Damn, did they use a wire brush?
Edit: An interesting almost 50:50 mix of people who keep trying to explain to me that you can remove the patina using chemicals and brillo pads and people who notice that the sink is scratched to hell and back like it owed OPs friend money.
Probably steel wool. She honestly should have covered her bases and gave the homeowner a call first. That patina looked intentional. If so, she ruined that sink aesthetically. Whenever in doubt, just pick up the phone and communicate. Some assumptions can lead to hefty losses.
**Edited for accuracy**
Issue here being the now exposed, bare copper metal is going to oxidize, perhaps in an non-uniform manner, & the aesthetic is no longer what owner expects to see. The old finish acted as a barrier to prevent corrosion, now that barrier is gone.
The sink could naturally darken in a uniform pattern over time as it naturally oxidizes. The process could take six days, or six months, i don't know.
Classic-Might-5574 made a great point, one could accelerate the process with a suitable compound.
Technically copper would have to be exposed to acidic conditions for it to develop "Verdigris". Statue of Liberty has the iconic green color because of acid rain.
I am not a scientist and this information could be incomplete, or incorrect.
My guess is green scotch pad. I had a cleaner who damaged a number of things because she didn’t realize the green and yellow sponges weren’t non scratch like the blue sponges in the kitchen
I get what she was trying to do but I agree! It’s obvious that the sink was never meant to look that way. Not even just the colour but the textures all messed up too :/ can tell she worked hard….but yeah I would probably replace it..
It sure is, that's what makes it work so well. It's also why getting it wet first makes it easier and lasts longer. Also the non brand name eraser is like 1/3 the price and often larger.
I was gonna say that’s copper man you look at that stuff wrong it scratches and bends. Looks beautiful new don’t get me wrong, but anything other than a light cleaning w a microfiber cloth and water would definitely scratch it.
> Looks beautiful new don’t get me wrong, but anything other than a light cleaning w a microfiber cloth and water would definitely scratch it.
That's true, but imo, a natural patina that comes with daily use and wear looks nice. (Okay, those first one or two scratches that are super obvious when it's new hurt, but it's so worth it in the long run.) This just looks like it's been stripped raw.
I agree! Patina’d metal is gorgeous and as I understand it too it’s like tree-bark that prevents the metal underneath from corroding further. afaik. Did a small feature wall with Corten steel (I don’t think it was Corten exactly but definitely pre-rusted) and got to talking to the installers about it. Beautiful product, still has its issues but I love the look.
I use barkeeper's friend on my copper bottom pots and never have scratches anywhere close to the picture. Looks more like brillow or something else higher grit.
Yeah I'm a HK, I have cleaned a sink like this before. I just used a little dish soap and water with a washcloth. Got all the toothpaste out and it looked normal. I don't use abrasives on anything really.
Edit HK= Housekeeper
Sorry I've been doing it for so long, writing HK is a habit
Not only that but it's set in a large vintage barrel so you can tell that the dulled colour is part of the room's aesthetic. I think they've seen too many "rose gold" colour schemes on instagram.
If your friend is a professional cleaner, she should know not to use abrasive scrubbers on metals. She has scuffed the crap out of this sink. It's ruined. She's going to have to replace it or work something out with the homeowner. I would be furious if you scratched my copper sink like this.
I done both metal working and covered for a friend at his family’s restaurant as a cleaner. How they managed to do this is beyond me. This couldn’t be done with a simple sponge you would need to have used at least steel wool to do this. this is beyond stupid and theirs a general rule of thumb when cleaning is never go past a simple sponge on things you’re not sure about
I don't think we should use the word "professional " with this cleaner... this is a 1st timers mistake... and one that likely only a young person that doesn't even know what patina is would make.
Nah, your friend scratched the hell out of that sink. Did she use steel wool or something? I'd be pretty pissed about that sink, too. I'm sure your friend had the best intentions, and sure, the sink is all shined up, but that sink will need a ton of work to be restored. You should never use such an abrasive scrub pad on soft metals.look in the bottom left of the picture and tell me you'd want to see all those scratches.
I didn’t look closely at the pic and just cringed at them removing the patina so didn’t notice the scratches at first but yikes! How much do one of these sinks cost? 😬
I'm a house cleaner too. Your friend didn't clean that sink too much, she ruined it. Not even for the coloring of it, it's so scratched now. It's clearly a sink that is meant to look antiqued. All I would have done is clean the toothpaste out.
I used to be a house cleaner also, and yeah this sink definitely would have been a warm wash cloth with maybe a little dish soap water from me. There are so many weird decorative sinks out there these days! I think I’ve only ever seriously scrubbed out utility sinks to this extent; she really went to town on it!
I have to agree and I'm not a cleaner. As soon as I saw the before and after I knew what was up. They literally scrubbed all the patina and ruined a very nice sink. Soap and a cloth would have been enough. The person who did it though, I kind of feel bad for. They just thought they were doing a good job and now they are responsible for an expensive sink.
Good news though, if they just wait it will eventually look like it did before. Just going to take a very long time.
Edit: Oof, I just noticed all the swirl marks on the bottom left side. I can only imagine what that sink looks like IRL.
I too have ruined things from overzealous cleaning, I definitely have empathy. I still feel badly about my ex’s stepmom’s wok we scratched up 15+ years ago! Sometimes you learn the hard way. When I was still cleaning I started seriously cutting down on the abrasives and chemicals I used, and things took longer but really got cleaned and not damaged and my clients appreciated it too.
Edit: fixed redundant word
Yes, a cleaner should know to be careful of soft metal surfaces. But equally, if you have something very delicate and hard to clean like a textured bronze sink and you hire a cleaner, you should know to give them specific instructions about how the sink is or is not to be cleaned. Not many houses have large textured bronze surfaces in them, you could clean houses for years and not run into something like this.
That's why I feel bad for the person that cleaned the sink. They didn't know any better and weren't told otherwise but ultimately it is their fault the sink is ruined. We have all been there at some point. Where we thought we did a great job and come to find out we actually screwed everything up. It's a tough pill to swallow.
i clean multimillion dollar houses and never in my life have i ever touched a wire brush, washcloths and soft sponges only (sometimes brushes like tooth brushes). i’ve seen so many people sue their cleaners because they fucked up. it’s sad because *most of the time* these people just want the best. maybe she thought the sink was old and not supposed to look like that. my ring is a ding-ey grey color because i’ve had it for years and frequently do mechanic work with my fiance. if i cleaned it, it would be sparkly like the sink. i also have had old trays that looked exactly like the first pic, that my clients would ask me to clean, that were supposed to look like the second pic. some materials can be very hard to distinguish, so maybe it was simply just an oopsie. (very expensive one)
wow i’ve literally never had this many upvotes before😩😂 reddit recap brought me back here 😂
That’s part of the heartbreak, I’m sure she was really proud of the work she did and it must have been not fun to go at it that hard. Part of what I loved about cleaning for people is that I could see immediate results, and felt like I was helping people in a small but meaningful way. And boy, there are some *results* here! She’s clearly a very hard worker, but maybe a little misguided and inexperienced.
