# Wood kitchen sink- Can it be done?



## StumpyNubs

I have made my mind up. As part of my complete kitchen remodel, I am making a wood kitchen sink. I know it's possible because I've seen some websites selling beautiful wooden sinks for the bathroom, even bath tubs. So there's no reason to believe the idea couldn't be applied to a kitchen sink.

My idea is a farmhouse style with two basins. I haven't decided on the wood, which is why I am posting this thread. The sinks I've seen are made of teak. But I want something more interesting. I know some types of wood are water resistant and even resist bacteria, like teak and paduk. But does the type of wood make as much of a difference as the type of finish?

And what kind of finish would that be? It would have to withstand not only water, but spills of kitchen messes like hot grease, all while making the seams water tight.

Any ideas?


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## Karson

Jim Here is a web site on wooden Kitchen sinks.

And here is a post on woodweb.


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## twissty

Maybe something like a marine epoxy to coat all sides of the wood.
You could even add a layer of fiberglass cloth and clearcoat it with epoxy. The final product would be as tough as an acrylic or fiberglass sink. and pretty much maintenance free


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## WoodLe

2nd what* twissty* said. Fiberglass cloth and epoxy are wonderful products. It's what I used on my wood strip canoe that I have listed in 'my projects'. Totally waterproof.


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## Dark_Lightning

Solutions so far seem to rely on the wood for the structure only. Is that what you are after?

I'd personally rely on a ceramic finish, which, for me, means cast iron or fiberglass. But that's up to you.


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## grizzman

well jack i think he wants to see the wood…wouldn't your idea cover up the wood…i didnt know there were such things as wooden sinks…this will be interesting to see come about…good luck…grizzman


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## StumpyNubs

I don't want to cover the wood with anything, that would defeat the purpose. I suppose fiberglass could go on the underside, but I don't think there would be any need for something to reinforce or strengthen it, wood should be quite strong.

The issue is a durable finish that will withstand a beating as well as cooking spills and stay looking good.


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## secureplay

You might want to look at woods used for boats - same problem, just keeping the water "in" instead of "out".


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## woodspark

Firstly you want a very stable wood which is why teak is a good choice. A penetrating epoxy like WEST will make for a dueable finish.

I couldn't(wouldn't?) afford teak and didn't feel like the sticky stuff. My double sink is made from selected old growth tightly grained quartersawn PINE! I oiled the hell out of it with boiled linseed oil. It must be soaked right through! The whole thing is experimental but so far it is doing well. I used a waterproof polyurethane glue for the laminations, it was built in layers to get large rounded corners. Resorcinol glue would be excellent as well, didn't have any at the time.


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## a1Jim

I would suggest Epi it will hold up to water with out a finish and is very hard it's even fire rated.


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## JasonWagner

*correction* - Ipe

You can coat with fiberglass and still see through right?


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## WoodLe

Jim, If you're not familiar with fiberglass cloth and epoxy, look at how to make wood strip canoes. Looks just like varnish with beautiful wood showing through!


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## StumpyNubs

Div- you have actually made a sink from wood? Is it used in the kitchen?

I know teak will work, but price is always an issue. Plus, I really want something unique, perhaps an exotic like zebrawood. I wonder if you could build the sink out of a hardwood like maple, or even a softwood like pine and laminate 1/4" thick "veneer" over it with a much more expensive, more beautiful wood? If it's all coated with a sealer, should't it work?


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## StumpyNubs

WoodLE- I am not familliar with the fiberglass process for kayaks. Does it leave a smooth, clear surface like a glossy finish would or does it look like the wood is covered with fiberglass?


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## alba

Jim, there is another way using resins, thin like CA. Using a vacuum pump. If you get extremely dry wood Zebrano is good. The vacuum pulls out the air from the wood then the resin gets in. I think it is also called stabilised wood. What is nice about this method is that you can have a mat finish. 
jamie


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## a1Jim

Thanks Jason I guess my dyslexia kicked in. It is Ipe a common deck material .

http://www.woodsthebest.com/ipe_decking/ipe-wood.htm


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## sras

Jim - to address your question about fiberglass covering wood, it can be absolutely transparent. A fiberglass covering can also be rock hard and very durable.

