After Joe was unsuccessful in his attempt to epoxy-coat his vintage porcelain drainboard sink, he replaced it with a new Elkay Lustertone stainless steel drainboard sink. Even though the metal drainboard sink looks great, Joe says he would have preferred to keep his old porcelain sink top and have had the original enamel restored, refinished or replaced. But he didn’t know of a source — and neither did I. Until now.
Thanks to reader TappanTrailerTami, who let us know:
I hate to mention this after-the-fact, but it could be something that Pam can investigate for us, and report on. There is a company in Illinois — Custom Ceramic Coatings — that does actual REAL porcelain enameling (the baked-on kind). I’ve seen them mentioned on a couple of different websites. I don’t know how much the cost is, but I think it would be worth checking out and having the information handy just in case someone here wants to save their current sink. It is my understanding that they are the only company in the country to do real old fashioned authentic fired on porcelain enamel work.
Tami
UPDATE: We subsequently identified a second company — Independence Porcelain — that can do reporcelaining if you have a STEEL base; Custom Ceramic Coatings can do reporcelaining onto steel or cast iron.
And another UPDATE: Antique Baths Sydney (Australia) also has left comments that they do this work on both cast iron and steel substrates. Check out Antique Baths Sydney here. And, see the comments thread in this story for some back and forth with them regarding their shipping costs.
A note on terminology: I have seen the terms “Porcelain Enamel”, “Enamel”, and “Porcelain” each used to describe the top coating that is baked onto metal substrates on bathtubs, sinks and other products. As such, you may see the various terms used interchangeably on this blog by me and by others who are interviewed or commenting. To verify what types of products you have and what they are made of, do your own research including consulting with the original manufacturer or your own professionals.
Understanding potential lead hazards in old porcelain enamel bathtubs and sinks and tile of any age:
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
If you are the owner of an older porcelain enamel bathtub or sinks — or are considering buying one — please see my May 2, 2016 story Understanding potential lead hazards in old porcelain enamel bathtubs and sinks and ceramic tile of any age; this article focuses on raising awareness around three other potential sources of lead dust exposure in your home – old porcelain enamel bathtubs and sinks and ceramic tile of any era — and steps you can take to assess and, if required, address them.
Well, I followed up on Tami’s tip, made a phone call, and yes — Custom Ceramic’s owner John Ballantyne says that, indeed, he does true, old-fashioned re-porcelaining of sinks, tubs, stove parts and even vintage motorcycle parts. He does lots of (all the?) reporcelaining work for companies that take apart and re-manufacture vintage stoves piece by piece, for example.
John says can strip and then re-porcelain onto steel substrates, and usually, onto cast iron, although he tells me there is an issue with cast iron right now:
As I told you on the phone, I have been having some trouble with the thick heavy cast iron pieces since I had to change my porcelain supplier. My old supplier went out of business and we had things matched up pretty good. The stamped steel sinks are no problem. We are working with the porcelain for the cast and it has recently worked out on some pieces that had failed badly for outgassing. Once I try a couple of sinks that have failed and if they work out now, then I will return to doing the heavy cast iron again.
The porcelain re-enameling process is not cheap, because it is time-consuming and requires craftsmanship, materials and the tools and equipment. John explains that porcelain = glass. To re-porcelain a piece, he says, he first must blast away all the old porcelain down to the bare metal. He then applies a “ground coat” — a special primer, more or less — usually two coats, each fired separately. Then, he creates a special chemical mixture of ground glass and other materials — this is called “slip” — and applies thin coats in a wet spray, drying and firing in between. The firing all occurs at up to 1500 degrees F. The “outgassing” he refers to, is when there are problems getting the porcelain coats to adhere to the ground coats during the firing process. Expansion, contraction, chemical formulations — all must be just right or you get bubbles and pocks and flaking or worse.
John can create white porcelain, or color-match to about any color you want. Vibrant reds and yellows are more expensive, he warns, because the formula for these colors use cadmium, an EPA-controlled substance requiring special procedures.
Costs vary according to the piece. John read to me from his rate card: A 42″ sink runs $750-$800, plus shipping. As you can imagine, shipping can be a substantial part of the expense, too. For example, John is in Illinois, just across the border from St. Louis, and one-way shipping to California for a piece sitting in his shop while we talked was looking like $230. He says he works with a special shipper to help get the best cost possible.