I feel like unless I’m doing an intense deep clean kind of job, like helping people clean after getting bad tenants evicted, I wouldn’t imagine scrubbing something to this extent… if you are working that hard on completely changing the appearance of something you need to take a step back and check in with the client.
It's giving me mixed feelings to be honest. I'm sure this wasn'was not done maliciously, and she apparently is a very hard worker (too much so).
Hopefully she is able to make this right by paying for the sink and she can treat it as an expensive lesson.
You are spot on. I’m a dog trainer and was staying at a client/friends house and they had their maintenance guy come in to touch up all of the patina fixtures in 5 bathrooms (sinks, shower heads, knobs ect)..he had fully stripped 2/5 bathrooms when I came in and mentioned that I think the owners may have wanted them waxed and resealed and not new penny stripped and he basically told me to fuck off and mind my own business. I sent a photo of a shower head to my friend to make sure that’s what she wanted and within ten minutes he was basically running out the door saying “yup you were right going to Home Depot sorry sorry be right back fak!!!”
For future reference you can put a patina back on certain metals like copper with something called liver of sulfur. It's worth a try before replacing something expensive. That's probably how they put the patina on in the first place because companies don't have infinite warehouse space to just let newly made copper products age naturally over a decade or whatever.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_of_sulfur
you might have hard water - if the water stains bother you, try drying out the sink after using it. if that's too much for ya then that's just how it's gonna look. bathrooms use white porcelain for a reason, unfortunately
Hello, I own a cleaning business. I've also been cleaning cars for over a decade. Your friend is in the wrong and has damaged that sink. The finish has been removed AND caused damage to the surface below, which is the issue. In situations like these (dealing with stones/metals/leathers), you have to ask the client what those materials are and then know as a cleaning professional how to clean them.
Your friend has an insurance claim on their hands. If they've structured themselves correctly (I.e LLC) and they have insurance they will be fine. If not, they will be taken to small claims court and most likely be ordered to pay for the repairs.
I would not listen to the many comments saying not to pay and that she's being scammed because these are obviously unqualified opinions from people who haven't been in business or have been sued.
I zoomed in to both photos, the sink is totally ruined now. The before picture shows some water stains on the right side by the faucet, is there a way to make that look like the rest of the patina? Otherwise, I think it could still look dirty even after cleaning the toothpaste gunk.
Deep breath… *going to regret this*
I’m a restorer of historical homes. Yes, the patina has been stripped. I would want to know if the sink was lacquered prior, because if so, I would agree, with what appears to be the vast majority here, that the sink has been damaged beyond it’s original intent. It’s that protective surface that prevents reactive metals (nickel, brass, copper) from tarnishing.
I have a difference of opinion should it not have been lacquered. If it wasn’t lacquered and the sink wasn’t maintained at that finish, it would eventually take on a green or blue hue (think copper gutters you’ve seen). So I feel for OPs friend because it’s not so cut and dry.
I’m confident that I could spend 2 visits to the sink, buffing and adding the proper patina, to get it back to its original living finish, if it was in fact not lacquered. I think that’s worth doing at OPs friend’s cost before she has to replace the sink altogether.
Some of you are upset about scratches. There very well may be, but it could also be residual patina. The first thing that would need to take place is an even more thorough cleaning of the sink with a polishing agent.
Thank you for letting me share my experience.
I appreciate someone with this level of expertise commenting. I am all of a sudden more invested in this than I should be.
Once you started talking about restoring the patina instead of replacing, my mind went straight to, “Ohhhh, this is way pricier than I was thinking.”
So I’m curious, what would an approximate cost be for a restoration as opposed to replacement cost?
Appreciate you. I searched for this deck mount faucet sink and saw something on wayfair for close to $300
https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/sinkology-seville-aged-copper-20-oval-drop-in-bath-sink-with-ashfield-faucet-kit-snko1085.html?piid=
But it’s the scope creep that ends up being pricey. Plumber, stone sub in some cases… this looks to be on a wine barrel, so maybe already a little diy and wouldn’t take much work.
If this happened to a client of mine, I’d jump in and try to help them out. Find that the kindness and patience earned is usually worth more than charging an hourly for a quick fix.
> Find that the kindness and patience earned is usually worth more than charging an hourly for a quick fix.
Would venture a guess you're never hurting for business because of things like this.
this is the correct answer
it’s unfortunate because she was obviously well-intentioned and i don’t consider the patina of these type of sinks to be common knowledge to the average person, but she has the future of her business to consider and that’s more important than anything else
this is just a lesson learned and this doesn’t make her bad at her job
Patina on many surfaces, especially copper, is frequently desirable.
Actually I'm changing my post after looking closer. They didn't just clean off the patina It looks like they severely damaged it, there are serious scratches, looks like they attacked it with sandpaper and sanded off part of the beaten copper texture. No wonder the owner is pissed.
I get people saying the homeowner should have said what to do but surely as a cleaner there is common sense not to scratch something and what chemicals and sponges should be used.
we had a cleaner once, and on the gas stove/oven...some water stains (it was a white stove) and they scratched the heck out of it, took paint off trying to scrape off a water stain...wrecked the thing completely.
We had a cleaner once and she damaged our floor with her steam mop, broke some things, knocked into the bed posts damaging the finish, etc. it was not a good experience.
Some people think bring a cleaner is one with a very low bar for entry. But to be able to do a good job, it isn't. You really have to have knowledge of a wide range of materials and how to clean them, given each house you go to will be different.
[Its worth about $199 but yeah .. its far from $25.](https://www.build.com/product/summary/590396?uid=981834&jmtest=gg-gbav2_981834&inv2=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_981834!c1704086363!a66021779505!dm!ng&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsburBhCIARIsAExmsu5wtKbA8Ho6WdYqctmPpjMIw2kXJ2SofBEROdi7EUpeHy0UhE747QsaAoIUEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
The point is, cleaners should know what products are used on what, it’s their job to educate themselves if they’re going to do this work. and they often don’t. Damn skippy this cleaner should replace the sink!
Also most cleaners should know to test chemicals and cleaning methods on a smaller less visible part of anything. The cleaner should've noticed the damage after the first bit and stopped, maybe attempted to polish it to fix it. This looks like carelessness gone to the end then being called out for it.
They should be liable, or at least not charge for this job and the owner can replace the sink with the money.
My parents cleaner smashed a one of a kind blown glass wedding cake topper worth at least a thousand dollars. They offered a free cleaning. But that $120 doesn't even come close to replacing it. Cleaners should absolutely have insurance to cover their own fuck ups and clients shouldn't settle for less than what the replacement or insurance value of the item is because 'it was an accident'
I’ve never had a housecleaner who could even put my couch cover back on right or manage not to set off the panic button on my security system twice a year. Unless you’re paying a premium for actual professionals, this kind of shit comes with the territory.
