The laundry room cast iron sink base is up next on the project list. We have been trying to finish the downstairs before moving on to the upstairs. So now with the daunting kitchen project complete and the living room pretty much complete (I just need to touch up a little paint), it’s the laundry rooms turn for some extra attention.
Since we moved in about seven years ago now I have envisioned an old cast iron sink for this space. I looked at salvage yards and I’ve kept an eye on marketplace with no luck. Until one day about two months ago now I caught a post on marketplace within the first 5 minutes.
It was not clearly labeled at all. I think it said something like Free old sinks. The first sink was your average bathroom sink, but the second sink made my heart stop. Without a second thought I messaged this person saying I would pick it up as soon as humanly possible.
It was the easiest marketplace pickup I’ve ever had. Only maybe 10 minutes down the road, and they had left it outside of this old home that is now converted into apartments. My husband backed the truck into the driveway, and we used all the muscle we had to get this beast into the back of the truck. I messaged them that we had picked it up, and we were on our merry way. One beautiful cast iron sink richer. Patience really pays off.
Building the Cast Iron Sink Base
Then came the fun part of building the cast iron sink base. I wanted it to be pretty rustic. I looked at a few others online and started measuring and drawing up what I wanted to build for this base.
I started by measuring the sink itself. Then I took 3/4 of an inch off either side since I don’t want much of a gap showing, but I needed to accommodate the radius on the front corners. I took an inch off of the depth. I would definitely draw out your plan before cutting anything. Doesn’t necessarily need to be to scale. If you want a better idea of what your finished base would look like then by all means draw it to scale.
We are lucky enough to have a barn full of old wood. I found these pieces in our barn wood stash to use for this project. Again for free. I still can not believe I managed to get this sink for free. The only thing we had to spend money on was plumbing. You may be lucky enough not to have to mess with plumbing, we had to move ours about 16″ from the previous location.
First I cut the top boards and screwed them together with finishing screws. I love finishing screws for projects where I don’t really want to see the screw heads. As much as I want things to look rustic I do not want big screw heads to take my focus away from this beautiful old barn wood.
Once the top was together I cut the four legs, and attached those with regular old drywall screws. Since I screwed them in from the sides I knew I wouldn’t see these screw heads. The sink base will be between a taller counter on the left hand side and a wall on the right side.
I plan on attaching a dowel to the back of the top board to use for a curtain rod. This will help hide the plumbing and not so pretty things I plan on hiding under here (like dog food and kitty litter box)
Building the Cast Iron Sink Base Step By Step
*This is what I did, and what worked for me and our sink/house. Do not take this as professional advice. Make sure to do your own research before hand.
- Measure your cast iron sink
- Draw your sink base, accommodate for curved edges by bringing in an inch or so on either side
- Purchase wood for sink base (if you are using what you have I would do this part first so you can take those measurements into account when drawing)
- Cut boards down to size
- Screw top boards together with finishing screws
- Screw legs in, and add recommended supports to either side
- Clean sink before install with plastic scraper, and diluted vinegar spray with lemon essential oil
- When install screw the top board to studs in the wall for extra support
Installing the Cast Iron Sink Base
We made sure to attach the back top board of the sink base to the wall studs to add more support and sturdiness. Once we went to install it we did add boards on either side between the legs as you can see below. This helped keep the legs in the right spot. They were wanting to go all wonky, and we wanted to make sure this cast iron sink base is going to be nice and sturdy for years to come.
So in hindsight I would advise on doing at least 2 cross pieces on either side to help give that extra support. I had seen others do a shelf at the bottom but I really wanted it to be open underneath so we could store our pet food here, and the kitty litter box. If you want to add a shelf that would help keep the legs sturdy, it all depends on your plans for this storage area.
Also while giving advice. If your sink has some gunk and paint stuck to it like mine did I would clean those edges as much as possible before installing it. I imagine once it is against the walls it would be way harder to get all that gunk off. I’m glad I was able to do that with the sink outside and before it was right against my pretty bead board walls. I just used a plastic scraper and spray bottle with good old vinegar, water and lemon essential oil and she came so clean.
Laundry Room Reveal Coming Soon
I just realized that I have not shared my design plan for the laundry room yet. So I will be sharing that, and some more projects as I work through this big project. This little space is packed full of important zones that need to work optimally for our family. So I will be taking you through the process.
If you like old cast iron fixtures then feel free to take a look at our small bathroom reveal here. I share how I acquired those cast iron pieces and made this space over on a tight budget. We also recently finished our kitchen which you can check out here. If you are looking for help designing your own space you can find information on my ebook here. Stay tuned for the laundry room reveal. Thank you for visiting our old farmhouse!