blackened stuff that you see on most copper sinks but is very subtle.

The bottom sink looks like mine w/the soapstone counter.

Helen,

You are on point with your comment (as usual)! Unfortunately most copper sink manufacturers do require drying and waxing (even most of the sinks in Home depot and Lowes). A sink should be anything but "fragile" and "sensitive". A copper sink should be able to handle anything you throw at it in my opinion, even bleach and harsh household cleaning products. If a copper sink is clear coated or lacquered - stay far FAR away. By the way - can't wait until you install "dracula" in your kitchen - he is excited to wake up from his slumber and trip across the country :)

- Alex Havens

Purchased a premier Farmhouse kitchen sink did my research and know what to expect as far as the patina. I see a lot of beautiful pictures of sinks that are newly installed but I would like to see pictures of copper sinks after a few years in use. Can anyone show me your copper sinks and do they really need to be dried after each use?

HU-730679671

The quality ones do not. If the colour of the sink is not the colour of an old penny, then it has a finish that will require a lot of maintenance. The Rachiele sink we have is virtually maintenance free. These pictures are after one year. It's been two years now. I could take new pictures, but they wouldn't look any different.

Water covering the entire sink

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

After a minute

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

After two minutes.

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

Thanks for the pics

In the event this thread is resurrected for some reason, I have been using my Havens Metal copper sink for almost two years and it still looks as good as new - or as *new" as a copper sink with a living patina should look :-).

I treat it with benign neglect and get pleasure as I observe the various splotches and variegated tones that occur from normal use. When I drain something acidic, spots will become shiny and then patina back again over the course of time.

It's far lower maintenance than my previous Kohler sink which had to be scrubbed after use because otherwise it looked dingy. With my copper sink, I generally just make sure there is no food adhering to the bottom and sponge off with some Dawn detergent if I am feeling ambitious or if I have used it for something like raw chicken juice.

Ditto for my Rachiele sink. Installed in the 2017 kitchen remodel.

Our copper sink is 5 years old and I agree with everything Helen wrote.

My one regret is getting a hammered finish. It was an impulse purchase at the counter top dealer and I didn't know a non-hammered option was available.

We installed a Rachiele hand-hammered apron front copper sink and bar sink in 2013. We loved it so much, we installed another in our new home. We love the look and functionality. Only the front is hammered, so no issues with food getting caught in working part of sink. Patina comes back again and again after “acidic assault” (ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice). I just take extra care to rinse acidic foods into the drain because I don’t like the transient shiny new penny spots. Similarly, I don’t leave metal pans in the sink because the metal temporarily discolors the copper. Just like fine china, extra care keeps it looking new. As far as daily cleaning goes, I use Dawn and a sponge and let it air dry.

Old and new

Crazy4craftsman- I purchased a sink very similar to yours from Rachiele. Now I’m trying to decide on the faucet. Is that a waterstone you have? Really wondering if I need to spend that much on a faucet?!

@crazy4craftsman I adore your cabinets. The wood is so beautiful, the lines and the handles and everything is just gorgeous. Can please tell us where you purchased?

HU-891276262-- Go to the Waterstone site and check out the faucets. Dino will get anyone you like but he doesn't stock a large selection.

Crazy4craftsman what kind of faucet do you have in the first picture?

@Laure Sykes - I am not @crazy4craftsman but I believe that pictured faucet is the Waterstone 5600. They start at $2,000, and go up from there depending on the finish.

https://www.qualitybath.com/waterstone-5600-traditional-plp-pulldown-kitchen-faucet-18-h-product-136391.htm?sku=5600-sb

@Laure Sykes I have a Kohler Artifact which is not identical but has a similar look.

I bought it based on a lot of recommendations from people on houzz as well as trying it out in person.

It is not cheap but not early as expensive as Waterstone faucets. I believe in quality but I am not sure how much better a faucet can be as it has now been installed for almost four years and has been trouble free and still looks great

I don't remember what I paid prior to the pandemic but it is currently about $800

Kohler Artifact Faucet

The spray has two a "berry spray" setting for softer sprays.

My sink is from Havens Metal - it is very similar in quality and design to those from Rachiele.

@Helen - I had already recommended to @Laure Sykes the Kohler Artifacts in one of her prior posts. She said she’d consider it, but it looks like she is still looking at others. There are so many, anyone can get analysis paralysis.

The first faucet was a Waterstone I purchased directly from Waterstone. I did not purchase Waterstone again because I wanted to be able to keep the sprayer on without holding it (used to keep a black hairband on the nozzle to accomplish this). For the cost, it should have had that feature. The second photo is a Moen faucet.

@Ovenbird Sorry I haven't logged in for a while. The cabinets were Caves Custom Cabinetry out of Clifton Springs, NY. https://www.cavesmillwork.com

crazy4craftsman -- Our Waterstone sink keeps the sprayer on without holding. However, we purchased from Rachiele rather than directly.

As I think back on it, I did buy the faucet through Rachiele. Perhaps they updated the design since I bought it in 2013, but when I checked back I didn't see that feature.

crazy4craftsman -- If you contact Richaele, they may be able to get you a new end with the staying design. Waterstone has a lifetime warranty, but from the comments I've seen, it's best to go through Rachiele for support. I purchased mine in 2017.

Thanks for the tip, but we sold that house. Our new home has a Rachiele sink and Moen faucet that does the job.