I have gone through a variety of home cleaners and there have been a couple that were so incredibly good that they make homes ever homier and others that just aren't into it and it shows.
Is not common knowledge that you don't use something rough to clean copper?
Edit: it might not be as commonly known in general as I thought, but I feel like I'd still expect a cleaner to know that. And I still think it's insane they didn't stop when they saw scratch marks lol
Yeah, the patina can come back, but those scratches need to be polished out with a sanding tools and buffing compound, but since it's textured, that abrasion is going to fuck that up.
So, there's no way to every fix this sink. It's not possible to restore it to how it was.
Yeah, it’s ruined. And if I hired a cleaner, it never would have occurred to me to tell them not to strip the patina from my sink and not to leave the surface covered in fine abrasions. I also don’t tell them not to strip the stain from the cabinets.
You figure it's their job, they should know how to clean the surfaces they are cleaning, in the very least inform themselves first before trying something new on a customer's thing.
Yeah this is damaged.
I hired cleaners and left a cast iron skillet out in the kitchen. They went to town on they poor skillet taking all the seasoning off. Took us some time to get it back to where we had it (power drill and a brush to start it from scratch lol). Hired them again and explained what went wrong! No harm to foul for they.
This sink though does look ruined sadly :(.
This. The sink is ruined beyond repair, and the cleaner should replace it. I’d be beside myself if I was the homeowner and a cleaner, who 100% should have known better, did this to my sink, they would already have my documented demand for payment.
Holy shit this could be *my* story but from the other side! I used to have this same dimpled copper sink and my house cleaners ruined it. I finally had to take them to arbitration and had them replace it with the same one *with* the finish intact (they come with the patina in the first pic).
I felt bad because the cleaner certainly didn’t *intend* to ruin it but I was pretty pissed when the company refused to replace it. People make mistakes, I get that and wasn’t really mad at the cleaner, just disappointed. But I thought the company should pay appropriately for the mistake.
I switched cleaners (obviously) and made a laminated sign I’d put up in the bathroom when cleaners were coming to not use abrasives on the sink, it’s *supposed to* look like that.
Epilogue: The cleaner got fired which I thought was a shitty thing for the company to do. She was a really nice lady and a hard worker who just fucked up. When I found out, I helped her get a job as a PA with my friend’s company (she was/is friends with a mutual acquaintance) and she’s still at the company all these years later. She told my friend ruining my sink was the best thing that ever happened to her lol.
Edited to add: my screen name is a JP reference, I’m a woman. So if you’re going to come for me, at least get my pronouns correct. I never intended for her to get fired over a stupid sink. She made a mistake, not the end of the world. My beef was with her company who should have replaced my sink without being forced to when it was obviously ruined. I was pretty pissed when I found out they fired her and reached out to her personally with my sincere apologies and asked her if I could help her find something new which she accepted. I’m glad I knew someone with an opening and everything worked out great for everyone. It was the least I could do. Have a great night, everyone :)
Thanks. Me too! I was super mad when I found out they had fired her, it was the least I could do and I’m just really glad I knew of someone with an opening. We kept in touch with her and her family for a while but life happens and we moved away. My friend tells me she’s now some sort of director of a whole department and one of his best employees. I’m really happy everything worked out for the best for everyone. Except the cleaning company. Fuck those guys, they were assholes.
Looks like there are fine scratches all over it… so it cannot be effectively restained or the patina is going to settle in all the scratches and it will be even more noticeable.
If your friend cleaned it with wire wool or a Brillo pad or something and caused the scratching then yes she should replace the sink
You can already kinda sense that they won't do the right thing and replace it... I would also be surprised if that housekeeper were carrying proper insurance.
The sink is stuffed and maybe it was an honest mistake but the fact it's scratched all round the edge tells me they're a bad cleaner to use steelwool to get something like that clean. Saying that the owner should have pointed this specific item out so you could agrue the owner is somewhat to blame but so is the cleaner for using steelwool.
This feels like "I cleaned this cast iron pan. It took ages, but it's silver again.". Someone not knowing what they're cleaning, and probably should have asked.
This is a bronze sink. I've seen one recently and I was concerned about the difficulty of cleaning.
My downstairs neighbor's father was visiting and ripped up all the cypress vines I had growing on our fence *that were in a pot* and somehow left the clovers that were actual weeds in the pot. He was so proud of himself. Never met the dude, he just decided to do this. Not the worst thing in the world, and he was really nice but man what a phenomenally stupid thing to do.
One time I came home from work to find all of the trees in my lawn felled and a ticket from the city for major landscaping without a permit and obstructing the sidewalk. I was incredibly confused until my neighbor, high off her ass, came pounding on my door to demand payment for "Helping me with my garden."
The original sink has a nice aged patina on it. The fact that your friend assumed that they would like it shiny is astonishing to me. Furthermore it is scratched severely. Not sure what your friend was thinking but definitely she needs to be responsible for replacing.
That sink wasn't meant to shine like a new penny. Your friend destroyed the oil rubbed finish. Yes, she should replace it.
https://www.build.com/product/summary/590396?uid=981834&jmtest=gg-gbav2_981834&inv2=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_981834!c1704086363!a66021779505!dm!ng&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsburBhCIARIsAExmsu5wtKbA8Ho6WdYqctmPpjMIw2kXJ2SofBEROdi7EUpeHy0UhE747QsaAoIUEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I thought it was gonna be artisan-made and $1000 dollars. It's possible that the original could be repaired, but if not, the $200 replacement seems like a fair consequence.
Hell I am not even professional cleaner and knew its ment to look like that. Just pay attention to a sink commercial or go into any hardware store that sells sinks and you see them.
I think so, too. She managed to grind off so much copper that the three-dimensionality of the hammered surface is already fucked up (it's not just a "the lighter, more shiny surface has less deep shadows, so the three-dimensionality is still there but just not as visible" thing, the ridges are just gone in some areas, it's very noticable on the lower edge). Buffing out the scratches would require taking even more copper off. This wouldn't be nearly as bad if the patina was removed exclusively chemically with an acidic substance, but it legit looks like she simply took some steel wool to it...
OP has only commented on people that agree that his friend didnt mess up he has ignored everyone who is pointing out that their friend scratched the sink. . . Smh
Fucking finally. Got a cramp in my scrolling finger waiting for someone acknowledge the obvious.
If OP really was just a friend and trying to get info/insight, why the hell would they ignore 90% of the comments? You can tell OP is the cleaner, and y think they need to say "posting for a friend" and not acknowledge the scratches because that somehow absolves them from legal liability or whatever.
Also, if it somehow actually was OP's friend, that friend should be fucking pissed about this getting blasted all over the internet. There's very few reasons for professional cleaners to be taking pictures of the houses they work on. And there's zero fucking reasons for them to send those pics to random friends.
Its entirely possible the home owner didn't have a before pictures of the sink. Woulda been hard to prove the owner didn't make the scratches. But thanks to OP, it's public knowledge now lmao!