It does take some skill and practice to get a truly transparent covering. You also need the correct materials - the right fiberglass cloth and epoxy. You also would need to use a UV blocking varnish to prevent the epoxy form discoloring over time (if exposed to UV). Rob Macks at Laughing Loon has an excellent tutorial on transparent layups.

As to the best techniques for wood sinks, I would suggest you look into the links that Karson offered up in the first comment. I have not checked them out, but before I jumped to boatbuilding methods, I would see what sink builders do.


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## terrilynne

CapitanAhab a fellow LJer has a cherry wood sink and counter top in his projects. You may be able to get some good advice from him.


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## shipwright

I've done wooden water tanks, fuel tanks and even a wooden bathtub in boats I've built, and all of them were lined with 6 oz. 'glass cloth and epoxy. I also use it on exterior bright finish hardwood plywood areas, like cabinsides (see "Friendship", my projects). It comes up dead clear and hard as nails. the wood underneath is of no consequence as it never sees moisture. If you have rounded inside corners, however the cloth can be a challenge. If you don't want to use cloth there is an epoxy sealer that is so thin it will go anywhere that diesel will go. It's also foodsafe. It penetrates deeply and hardens well. It is an Industrial Formulators of Canada product called S1 Sealer. They were bought out by System Three several years ago and I'm pretty sure that System Three carries the product. I'm just not sure that they call it S1.


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## childress

The easiest way is to use *Japanese Hinoki* as seen in these bathtubs

You don't have to put any finish on them and they will last a very long time. most likely longer than you!

The only problem is that you can't get hinoki here, so…... you can use *Port Orford Cedar* instead. It's almost identical to hinoki with the only exception is that it grows in NW US. Mainly Oregon and Washington.

Also, it is a little on the soft side and will most likely get beat up being used as a kitchen sink. Just thought I would give you one more thing to think about that wasn't already posted.

Good Luck and keep us informed!


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## Holbs

Stumpy… did you ever go through with this? One of my 'want to do' remodels this coming year will be considering wooden kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower slats, and/or wooden bathtub.


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## JPGeorge

Hello, I know this topis was discussed six years ago, however I was wandering whether you pine kitchen sink is still OK. I've been getting ready for a similar job. Any feedback much appreciated.



> Firstly you want a very stable wood which is why teak is a good choice. A penetrating epoxy like WEST will make for a dueable finish.
> 
> I couldn t(wouldn t?) afford teak and didn t feel like the sticky stuff. My double sink is made from selected old growth tightly grained quartersawn PINE! I oiled the hell out of it with boiled linseed oil. It must be soaked right through! The whole thing is experimental but so far it is doing well. I used a waterproof polyurethane glue for the laminations, it was built in layers to get large rounded corners. Resorcinol glue would be excellent as well, didn t have any at the time.
> 
> - Div





> Firstly you want a very stable wood which is why teak is a good choice. A penetrating epoxy like WEST will make for a dueable finish.
> 
> I couldn t(wouldn t?) afford teak and didn t feel like the sticky stuff. My double sink is made from selected old growth tightly grained quartersawn PINE! I oiled the hell out of it with boiled linseed oil. It must be soaked right through! The whole thing is experimental but so far it is doing well. I used a waterproof polyurethane glue for the laminations, it was built in layers to get large rounded corners. Resorcinol glue would be excellent as well, didn t have any at the time.
> 
> - Div


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## dhazelton

I would investigate also having a one piece sheet copper or lead (terne?) pan made to go UNDER whatever you do in wood as a failsafe. Could even be just sheet pvc solvent welded together to form a leak free pan.


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## dubois

I had a wooden sink carved from a single piece. It lasted about 5 years


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## BillWhite

Vacuum! Get film finish on the inside of a sink an it is gonna get the snot beat out of it. Get the finish INSIDE THE WOOD.
Bill


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