That said, remember that it’s probably at least $1,500 for an Elkay Lustertone stainless steel drainboard sink. And I bet if anyone ever started making porcelain drainboard sinks new, they would be in that price range or higher.
A 40″ stovetop, in white, with four burner holes, would be about $335, John said.
He can also do stove grates, with simple single grates starting at $50.50.
Currently, lead times are three-to-four weeks.
John says that he started his business in 1997, after running a large porcelain plant in St. Louis. He got his start when he reporcelained the exhaust pipes on his Harleys.
Links:
- Custom Ceramic Coatings — tell John you heard about him on Retro Renovation!
- Update May 2015: Custom Ceramic’s waiting list is now two to three years long. Yes: Years. If you have a STEEL sink, try the other source have now profiled: Independencc Porcelain Enamel. Their timeline is weeks — but note, they cannot reporcelain cast iron.
- Understanding potential lead hazards in old porcelain enamel bathtubs and sinks and ceramic tile of any age.
- Do you want to buy a drainboard farmhouse style sink — new? There are options! See our complete Farmhouse Drainboard Sink Resource Page here.
Paul says
Here is another company in California that advertises porcelain work. They advertise free return shipping for orders over $150. I have no experience with them so can’t recommend either way.
http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/reporcelain.html
R'Mel says
I wish craftsman took on apprentices like they did in the old days. I would love to learn how to re-enamel appliances. This is my very favorite sink. Americans need to get back to their artisan roots. Everything we buy is from somewhere other than America. If anybody in the Chicago area has this skill that they would like to share with me I’d be very eager to learn this valuable skill!
Lisa says
Pam and friends:
Does anyone know if it’s possible to remove the glaze from a re-glazed tub or toilet fixture? A previous owner of my condo had the blue tub and toilet reglazed with white paint. It was an on-site job because the toilet is still blue inside the bowl. Paint is chipping in the bathtub, so blue is showing through — and this tub rarely gets used. Just an all-around bad job. Are there any options for returning the fixtures to their original color?
Thanks, Lisa
pam kueber says
Lisa: Not an expert on this — best to check if there’s lead in that painted on coating, too — consult with a properly licensed professional….
cheryl m says
I’ll add my recommendation too (belatedly), John recoated my stove grates a couple years ago. Extremely good quality work, they came back looking good as new, and are still perfect after a few years of use.
Robert Fry says
We recently bought a double sink/drainer much like the two at the top of this article, together with its matching steel cabinet, when an old farmhouse near us was being remodeled. Had the cabinet repainted (50’s pink), looks great. Now I am trying to install them in our basement. Trouble is, we bought them already disassembled, and I cannot figure out how they are supposed to be attached to each other. We have some hardware that came with them, little clips with captured nuts that go into square holes in the top of the cabinet, together with matching domehead screws that go into the nuts. Can someone please explain how these are supposed to work, or how best to attach the sink to the cabinet. Many thanks!
pam kueber says
Sorry…. we’ve identified 70+ different brands so far…
Jenny Llakmani says
We just got our double-drainboard sink back from John at Custom Ceramic Coatings. It looks fantastic! We had the metal cabinet base re-powdercoated when we bought our bungalow two years ago, but couldn’t find a place to re-porcelain the sink itself until I found this article. It had been painted over with the DYI stuff, apparently, but was peeling like crazy. Now it is like brand new and John says it should outlast us. I have pics if anyone would like to see. Thank you Retro Renovation!!
Ken Buzzell says
I would love to see pics as I buy and sell vintage sinks. Was your sinka stamped steel (light weight) or cast iron (very heavy)
I have some cool sinks that have a poor finish. I may consider having John do some of these for me.
thank you very much
luckybuzz3@hotmail.com
Ken
Jenny Llakmani says
Ken, ours is steel. My understanding from John is that he still doesn’t have a good way to do the cast iron ones. Something about not being able to use lead in the process anymore. If I can figure out how to post pics here on the site, I will. In the meantime, I’ll email one to you.
ELY says
Jenny,
I would like to see the pics, I’ve got an old drainboard sink that I bought at ReStore and have been keeping in my garage until I find the perfect house to put it in! Thanks
Jenny Llakmani says
I sent Pam some pictures, and I think she’s going to post them.