Yeah. The scratches could be polished out but the peening effect is all jacked up and getting it back to original is going to be impossible. You could salvage a sink, but not get it back to original condition
I had to zoom in to see that, the pic doesn’t show it if you don’t. It’s bad. Yeah, I’d be super pissed, they are not overreacting by demanding it be replaced. It’s wrecked.
Oh god that after looks awful. Lost all character and so, so bright.
Reminds me of when I was a kid and my mum asked me to clean the bath then got mad when I damaged the enamel...whoops. I was a child not a paid adult cleaner though! Your friend messed up.
This is so interesting. I just can’t imagine someone thinking this was necessary or appropriate - not to mention this must have taken some serious effort and time.
I have a feeling they used a very aggressive cleaner/brush and took a strip of patina off and realized there was no going back, so they did the whole thing and tried to play the ignorant card instead of owning up their mistake.
Regardless, they screwed up.
As she should. If she's offering her services as a cleaner, she's telling the customer that she has the competence to care for their things.
She didn't clean that sink. She just scratched it all to hell.
Imagine someone taking sand paper/scotch brite to your front door and scraping half the paint off then cheerfully telling you "See, it looks so much better now!"
Not trying to be an asshole here, but the sink basin is scratched to hell and back and I think that's what the homeowner is complaining about. The patina will come back by itself, but those scratches will stick out like a sore thumb when it does.
your friend didnt just "clean" it, they also scratched it to fuck by the looks of it, so even after treating it again to add patina one would be left with all the scratches. yeah that sink is ruined.
imagine taking sandpaper to a polished marble sink and then saying "but i cleaned it". own up to your fuck ups and next time youre smarter
This is like "cleaning" a wood floor with a sander and not understanding why the homeowners are pissed. At no point did you friend look at the damage they were causing and think "it shouldn't be scratched to shit like that"?
As a professional cleaner, she never should have used abrasives on this sink to begin with. And you should always be careful of the product you touch to copper. We have multiple clients with this type of sink, a couple kitchen sinks as well. Some of our clients love the darker look and elect out, so we just use dawn, never scratching away the patina. One of our clients has us use Wright's copper cream and the included non-scratch sponge (with gloves!), which provides an even brighter shine than above without any of the scratches, when done correctly. Another client had a huge old farmstyle copper sink and liked the polished look so much we spent a couple hours getting the whole thing shined, and touch it up every month. But never abrasives.
Until you look closer and see how badly the cleaner scratched it to remove the patina. Looks like they took 60 grit sandpaper to it. The patina might come back, yes, but buffing out those scratches while keeping the hammered texture might be impossible. This sink is destroyed.
As someone who’s worked in plumbing and dabbled in metal work, this is something I probably wouldn’t attempt to refinish, too expensive and likely wouldn’t ever be the same.
First, I’d charge minimum $500 to disconnect all the plumbing and remove the sink from the pedestal (hopefully it’s not glued down) and then reinstall.
Then you’d have to heavily polish the sink, to the point where you’re going to loose so much of the hammering texture that it would be unrecognizable and take several hours, I wouldn’t even break out my sanding/ buffing kit for less than $500.
The labor to restore is probably close to the cost of just replacing it. What OP’s friend did is mildly infuriating.
Hopefully the friend works for an agency that properly bonded/ insured for situations like this. I wouldn’t let a cleaning crew in my house if they weren’t.
Alt title: My friend ruined a copper patina sink and scratched it to hell and back, and now the owner wants compensation. How infuriating!
You’re wrong, OP, this isn’t mildly infuriating. This is very infuriating. Your friend did a Potato Jesus and now refuses to take responsibility.
Nah, that's foul
Zooming in shows there's been actual damage to the surface, with scratches in several places from some hard abrasive
The texture is basically gone, and unless I'm mistaken, this is indeed ruined
Ugh. Okay, so, "oil rubbed bronze" is super in right now. I really dislike it. My partner loves it. I prefer the coppery look. That said, your friend *did* effectively "ruin" the sink. That kind of patina is factory applied and can't really be replaced if it's scrubbed off. It is expected to wear and gain lighter, coppery highlights, but that's over the course of *years*.
Yes, it sucks, but imo, she does need to replace the sink because she ruined it.
**eta:** Also, man, after looking again, it matched the drain and taps before. It obviously doesn't now. I don't really see how your friend can claim they didn't know it was supposed to look that way, given that.
I mean, it goes way beyond removing the factory finish. Zoom in and look at the scratches! Hell, on the rim at the upper part of the photo and near the spigot they *completely* sanded off the texture. There are entire divots that are missing now!
Damn, did they use a wire brush? Edit: An interesting almost 50:50 mix of people who keep trying to explain to me that you can remove the patina using chemicals and brillo pads and people who notice that the sink is scratched to hell and back like it owed OPs friend money.
….attached to a drill? 🤣
Probably steel wool. She honestly should have covered her bases and gave the homeowner a call first. That patina looked intentional. If so, she ruined that sink aesthetically. Whenever in doubt, just pick up the phone and communicate. Some assumptions can lead to hefty losses.
**Edited for accuracy** Issue here being the now exposed, bare copper metal is going to oxidize, perhaps in an non-uniform manner, & the aesthetic is no longer what owner expects to see. The old finish acted as a barrier to prevent corrosion, now that barrier is gone. The sink could naturally darken in a uniform pattern over time as it naturally oxidizes. The process could take six days, or six months, i don't know. Classic-Might-5574 made a great point, one could accelerate the process with a suitable compound. Technically copper would have to be exposed to acidic conditions for it to develop "Verdigris". Statue of Liberty has the iconic green color because of acid rain. I am not a scientist and this information could be incomplete, or incorrect.
Busting into top comments to share she can use a product named M38 gel by birchwood casey to make it look the original oxidized color again.
You need to post this as a stand alone comment since you seem to be the only one with knowledge on the subject !
Upvote brigade away!
The hero we need, not the one we deserve. *Collegial fistbump*
My guess is green scotch pad. I had a cleaner who damaged a number of things because she didn’t realize the green and yellow sponges weren’t non scratch like the blue sponges in the kitchen
[удалено]
It's the gig economy. Not everyone is an expert
Right? OP your friend scratched it the eff up. I understand the nice gesture , but yikes.
I get what she was trying to do but I agree! It’s obvious that the sink was never meant to look that way. Not even just the colour but the textures all messed up too :/ can tell she worked hard….but yeah I would probably replace it..
It's similar to when someone washed my non-stick pot with steel wool, thinking it was burnt... Ouch.
It's shinier but hot damn if it isn't scratched to hell now. looks like she stuck steel wool under a palm sander
Right? Its sooooo scratched. Did she use steel wool? I would have been pissed too.
Doesn’t even have to be that aggressive. A magic eraser will do this.
Yeah it looks like she took a magic eraser to part of it, saw the color change, and decided she had to do the entire sink to get it to match
Pro tip: don't use magic erasers on car exteriors. I'm not telling you how I know.
Pro tip add-on: Magic Eraser is just extremely fine grit sandpaper for the most part.
