Hi shoppinfool,

We can't speak for other brands, but we have very good response from our customers who purchase brushed nickel. Native Trails' brushed nickel process begins with high quality recycled copper, which is carefully prepped and plated using a state-of-the-art electroless plating process, then meticulously hand brushed to ensure a sturdy yet uniquely beautiful basin. This finish requires simple care: clean with an all-natural clean like a Meyers brand (no product with hard chemicals or abrasives) wash with water, and dry with a soft towel. To add extra shine, a chrome polish may be applied.

Hope that helps! Happy houzzing.

Artesano copper sink company in CA sells custom sized sinks in hammered nickel at a fraction of the price if you are interested. http://www.artesanocoppersinks.com/satin_nickel_sinks.php

I've been researching this for months and trying to decide between the beauty of the nickel and the durability of an integrated stone sink. Price point is about the same. Ernesto is very helpful and knowledgeable.

I was never told about wax, interesting. I am going to try this tonight. I am so upset because I love it. I spent $200 on a grate and last night some pooled water took off some nickel. This was just water and you can see the copper showing underneath. I wonder if mine is defective, I have contacted the company because it is way to early for this to happen from just water.

Stunning! Try Flitz polish or chrome polish and if works then wax it. Where did you get the sink from? If it's defective, looks like you could replace it without damaging the countertop since it's front loaded.

I bought it from signature hardware. Which I have purchased from before and have always been happy. I think they are looking into it now, so we will see what happens.

Being "a fraction of the cost" ought to give you clue about quality. Not. Something for nothing doesn't exist.

The copper in the sink is now showing. I got a full refund on the sink very easily, as I believe it is a known issue. Signature hardware is really great, but I paid to have the sink installed, granite over it, so I am stuck for a while. Eventually I will have to replace it because the look isn't right with my kitchen. Hammered stainless steal seems like the way I should have gone. I am lucky that I didn't buy the hammered nickel range hood yet!! I think that they should mention that eventually the sink will be copper color. Some people may like that, others may have designed thier kitchen around it thinking it would always be a silver color...

where did you get the stainless steel hammered sink? I've been looking everywhere for a reasonable price, any suggestions would be great!

Native trails say, "heavily plated in molten nickel". I have never heard of this plating process, please explain.

Greetings. Texas Lightsmith (www.texaslightsmith.com) makes stainless steel farmhouse sinks with a hammered apron as well as nickel silver (aka German nickel). With our nickel silver, there is no plating to wear through or come off due to oxidation, the material is solid.

I am returning my REENA crappy sink that turned in 2 days for a solid Nickel from Texas lightsmith....Can't wait for it to arrive. My Reena sink also had a problem draining leaving water sitting in puddles...not well made

I would say what alssamazz did: "Don't do it", DO NOT BUY ONE... I bought an expansive Native Trail sink from the Coccina series and it it was such a big mistake. The maintenance is a nightmare and drives me beyond exasperation. I need to mention that I have two kitchens, a working kitchen and a show kitchen. The working kitchen has a prep sink and and a clean up sink and all the work of the household is done here in these two sinks. The show kitchen is where the Native Trail hammered nickel sink is installed in a 14 foot long island topped with white marble and the sole purpose for this sink has been for "show" and mainly for water and to house beverages when entertaining as I have a lot of business meeting at my house, hence the reason for two kitchens. The point of all this is that this sink doesn't get used much at all but the water is enough to make it tarnish to the point of exasperation and the copper is starting to show in some areas. I loved it before I had it installed now I hate it. The maintenance is exhausting and yes I feel like I too "should have just burnt" 12k since this sink is installed in a giant island, and in order to replace this sink I would have to rip off and redo the marble top which was $9500. Then I would have to pay another $9500 to install another one... That's just insanity!!! So I am basically stuck with this sink that really is a nightmare. I did call Native Trails in the past and they told me to use soft soap and wax which I have done but that does not really work. Bottom line, I would NEVER, EVER buy another hammered nickel sink, and if I would have the option to throw this one out I would....Anyone, before you consider a nickel sink, look at the overall investment of for your project where the sink will be installed and really think if it's worth to spend the money on such sink if you have to replace it, especially if it's an undermount sink. Do not make the same mistake I made, better to learn from others. Hope this will save someone lots of headaches and money. I wish someone would have said this to me before I bought mine.

PS. I had no idea the Nickel was plated till I saw the copper showing.. All this time I thought I bought a solid nickel sink. This was misleading.

I have one in the wet bar. Love the look; no problems cleaning.

I had a farmer's sink in my last kitchen, in brushed stainless. I did not like that at all. I was always cleaning that apron. Drips and splashes...grrrr.

In response to Victoryah, some really good points are brought up in the post. Firstly, the "living finish" really does mean that the sink will be changing with exposure and time. This is true for all metal sinks except for stainless steel. The fastest way to bring this back to an original clean state without oxidation is to use Bar Keepers Friend (similar to Bon Ami) which has a metal cleaning ingredient and takes much of the elbow grease out of the process. One DOES NOT want to use Bar Keepers Friend unless taking the oxidation (patina) off the sink is the desired outcome.

Also the post brings up the important point of how a sink may be integrated into an expensive counter top if it is an under-mount and is not easily removed.

