Landing on our story about a house with six – yes, 6 — colorful vintage bathrooms, Staci wrote to ask:
Q: Where can we buy a vintage sink with the towel racks? We just bought an midcentury modern ranch and have to have the sink! TIA.
Answer: Where to find integral towel bars for your vintage bathroom sink
Sinks with the chrome legs and integral towel bars can be difficult to find — much more difficult than finding just the sink. I often see sinks at my ReStore Habitat for Humanity, but almost never with the legs or towel bars. Perhaps the old chromed items are just too beat up? Pitted or rusted? Or, just discarded in the hustle and rush of demolition.
That said, here are some ideas starting with those that would likely be least expensive:
- Get to know your neighbors — are they renovating? Maybe they have one they will give you.
- Scan craigslist like a maniac. This is probably your best bet.
- Put an ad in the “wanted” section of craigslist.
- Put an ad in the “wanted” section of your local newspaper, especially if it’s super local. This is how I found my sink with original legs, towel bars and faucet some 15 years ago. A woman in the next town over had it in her basement. We hauled it right into the back seat of my car. It cost me $65.
- Scour the ReStore regularly — maybe you can make friends with the management and they’ll watch for you?
- Ebay is always worth checking, especially for the legs and towel bars. Shipping a vintage sink is going to be expensive.
- Check salvage places in your local area. For an entire sink, the closer to home the less the cost — these things are heavy as well as fragile, and shipping will be a bear.
- Check salvage places further afar. Many have online shops and if you’re looking for something very specific I’d also call. One of our favorites is deabath.com.
- Buy new: Waterworks has this set of legs + towel bars, they ain’t cheap, and they don’t include the sink. These do come closest to the original midcentury look, though, and any other present manufacturer that I know of.
- Buy old beat-up and have the legs and towel bars rechromed professionally. I’m putting this last on the list, because I recall being told by readers that getting real re-chroming done is wicked expensive.
Where to buy new chrome sink legs:
You can buy just legs at a few places new today including deabath.com — go for the “Deco” style at the bottom of the page. Deabath also has sinks, and you could ask them to watch for a vintage set of legs and towel bars.
You can also find them on Amazon – Lasco is the brand, you shop elsewhere too. Also check Franklin Brass (Amazon links earn me a commission if you buy). Note, I don’t know how these compare in terms of “heft” to the vintage originals, but I will say: The vintage originals are pretty darned hefty, in my experience.
More research on where to find bathroom sinks for a midcentury home:
- See all my research on possible bathroom sink ideas in the Bathroom Help / sinks subcategory here.
Finally: Please note that old materials and products may contain hazards, so consult with pros to know what you are dealing with so that you can make informed decisions. For more info see our Be Safe / Renovate Safe page.
Stef says
Well, if Staci just happens to me in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, this was just posted this morning
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/zip/d/free-75-yr-old-plus-retro/6393000533.html
I would have picked it up myself, but my ranch has an original vanity in the bathroom I’m going to leave in place.
Ann says
I was getting ready to gut our main bath in the 1860 civil war house that was last renovated in 1950. We have the Crane Drexel Jade green toilet and tub, but my MIL had replaced the sink in the 80’s with an ugly pedestal style mint green fixture. Luckily, they left the old crane sink chrome legs and towel bars that mount to the tile wall behind the sink. I removed them a couple of years ago and threw them in the closet. Since the county has adjusted our assessment down and doubled our tax per 1000, we have decided not to renovate any further, and to just “touch up” whatever we can at the least possible dollar investment. So, that meant, I should search for a matching sink. I found one immediately on ebay, and paid 1$ over the opening bid. It shipped for $40. Not too much of an investment, but I am now researching plumbing it, and hoping that wont be the end of a 30+ years of renovating marriage!
Traci Joy says
This seems like a good opportunity to share my glee over my best score ever: someone in my neighborhood put an early 1950s (it’s stamped but don’t remember off the top of my heard) Crane Diana sink, with the chrome legs and towel bars, in a “free” pile in their driveway. (It looks just like this one, same color even: https://deabath.com/Original/Or_whs1/WHS110700L.jpg .) It’s in perfect condition. Now to find the time to install it….
Susan Clay says
Wow! We had that exact sink in white, in my childhood home in Ohio. We had yellow tile and gray floor. Very cool! My parents remodeled in the seventies and went with a bicentennial red white and blue.
Suzy says
Also … I have used uship.com a lot to get things moved .. 1965 GE refrigerator from Denver to Phx .. 6′ Double drainboard cast iron sink from Albuquerque to Phx and 1964 Tappan double oven from Austin to Phx … Easiest & most reasonable way to ship. That being said I have 2 vintage sinks (mint green & gray) also a massive sectional sofa posted on Phoenix craigslist.
Suzy says
I got a very nice Eljer 3 piece (tub, toilet & sink) 1956 peachy/pink set set for $100 on CL .. the seller even delivered from 90 miles away .. He also brought me all of the fixtures, the faucets, the tub shower doors and a grey sink that has the leg holes which I don’t need. I also check demo materials on CL and if I see a house in an older neighborhood being demo’d I stop and ask for stuff!! I even got diamond pane steel casement windows that way.
David in Marietta says
In response to Lisa I believe it takes perseverance. I have been able to get some building materials from homes to be renovated/demoed simply by staying on the realtor and leaving my name. Many times my segway is saying I wanted to buy some flowers, then “Oh by the way”. And in response to Suzy I have gotten some tongue and grove paneling,kool light fixtures and daffodils free from one house. Bought some neat bullet outdoor lights cheap from another.
Lisa Compo says
Although it has never gotten me anything yet, I still search the real estate listings and look for homes that have original fixtures. I contact the listing agent and give my info in case the buyer does a remodel. I have even sent hand written letters to a few. Someone in my neighborhood has a bunch of breezeblocks I really want….I left 2 notes for them, but it looks like they are keeping them in place.
I always wonder if people actually kept the stuff or just didn’t feel like fooling with me. Hahaha
Sam R says
I really wish someone would make these in stainless steel instead of chrome over brass or steel. My basement is fairly humid, and the 63 year old original legs/towel bars on my basement sink are pretty corroded from it. The sink is also incredibly rusty, but I have a really nice all-porcelain vintage wall-hanging sink to replace it.
Mary S says
More ideas, volunteer at your local Habitat Store routinely. Good for your scouting and good for humanity and your heart. Be sure to look in the attic of your house, basement, crawl space, any deep storage area. There’s a set of chrome legs in an attic near my house but they will stay there for now. On our local CL I look under vintage materials to find demolition. I found my double sink, double drain board there very inexpensively a few years ago.
Erik in Minneapolis says
The article didn’t mention the color being sought but here is a pink sink with towel bars and legs near me.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/hsh/d/vintage-retro-bathroom-sink/6365628803.html
Also, new hex chrome plated lavatory legs are readily available and very reasonable:
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1228&bih=702&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=0tsEWtTAK4zEjwT8q57oBQ&q=lavatory+legs&oq=lavatory+legs&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i24k1l3.2815.4881.0.5281.9.9.0.0.0.0.230.1081.0j4j2.6.0….0…1.1.64.psy-ab..3.5.933…0i7i30k1j0i13k1.0.XyLb490567g#imgrc=_
https://www.google.com/search?q=lavatory+legs&tbm=shop&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi9-IqdyrLXAhUjxoMKHd6DDhIQ_AUICigB&biw=1228&bih=702&dpr=1
Pam Kueber says
Thanks, Eric, I added some of those products to the story!