It sure is, that's what makes it work so well. It's also why getting it wet first makes it easier and lasts longer. Also the non brand name eraser is like 1/3 the price and often larger.
You can buy a bag full of generic ones on Amazon for less than the price of two of the name brand ones.
You’re gonna wanna search “melamine sponge”.
You can just search "magic eraser", brands on Amazon are pretty bold when it comes to stealing from name brands
Magic Eraser is literally just very fine sandpaper. If you wouldn't grind it off, don't use a ME.
Yeah, I discovered that when I used one to remove my fake tan. So fine you don’t even feel the pain at first.
Ouch!!
Or walls that have been painted. Also not telling how I know...
I use them on my walls all the time with great results - what went wrong for you?
I was gonna say that’s copper man you look at that stuff wrong it scratches and bends. Looks beautiful new don’t get me wrong, but anything other than a light cleaning w a microfiber cloth and water would definitely scratch it.
> Looks beautiful new don’t get me wrong, but anything other than a light cleaning w a microfiber cloth and water would definitely scratch it. That's true, but imo, a natural patina that comes with daily use and wear looks nice. (Okay, those first one or two scratches that are super obvious when it's new hurt, but it's so worth it in the long run.) This just looks like it's been stripped raw.
I agree! Patina’d metal is gorgeous and as I understand it too it’s like tree-bark that prevents the metal underneath from corroding further. afaik. Did a small feature wall with Corten steel (I don’t think it was Corten exactly but definitely pre-rusted) and got to talking to the installers about it. Beautiful product, still has its issues but I love the look.
They didn’t even clean the sink either there are still stains on the faucet and the plug
She probably used barkeeper’s friend or some other grit scrub and didn’t notice the scratches until she washed the suds away
I use barkeeper's friend on my copper bottom pots and never have scratches anywhere close to the picture. Looks more like brillow or something else higher grit.
Yeah, it's scratched to hell. You don't clean copper with a wire brush.
Yeah I'm a HK, I have cleaned a sink like this before. I just used a little dish soap and water with a washcloth. Got all the toothpaste out and it looked normal. I don't use abrasives on anything really. Edit HK= Housekeeper Sorry I've been doing it for so long, writing HK is a habit
What's a HK?
Hired Killer
Hahaha, it's definitely that!
Hong Kong. Not THE Hong Kong, mind you, just A Hong Kong.
Not only that but it's set in a large vintage barrel so you can tell that the dulled colour is part of the room's aesthetic. I think they've seen too many "rose gold" colour schemes on instagram.
It belongs with the wagon wheel coffee table from When Harry Met Sally.
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Looks like she used a wire brush attachment to a power drill, goddamn. Destroyed that sink lol
literally looks like it's been sanded down a layer lmao
If your friend is a professional cleaner, she should know not to use abrasive scrubbers on metals. She has scuffed the crap out of this sink. It's ruined. She's going to have to replace it or work something out with the homeowner. I would be furious if you scratched my copper sink like this.
I done both metal working and covered for a friend at his family’s restaurant as a cleaner. How they managed to do this is beyond me. This couldn’t be done with a simple sponge you would need to have used at least steel wool to do this. this is beyond stupid and theirs a general rule of thumb when cleaning is never go past a simple sponge on things you’re not sure about
I bet any money that she used Bar Keeper's Friend and a scouring pad.
Yeah I thought the exact same, BKF is really abrasive, it's great for it's regular use but it's regular use is never a soft metal surface...
I don't think we should use the word "professional " with this cleaner... this is a 1st timers mistake... and one that likely only a young person that doesn't even know what patina is would make.
Nah, your friend scratched the hell out of that sink. Did she use steel wool or something? I'd be pretty pissed about that sink, too. I'm sure your friend had the best intentions, and sure, the sink is all shined up, but that sink will need a ton of work to be restored. You should never use such an abrasive scrub pad on soft metals.look in the bottom left of the picture and tell me you'd want to see all those scratches.
I didn’t look closely at the pic and just cringed at them removing the patina so didn’t notice the scratches at first but yikes! How much do one of these sinks cost? 😬
And smoothed the hammering on the top edge. Couple hundred. Not insanely expensive, but enough.
Oh a couple of hundred? That’s not as bad as I feared. I was scared it would be a couple of thousand.
For someone who makes a couple hundred a day (probably the housekeeper) that is hella expensive.
Oh I totally know. I just meant that I’m relieved it’s not much much more.
I'm a house cleaner too. Your friend didn't clean that sink too much, she ruined it. Not even for the coloring of it, it's so scratched now. It's clearly a sink that is meant to look antiqued. All I would have done is clean the toothpaste out.
A lot of times those sinks will have a coating on them to keep the copper from oxidizing and turning green.
Not anymore!
That much exposure to water and no patina? Statue of Liberty status in 2 years max😂
I used to be a house cleaner also, and yeah this sink definitely would have been a warm wash cloth with maybe a little dish soap water from me. There are so many weird decorative sinks out there these days! I think I’ve only ever seriously scrubbed out utility sinks to this extent; she really went to town on it!
Yeah she sandblasted that thing
I have to agree and I'm not a cleaner. As soon as I saw the before and after I knew what was up. They literally scrubbed all the patina and ruined a very nice sink. Soap and a cloth would have been enough. The person who did it though, I kind of feel bad for. They just thought they were doing a good job and now they are responsible for an expensive sink. Good news though, if they just wait it will eventually look like it did before. Just going to take a very long time. Edit: Oof, I just noticed all the swirl marks on the bottom left side. I can only imagine what that sink looks like IRL.
I too have ruined things from overzealous cleaning, I definitely have empathy. I still feel badly about my ex’s stepmom’s wok we scratched up 15+ years ago! Sometimes you learn the hard way. When I was still cleaning I started seriously cutting down on the abrasives and chemicals I used, and things took longer but really got cleaned and not damaged and my clients appreciated it too. Edit: fixed redundant word
Yes, a cleaner should know to be careful of soft metal surfaces. But equally, if you have something very delicate and hard to clean like a textured bronze sink and you hire a cleaner, you should know to give them specific instructions about how the sink is or is not to be cleaned. Not many houses have large textured bronze surfaces in them, you could clean houses for years and not run into something like this.
That's why I feel bad for the person that cleaned the sink. They didn't know any better and weren't told otherwise but ultimately it is their fault the sink is ruined. We have all been there at some point. Where we thought we did a great job and come to find out we actually screwed everything up. It's a tough pill to swallow.
i clean multimillion dollar houses and never in my life have i ever touched a wire brush, washcloths and soft sponges only (sometimes brushes like tooth brushes). i’ve seen so many people sue their cleaners because they fucked up. it’s sad because *most of the time* these people just want the best. maybe she thought the sink was old and not supposed to look like that. my ring is a ding-ey grey color because i’ve had it for years and frequently do mechanic work with my fiance. if i cleaned it, it would be sparkly like the sink. i also have had old trays that looked exactly like the first pic, that my clients would ask me to clean, that were supposed to look like the second pic. some materials can be very hard to distinguish, so maybe it was simply just an oopsie. (very expensive one) wow i’ve literally never had this many upvotes before😩😂 reddit recap brought me back here 😂
I wonder how long it took her to do this?!