One thing to keep in mind if you have an old sink or are looking for one — make sure it’s not rusted out around the drain and faucet holes. Ours was OK, but John said he had to make a new plate for another sink where the section around the faucet holes was just crumbling. And if your drain hole is compromised, of course, you won’t get a seal around your drain.
Susie says
Gosh, yet another reason I love living in St. Louis: it’s a real goldmine for lovers of all things mid-century! This story gives me even more hope for the future when I can buy and restore my own little slice of mid-century heaven.
pam kueber says
We talk about this often, Susie — “All the Best Things are in St. Louis”!
Teresa says
We just had our circa 1956 bathtub resurfaced by an East Dallas branch of “Miracle Method”. It is our full bath of the “green tiled” variety and we didn’t want to replace the tub. (our half bath is a saved pink bathroom!)Thanks to this website – we were able to buy matching green tile to replace pieces that had to be removed for a water leak repair job in the wall, and now the tub is resurfaced and it all looks great. The price was very reasonable to have the tub stripped of it’s old finish and reapplied with a new one. (Less than $600). I have before and after pictures if anyone is interested in seeing their work. Miracle Method has branches all over the country.
Diane in Denver says
We used Miracle Method in Denver to GREAT success in renovating our 1936 tubs in two upstairs bathrooms in our vintage home, just a few months ago! These guys were terrific and the result was fantastic. We retained our lovely cast iron (green and citron) tubs with the stepped back side details — but like them SO much better with their new white and biscuit glazes. They now compliment the original wild colorful 1935 tile, which we retained, better than they ever did in the original clashing colors. I have before/after pics if anyone wants to see the result. Totally recommend! And not that expensive!
Also, just two days ago we re-glazed our pinky-brown cast iron tub at our 1959 summer house in Wisconsin. It’s now white and after 31 years living with a pink and pinky-brown bathroom (with BEIGE PLASTIC TILE!) I say it’s a successful mercy killing. Retained cabinetry and the retro vibe but brushed on a fresh coat of paint, new tile & fixtures. We’re lovin’ it and reglazing the tub saved a lot of hassle removing it. No fiberglass for me!
pam kueber says
Ok. But, I don’t believe it will last. Original porcelain enamel coatings are GLASS. Finishes on top of this will not last – they will not endure the water. I’ve never heard of anyone living happily longterm with the paint-on-porcelain.
Diane in CO says
I’ll keep you posted. This was a professionally-applied glaze. Two of these 3 tubs do not receive much use, there being a shower stall as well. At the cottage, we have an outdoor shower too and that’s much more fun! If glazing starts to fail in 10 or 12 years, I would just re-do it. I would never do a sink or toilet in this method however. I’m not home or I would check on what the guarantee says – now I’m curious.
But I’ll report from time to time on how it’s holding up. Looks awesome!
deborah morrissette says
i have had no luck finding this (custom cermic coatings) owner john ballantyue in Illinois. suggested by retro renovation. so far the only place that does re-porcelain or re-emalling listed is in the UK.
a place in the USA would be better.
pam kueber says
Deborah — the link to his website is right there, at the end of the story….
Dave S. says
Although Custom Ceramic still advertises this service, after calls and emails for a month, I have not received any response. Perhaps no longer interested in providing service?
Andrew says
What is the difference between this process and what they do when they come and “resurface” a cast iron bathtub for example. I am in the process of purchasing a home that has an old farm style sink and a bathtub, both sea foam green and cast iron I believe, that I want to use in the remodel. I’m just not crazy about the color.
pam kueber says
Andrew — Read the description of re-porcelaining in the story, it’s underneath the fourth photo. Porcelain = glass. Resurfacing at home = fancy paint.
Ken Buzzell says
I met John via phone about 8 years ago. I know some vintage stove refurbishers that use his services and have no issues, though I have yet to have anything done myself.
Consumers need to beware or terminology. John and whom ever does/did real porcelain is doing it with a furnace fired glass not a baked on paint.
I sell a lot old vintage real porcelain original finish sinks. I see and hear about many refinished sinks. I have never found anyone that was satisfied with a refinished sink i.e. epoxy, powder coated, baked enamel etc. They look great when you see them first done.
Nothing compares to real furnace fired porcelain.
Ken @ GrampasAntiqueKitchen