Texas Lightsmith nickel silver sinks (also known as German nickel) are solid and not plated (it is a living finish, however). Companies should really make it clear when their products (especially sinks) are plated, but they rarely do.

Victoryah, we want to let you know how very sorry we are to
hear that your sink has worn through – that is not at all the norm with our
brushed nickel sinks. It sounds like this is a defective product, and we
completely understand how that would cause you to be exasperated and to feel
your sink experience has been a nightmare. Our brushed nickel products all
start out as a high-quality copper product, which is carefully prepped and
plated using a state-of-the-art electroless plating process. More luxurious and
eye-catching than stainless steel, this hammered and brushed finish is made to
be incredibly forgiving to everyday wear. This should have been the case with
your sink. If you will please call our Customer Service Representative Jessica Glynn at (800) 768-0862
or email us your phone number to mail@nativetrails.net,
we will discuss your situation with you. We want to make this right for you.

As Texas Lightsmith mentioned, copper does have a living
finish, which means copper sinks change with exposure and patina over time. That
said, a brushed nickel sink that is plated correctly should never wear through
to the copper beneath. Brushed nickel plating is not a living finish.

If you'd like to learn more about our Brushed Nickel finish and process, check out our blog: http://www.nativetrails.net/blog/three-bs-brushed-nickel/

I have one in a bathroom that a house sitter left a glob of toothpaste sitting in for 2 weeks. It ate through the nickel down to the copper. It's going to cost me $350 to replate it plus expense of having plummer remove and reinstall

I too have experienced spots of copper showing on the base. Although frustrating at first, it doesn't look horrible. Looks like a working kitchen and rustic, but that's probably not what most folks expect. I have put sink pads down on the base that protect and cover the irregularities and the sides are still it great shape and look lovely. It's been over a year now and live with it with the sink guards. These are cheap at Bed Bath & Beyond. I still love the look though... I have unfinished copper hood that I actually want to patina and tarnish, so the discoloration of the sinks it's not that alarming to me.

" in order to replace this sink I would have to rip off and redo the marble top which was $9500. Then I would have to pay another $9500 to install another one..."

Fortunately not. I've changed many sinks without removing the top.

Joseph Corlett, LLC How does one change an under mounted farmhouse sink without having to remove the top marble? I think there are some people in this thread that would love to know, me including because I will have to eventually change the sink. I would love to do without paying again to have marble lifted, realigned and re-sealed?

Sophie Wheeler did you read that victoryah bought the expensive Native Trail sink and the same exact thing happen to him that happen with the inexpensive 3k sink I bought? The price of nickel is about $5 a pound and the sink is 50 pounds, so lets say $250 in materials. I will even say it is $1,500 in materials. How is a non-pro to estimate something like this? I have recently found that going directly to fabricators will save me thousands on projects like range hoods, gutters and stuff like that. I also realized that using Amish workers for wood work like making custom sized doors and cabinetry saves me astounding amounts of money and the quality is amazing. It's hard for me as a "non-pro" to just believe that cost and quality go hand and hand. I think for all of us that work hard for our money, we just want a fair price for the quality we are getting and I am finding it isn't always just the most expensive item.

I am happy to see Native Trail make right of the situation. And Texas Lightsmith giving us some decent information, so we understand the product better.

"Joseph Corlett, LLC How does one change an under mounted farmhouse sink without having to remove the top marble?"

Tap the cabinet front off:

It's not a big deal. It goes right back in place. I do this all the time.

Joseph Corlett, LLC WOW! Thanks for that awesome info, as I had no idea. I will definitely be exploring this when it is time to switch out the sink.

Hi Trudy - We do make them - I have a photo here of one we made a few months back. Please send an email to lightsmith@texaslightsmith.com and we'll send a photo of that hammered apron stainless steel sink.

Texas Lightsmith I am also looking for a hammered stainless steal sink and don't see one on the website.

Hi G P, Thanks for the question! We do make them - I have a photo here of one we made a few months back. Please send an email to customercare@texaslightsmith.com and we'll send a photo of that hammered apron stainless steel sink. We look forward to hearing from you!

We were not informed 1- about the copper, 2- to wax it. Is that the prevention for the copper showing through, because I hate it and will buy some wax right meow if that's the case.

Thank you my Houzzer friends!

jennifer

PS: first time, should this be on a refreshed thread possibly?

We have had our Native Trails hammered nickel sink for a few years now and I DO NOT recommend...unless you like an aged look. The finish started wearing off within a year. The inside of the bowl is almost completely brass now. The nickel finish has come right off. It looks horrible. It was not cheap to say the least. I should have gone with a nice white one.

WOW. I was loving the native trails sink hammered nickel plated sink until I saw this all. Going to look at hammered stainless steel.

Hi Sukaina,

I wanted to respond on behalf of Native Trails here. We have made some drastic improvements in our brushed nickel-plating processes over the last few years and have an extremely low defect rate (close to 0%); these sinks are now not only warranted against manufacturers defects for the lifetime of the product, but the finish itself is warranted for ten years. We are confident that our current nickel plating will last at least 10 years under normal residential use. Please feel free to contact our Customer Service team directly with any questions or for any further product information at (800) 786-0862.

All the best,

Katelyn - Native Trails

Stainless Steel Hammered Apron Single Basin Sink by Texas Lightsmith

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@shoppinfool Did you go for it? How has it been?