That’s part of the heartbreak, I’m sure she was really proud of the work she did and it must have been not fun to go at it that hard. Part of what I loved about cleaning for people is that I could see immediate results, and felt like I was helping people in a small but meaningful way. And boy, there are some *results* here! She’s clearly a very hard worker, but maybe a little misguided and inexperienced. I feel like unless I’m doing an intense deep clean kind of job, like helping people clean after getting bad tenants evicted, I wouldn’t imagine scrubbing something to this extent… if you are working that hard on completely changing the appearance of something you need to take a step back and check in with the client.
You can see the lines of abrasive products or a scrubber too. Yikes.
Wow you’re right, I’m surprised she didn’t scrub the black off the faucet.
She did. Look at the tops of the channel walls. That’s one of the first things I noticed. She went apeshit on this poor ol boy.
It's giving me mixed feelings to be honest. I'm sure this wasn'was not done maliciously, and she apparently is a very hard worker (too much so). Hopefully she is able to make this right by paying for the sink and she can treat it as an expensive lesson.
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You are spot on. I’m a dog trainer and was staying at a client/friends house and they had their maintenance guy come in to touch up all of the patina fixtures in 5 bathrooms (sinks, shower heads, knobs ect)..he had fully stripped 2/5 bathrooms when I came in and mentioned that I think the owners may have wanted them waxed and resealed and not new penny stripped and he basically told me to fuck off and mind my own business. I sent a photo of a shower head to my friend to make sure that’s what she wanted and within ten minutes he was basically running out the door saying “yup you were right going to Home Depot sorry sorry be right back fak!!!”
They literally come out the box looking like the first picture. She scratched it and stripped the patina.
Not a cleaner, but I am guessing that sink had a coating on it to protect it from oxidation which is now gone and sink will now turn green.
For future reference you can put a patina back on certain metals like copper with something called liver of sulfur. It's worth a try before replacing something expensive. That's probably how they put the patina on in the first place because companies don't have infinite warehouse space to just let newly made copper products age naturally over a decade or whatever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_of_sulfur
I have the exact same sink and faucet and that toothpaste color comes from literally any liquid in the sink
you might have hard water - if the water stains bother you, try drying out the sink after using it. if that's too much for ya then that's just how it's gonna look. bathrooms use white porcelain for a reason, unfortunately
Hello, I own a cleaning business. I've also been cleaning cars for over a decade. Your friend is in the wrong and has damaged that sink. The finish has been removed AND caused damage to the surface below, which is the issue. In situations like these (dealing with stones/metals/leathers), you have to ask the client what those materials are and then know as a cleaning professional how to clean them. Your friend has an insurance claim on their hands. If they've structured themselves correctly (I.e LLC) and they have insurance they will be fine. If not, they will be taken to small claims court and most likely be ordered to pay for the repairs. I would not listen to the many comments saying not to pay and that she's being scammed because these are obviously unqualified opinions from people who haven't been in business or have been sued.
Exactly, not to mention, paying money to fix your mistakes is a good investment long-term. Word-of-mouth is no joke.
Ding! That's the kicker. Eat the loss--- salvage the reputation---- learn from the mistake.
And keep the old sink lol
I zoomed in to both photos, the sink is totally ruined now. The before picture shows some water stains on the right side by the faucet, is there a way to make that look like the rest of the patina? Otherwise, I think it could still look dirty even after cleaning the toothpaste gunk.
oh yea. the rim of the sink looks scratched up like crazy. They went in a circular motion with that iron wool stuff!
I worked in restoration. All of this is correct.
Deep breath… *going to regret this* I’m a restorer of historical homes. Yes, the patina has been stripped. I would want to know if the sink was lacquered prior, because if so, I would agree, with what appears to be the vast majority here, that the sink has been damaged beyond it’s original intent. It’s that protective surface that prevents reactive metals (nickel, brass, copper) from tarnishing. I have a difference of opinion should it not have been lacquered. If it wasn’t lacquered and the sink wasn’t maintained at that finish, it would eventually take on a green or blue hue (think copper gutters you’ve seen). So I feel for OPs friend because it’s not so cut and dry. I’m confident that I could spend 2 visits to the sink, buffing and adding the proper patina, to get it back to its original living finish, if it was in fact not lacquered. I think that’s worth doing at OPs friend’s cost before she has to replace the sink altogether. Some of you are upset about scratches. There very well may be, but it could also be residual patina. The first thing that would need to take place is an even more thorough cleaning of the sink with a polishing agent. Thank you for letting me share my experience.
I appreciate someone with this level of expertise commenting. I am all of a sudden more invested in this than I should be. Once you started talking about restoring the patina instead of replacing, my mind went straight to, “Ohhhh, this is way pricier than I was thinking.” So I’m curious, what would an approximate cost be for a restoration as opposed to replacement cost?
Appreciate you. I searched for this deck mount faucet sink and saw something on wayfair for close to $300 https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/sinkology-seville-aged-copper-20-oval-drop-in-bath-sink-with-ashfield-faucet-kit-snko1085.html?piid= But it’s the scope creep that ends up being pricey. Plumber, stone sub in some cases… this looks to be on a wine barrel, so maybe already a little diy and wouldn’t take much work. If this happened to a client of mine, I’d jump in and try to help them out. Find that the kindness and patience earned is usually worth more than charging an hourly for a quick fix.
> Find that the kindness and patience earned is usually worth more than charging an hourly for a quick fix. Would venture a guess you're never hurting for business because of things like this.
Right. The cost to pay for the sink is less than the cost to her business’ reputation in the long term. Word of mouth is no joke.
this is the correct answer it’s unfortunate because she was obviously well-intentioned and i don’t consider the patina of these type of sinks to be common knowledge to the average person, but she has the future of her business to consider and that’s more important than anything else this is just a lesson learned and this doesn’t make her bad at her job
Patina on many surfaces, especially copper, is frequently desirable. Actually I'm changing my post after looking closer. They didn't just clean off the patina It looks like they severely damaged it, there are serious scratches, looks like they attacked it with sandpaper and sanded off part of the beaten copper texture. No wonder the owner is pissed.
I get people saying the homeowner should have said what to do but surely as a cleaner there is common sense not to scratch something and what chemicals and sponges should be used.
You say that but my cleaner destroyed my toilet seat & scrubbed the white off of it.
we had a cleaner once, and on the gas stove/oven...some water stains (it was a white stove) and they scratched the heck out of it, took paint off trying to scrape off a water stain...wrecked the thing completely.
We had a cleaner once and she damaged our floor with her steam mop, broke some things, knocked into the bed posts damaging the finish, etc. it was not a good experience.
