How old is this metal kitchen sink base? Emily writes in…
She writes:
I have a coppertone cabinet-sink combo thing that looks like it dates from when our house was built: 1954. Its kind of half-cabinets half-sink — I know nothing about this stuff. Is there someone who specializes in this that I could email a picture to identify it?
Thanks so much. The lady who owned the home before us obviously loved every millimeter of it and took loving care of this in particular. I’m not sure that this is a keeper for us, but I would like to know more about it.
Emily: I think this is a relic of the late 60s or early 70s. Remember harvest gold and avocado green? This color – an earthy, coppertone brown – went hand-in-hand along with them. This piece is amazing to see. At first I got the heebeejeebees (the 70s were not my best years) but blink! and I was over it. LOVE IT! Work with it, girl – you can have some amazing decorating fun with this! And it’s been cared for – hurray. Toss it out and I assure you — in 10 years, you will regret it. Deeply.
If you want to know more about vintage steel kitchen cabinets, Emily, you are now in the right place. Go to the Steel Kitchen Cabinets Category and read on.
Darlene Hoover says
I have this same sink combination cabinet, except mine is a 66′ double basin double drainboard. I would like to sell when we begin renovation in about 2 months, but have no idea where to begin to list it. do you have any ideas where I should start. I live in West Virginia and know it will be extremely expensive to ship.
Kate says
Try listing it on your local Craigslist.
Sam R says
Chambers offered a Coppertone oven way back in the early 50s, and unlike some appliance manufacturers, they didn’t have a huge number of colorways. It’s safe to say that there were at least some people buying kitchen equipment in Coppertone back then.
Faith Crook says
It’s a suburbanette from sears. I have the paper work. The oven/ broiler is not that big.
Faith says
I have a counter stove top and built in wall oven exact color. Would love to find a sink to match. I have a double cast iron sink w drain boards think its about 5 feet.
Lots of people told me to get new ones I had the gas oven worked on cause wouldn’t light and stove works great.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Any idea where I can find a matching sink?
JJ Bianca says
I am looking for the metal cabinet with sink & drainboard preferably double sink in good condition. JJB
pam kueber says
JJ Bianca — head over to our buying/selling Forum, where you will find lots: https://retrorenovation.com/forums/
chris whyte says
we just moved and our new home has this same metal sink base…
ours is a double sink…
i would like to restore it to it’s former glory…
there’s a few deep nicks near the drains that needs a coppertone filler/paint.
a couple small dents in the doors that need to be bumped out.
but there’s a lot of rust inside which is my main concern…
what’s the best way to remove the rust?
and once the rust is gone i’d like re-paint and protect it. any suggestions?
Kelly McDowell says
This is like the sink/countertop we had when I was a kid in Phoenix, AZ. We moved into our new house in 1956. Mom’s was actually a double sink but all one piece like this and it was white. It was a great design inasmuch as there were no places for water to leak through. The drainer could be put to one side and then the rinse water dripped back into the sink. Mom also used to lay us up on the counter to shampoo our hair in the sink! There were extended cabinets on either side. We had coppery brown colored metal cabinets.
ryan says
here’s a link with a vintage advertisement for this sink.
https://retrorenovation.com/2009/04/23/vintagec-40s-and-50s-kitchen-drainboard-sinks/
cornbreadmoon says
My mom has this same sink and cabinet base, except hers has a double sink. I absolutely love it, and want it in my house one of these days. I can’t find a manufacturers tag in hers, does anyone know what brand they are?
Femme1 says
We moved into a brand new apartment complex (in Martinsburg, W. Va.) in 1965—the applicance were all this same copper color.
arkyguy says
This is the original color of my oven, cooktop and ventahood…built in 1962. and the “stickshift” faucet is identical to the original one over my sink. Our neighborhood had a lot of these, along with an early avocado that was two-tone like this.
Mid Mod Pam says
arkyguy – lucky you! I love this color!!! send pics – pam at retrorenovation dot com!