The 'Old-Fashioned' Sink & Faucet We Picked for Poplar

THE POPLAR COTTAGE

We’re inching closer to the finished Poplar Cottage kitchen (but not without one big twist first…more on that soon!). And today I wanted to share the unlacquered brass faucet and cast iron sink we picked out. Those aren’t exactly the most modern materials when it comes to sinks and faucets, so I’m walking you through the ‘why’ behind our choices.

sink, faucet, light, hardware, plate rack, cabinet color, dishwasher, countertops

If you’ve been following our projects for long, you probably aren’t surprised I opted for an unlacquered brass faucet. It’s my go-to metal finish for cabinet hardware these days. But this is the first unlacquered brass faucet I’ve purchased and I was excited but apprehensive, so did a little research first. Let’s get into it…

What is unlacquered brass

Unlacquered means the brass is unfinished. Sometimes called a ‘living finish’ or ‘raw finish’, unlacquered brass will age and patina over time due to exposure from air, water, our hands, etc… Personally I love the natural look of this finish and the warmth it adds to spaces. And better yet, it should develop with age!

psst: you can see what unlacquered brass looks like as it ages here.

How do you care for unlacquered brass faucets?

An unlacquered brass faucet can be pretty low maintenance, too. According to Martha, you can wash these faucets like any other - with dish soap and water. And buff it with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. And if you want to return the unlacquered brass to a more untarnished state, you can do so with brass polish…at least while it’s new. The longer it ages, the less the brass polish will do.

We’re planning to let our faucet age naturally, and I can’t wait to watch it!

Where can you buy unlacquered brass faucets?

I found our faucet on eBay awhile back and of course it’s sold out. Here’s the link with the details in case you can find a different seller.

I also wanted to share a few other unlacquered brass faucets I considered. These are all from etsy and priced reasonably (holy moly faucets can get spendy!). I’ve never bought from these sellers, so don’t have first-hand feedback, but the reviews look good. UPDATE: check out the comments for some feedback from people who have actually ordered from these sellers.

sources: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right

Alright, let’s move on to the sink…

Funny story…this is actually the third sink I bought for this space. The first one was a quartz sink, which is a material we’ve never used before (besides these countertops). And I hated the feel of it. It just seemed too matte and too man-made. So then I went for this cast iron sink. The first one arrived chipped. So we ordered a second, and voila!

What is cast iron?

Cast iron sinks are made of iron alloy (just like the cooking pans) and coated in porcelain enamel. It’s fired at a really hot temperature giving the sink the glossy finish. Cast iron is durable, resistant to staining, easy to clean, and made to last generations.

Why we picked cast iron

After the debacle with the quartz sink, we were open to a cast iron or fireclay sink. The deciding factor for us ended up being availability - finding an undermount sink without an apron-front that was 24-28” wide proved difficult. A few other things we like about cast iron…

First of all, did I mention that cast iron is really durable? I can’t help think about the many cast iron tubs we’ve come across in our old houses that are 100+ years-old and in great shape.

We also like that Kohler’s enameled cast iron sinks are made in the USA (in Kohler, Wisconsin), have at least 80% recycled material in them, and come with a lifetime warranty. Not trying to give a sales pitch, just like those business practices.

Cast iron is also resistant to staining. If I have one gripe about our fireclay sink, it’s that it always seems to be getting stains. Don’t get me wrong, I would have totally used a fireclay sink again, but the stains are annoying.

One negative to cast iron is the weight. These suckers are heavy! It was a chore installing it and had to be supported from underneath. Totally worth it in my book, but be forewarned, you need at least 2 people to install one of these.

Here’s a link to our sink:

our cast iron sink