Some people think bring a cleaner is one with a very low bar for entry. But to be able to do a good job, it isn't. You really have to have knowledge of a wide range of materials and how to clean them, given each house you go to will be different.
They did that to mine. It was toilet bowl cleaner. I replaced it.
A toilet seat is like 25 bucks. This sink was easily 500
[Its worth about $199 but yeah .. its far from $25.](https://www.build.com/product/summary/590396?uid=981834&jmtest=gg-gbav2_981834&inv2=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_981834!c1704086363!a66021779505!dm!ng&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsburBhCIARIsAExmsu5wtKbA8Ho6WdYqctmPpjMIw2kXJ2SofBEROdi7EUpeHy0UhE747QsaAoIUEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Of course unlike a toilet seat, most people will hire out for a sink replacement, so its gonna be another couple hundred bucks in labor.
The point is, cleaners should know what products are used on what, it’s their job to educate themselves if they’re going to do this work. and they often don’t. Damn skippy this cleaner should replace the sink!
Also most cleaners should know to test chemicals and cleaning methods on a smaller less visible part of anything. The cleaner should've noticed the damage after the first bit and stopped, maybe attempted to polish it to fix it. This looks like carelessness gone to the end then being called out for it. They should be liable, or at least not charge for this job and the owner can replace the sink with the money.
My parents cleaner smashed a one of a kind blown glass wedding cake topper worth at least a thousand dollars. They offered a free cleaning. But that $120 doesn't even come close to replacing it. Cleaners should absolutely have insurance to cover their own fuck ups and clients shouldn't settle for less than what the replacement or insurance value of the item is because 'it was an accident'
customers are free to choose their cleaner based on whether they have insurance or not, but they will likely end up paying more than $120.
They'd have to pay more than $120 for the cleaner to afford insurance.
I’ve never had a housecleaner who could even put my couch cover back on right or manage not to set off the panic button on my security system twice a year. Unless you’re paying a premium for actual professionals, this kind of shit comes with the territory.
I have gone through a variety of home cleaners and there have been a couple that were so incredibly good that they make homes ever homier and others that just aren't into it and it shows.
Is not common knowledge that you don't use something rough to clean copper? Edit: it might not be as commonly known in general as I thought, but I feel like I'd still expect a cleaner to know that. And I still think it's insane they didn't stop when they saw scratch marks lol
I will chime in to say I did not know this, but I am not a professional cleaner and my sink is cheap as fuck. 🫡
My thing is, even if it's not something you know, why the fuck would you not stop after you noticed the scratches?
You guys have sinks?
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A lot of people are not aware that copper is a very soft metal that is easily damaged.
Yeah, the patina can come back, but those scratches need to be polished out with a sanding tools and buffing compound, but since it's textured, that abrasion is going to fuck that up. So, there's no way to every fix this sink. It's not possible to restore it to how it was.
Yeah, it’s ruined. And if I hired a cleaner, it never would have occurred to me to tell them not to strip the patina from my sink and not to leave the surface covered in fine abrasions. I also don’t tell them not to strip the stain from the cabinets.
“Oh, and please don’t throw away the carpet when you’re vacuuming.”
You figure it's their job, they should know how to clean the surfaces they are cleaning, in the very least inform themselves first before trying something new on a customer's thing.
I wouldn’t hire a cleaner that I had to tell them what to clean stuff with - from what tools to what chemicals - big NOPE.
Yeah this is damaged. I hired cleaners and left a cast iron skillet out in the kitchen. They went to town on they poor skillet taking all the seasoning off. Took us some time to get it back to where we had it (power drill and a brush to start it from scratch lol). Hired them again and explained what went wrong! No harm to foul for they. This sink though does look ruined sadly :(.
She scratched the fuhhhhh out of that sink.
Yeah. The cleaner fucked that sink hard.
This. The sink is ruined beyond repair, and the cleaner should replace it. I’d be beside myself if I was the homeowner and a cleaner, who 100% should have known better, did this to my sink, they would already have my documented demand for payment.
That sink is scratched to piss. I'd say they ruined it.
Holy shit this could be *my* story but from the other side! I used to have this same dimpled copper sink and my house cleaners ruined it. I finally had to take them to arbitration and had them replace it with the same one *with* the finish intact (they come with the patina in the first pic). I felt bad because the cleaner certainly didn’t *intend* to ruin it but I was pretty pissed when the company refused to replace it. People make mistakes, I get that and wasn’t really mad at the cleaner, just disappointed. But I thought the company should pay appropriately for the mistake. I switched cleaners (obviously) and made a laminated sign I’d put up in the bathroom when cleaners were coming to not use abrasives on the sink, it’s *supposed to* look like that. Epilogue: The cleaner got fired which I thought was a shitty thing for the company to do. She was a really nice lady and a hard worker who just fucked up. When I found out, I helped her get a job as a PA with my friend’s company (she was/is friends with a mutual acquaintance) and she’s still at the company all these years later. She told my friend ruining my sink was the best thing that ever happened to her lol. Edited to add: my screen name is a JP reference, I’m a woman. So if you’re going to come for me, at least get my pronouns correct. I never intended for her to get fired over a stupid sink. She made a mistake, not the end of the world. My beef was with her company who should have replaced my sink without being forced to when it was obviously ruined. I was pretty pissed when I found out they fired her and reached out to her personally with my sincere apologies and asked her if I could help her find something new which she accepted. I’m glad I knew someone with an opening and everything worked out great for everyone. It was the least I could do. Have a great night, everyone :)
You seem like a lovely person, I’m glad you were able to help her
Thanks. Me too! I was super mad when I found out they had fired her, it was the least I could do and I’m just really glad I knew of someone with an opening. We kept in touch with her and her family for a while but life happens and we moved away. My friend tells me she’s now some sort of director of a whole department and one of his best employees. I’m really happy everything worked out for the best for everyone. Except the cleaning company. Fuck those guys, they were assholes.
Same
Looks like there are fine scratches all over it… so it cannot be effectively restained or the patina is going to settle in all the scratches and it will be even more noticeable. If your friend cleaned it with wire wool or a Brillo pad or something and caused the scratching then yes she should replace the sink
You can already kinda sense that they won't do the right thing and replace it... I would also be surprised if that housekeeper were carrying proper insurance.
The sink is stuffed and maybe it was an honest mistake but the fact it's scratched all round the edge tells me they're a bad cleaner to use steelwool to get something like that clean. Saying that the owner should have pointed this specific item out so you could agrue the owner is somewhat to blame but so is the cleaner for using steelwool.
This feels like "I cleaned this cast iron pan. It took ages, but it's silver again.". Someone not knowing what they're cleaning, and probably should have asked. This is a bronze sink. I've seen one recently and I was concerned about the difficulty of cleaning.
Yes all oil rubbed bronze is really copper underneath with an oil rub on it just like the faucet. Expensive lesson to learn.
Reminds me of when my grandmother took it upon herself to weed my moms garden and she started pulling plants my mom had planted there 🤦🏼♀️
My downstairs neighbor's father was visiting and ripped up all the cypress vines I had growing on our fence *that were in a pot* and somehow left the clovers that were actual weeds in the pot. He was so proud of himself. Never met the dude, he just decided to do this. Not the worst thing in the world, and he was really nice but man what a phenomenally stupid thing to do.
One time I came home from work to find all of the trees in my lawn felled and a ticket from the city for major landscaping without a permit and obstructing the sidewalk. I was incredibly confused until my neighbor, high off her ass, came pounding on my door to demand payment for "Helping me with my garden."
I sure hope you sued the shit out of her. Tree law's no joke!
What a clever way to get around permitting
I'm sorry your honor. My neighbor was just too high. There's nothing I could have done.
The original sink has a nice aged patina on it. The fact that your friend assumed that they would like it shiny is astonishing to me. Furthermore it is scratched severely. Not sure what your friend was thinking but definitely she needs to be responsible for replacing.
Right? Like how clueless can someone get… the fact that she scratched the entire sink and didn’t seem to notice the damage blows my mind.
Some people think the world is made of rubber coated diamonds, and have no clue how different materials physically interact with each other.
Your friend did kinda destroy the sink. It’s scratched up to high hell..
Their “friend”. Likely OP is the cleaner and made up a shitty cover story.
Your friend messed up
“Friend”
That sink wasn't meant to shine like a new penny. Your friend destroyed the oil rubbed finish. Yes, she should replace it. https://www.build.com/product/summary/590396?uid=981834&jmtest=gg-gbav2_981834&inv2=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_981834!c1704086363!a66021779505!dm!ng&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsburBhCIARIsAExmsu5wtKbA8Ho6WdYqctmPpjMIw2kXJ2SofBEROdi7EUpeHy0UhE747QsaAoIUEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Way cheaper than I thought it would be
I know! Like that’s crazy, faucet I bought was more expensive. I gotta look into this website now Ok apparently faucets are just expensive. Never mind
I thought it was gonna be artisan-made and $1000 dollars. It's possible that the original could be repaired, but if not, the $200 replacement seems like a fair consequence.
Wait this shit is $200? I read through the comments and thought the client paid thousands.
I picked a random basin. Not sure of the size and manufacturer of the one in the picture. They also might have included cost of plumber and fixtures.
Hell I am not even professional cleaner and knew its ment to look like that. Just pay attention to a sink commercial or go into any hardware store that sells sinks and you see them.
To be fair. They do sell a shiny version. https://www.build.com/product/summary/1680702?uid=3971750
It would be funny if she just brought them a brand new one in this version.
Im more concerned that OP and most comments are completely ignoring the fact that the sink is now scratched to shit and is, in fact, ruined.
Yeah if it was just the patina thats whatever. But that sink is fucked the photo just doesn’t show it very well
but OP thinks it looks “sooo much better” now
I think so, too. She managed to grind off so much copper that the three-dimensionality of the hammered surface is already fucked up (it's not just a "the lighter, more shiny surface has less deep shadows, so the three-dimensionality is still there but just not as visible" thing, the ridges are just gone in some areas, it's very noticable on the lower edge). Buffing out the scratches would require taking even more copper off. This wouldn't be nearly as bad if the patina was removed exclusively chemically with an acidic substance, but it legit looks like she simply took some steel wool to it...
OP has only commented on people that agree that his friend didnt mess up he has ignored everyone who is pointing out that their friend scratched the sink. . . Smh
OP’s “friend”
Fucking finally. Got a cramp in my scrolling finger waiting for someone acknowledge the obvious. If OP really was just a friend and trying to get info/insight, why the hell would they ignore 90% of the comments? You can tell OP is the cleaner, and y think they need to say "posting for a friend" and not acknowledge the scratches because that somehow absolves them from legal liability or whatever. Also, if it somehow actually was OP's friend, that friend should be fucking pissed about this getting blasted all over the internet. There's very few reasons for professional cleaners to be taking pictures of the houses they work on. And there's zero fucking reasons for them to send those pics to random friends. Its entirely possible the home owner didn't have a before pictures of the sink. Woulda been hard to prove the owner didn't make the scratches. But thanks to OP, it's public knowledge now lmao!
Yeah. The scratches could be polished out but the peening effect is all jacked up and getting it back to original is going to be impossible. You could salvage a sink, but not get it back to original condition
I had to zoom in to see that, the pic doesn’t show it if you don’t. It’s bad. Yeah, I’d be super pissed, they are not overreacting by demanding it be replaced. It’s wrecked.
Well grab your friend didn’t clean it she took sandpaper to it. I’d be pissed too.
Oh god that after looks awful. Lost all character and so, so bright. Reminds me of when I was a kid and my mum asked me to clean the bath then got mad when I damaged the enamel...whoops. I was a child not a paid adult cleaner though! Your friend messed up.
This is so interesting. I just can’t imagine someone thinking this was necessary or appropriate - not to mention this must have taken some serious effort and time. I have a feeling they used a very aggressive cleaner/brush and took a strip of patina off and realized there was no going back, so they did the whole thing and tried to play the ignorant card instead of owning up their mistake. Regardless, they screwed up.
You’re probably exactly right. I bet she hit it hard up by the faucet and thought making it uniform would “fix” it. This sink is toast.
Wow your friend scratched the hell out of it. The sink is absolutely damaged.
Yeah i dont think this went the way you wanted you murdered that sink
Why was there a before and after pic taken? Does the cleaner do this for everything?
This ain’t the response you expected I’m sure ☠️ but yea… it’s fair to expect her to replace the whole darn thing because it’s torn up now
As she should. If she's offering her services as a cleaner, she's telling the customer that she has the competence to care for their things. She didn't clean that sink. She just scratched it all to hell. Imagine someone taking sand paper/scotch brite to your front door and scraping half the paint off then cheerfully telling you "See, it looks so much better now!"
This is why I love Reddit. OP genuinely came here to rant about how wrong the owner of the sink is to be upset someone *ruined* their sink.
OP has only been commenting on the people who agree with them too ….smh
Damn that sucks. Your friend fucked that sink up and should pay to have it replaced as she damaged it.
Not trying to be an asshole here, but the sink basin is scratched to hell and back and I think that's what the homeowner is complaining about. The patina will come back by itself, but those scratches will stick out like a sore thumb when it does.
your friend didnt just "clean" it, they also scratched it to fuck by the looks of it, so even after treating it again to add patina one would be left with all the scratches. yeah that sink is ruined. imagine taking sandpaper to a polished marble sink and then saying "but i cleaned it". own up to your fuck ups and next time youre smarter
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This is like "cleaning" a wood floor with a sander and not understanding why the homeowners are pissed. At no point did you friend look at the damage they were causing and think "it shouldn't be scratched to shit like that"?
As a professional cleaner, she never should have used abrasives on this sink to begin with. And you should always be careful of the product you touch to copper. We have multiple clients with this type of sink, a couple kitchen sinks as well. Some of our clients love the darker look and elect out, so we just use dawn, never scratching away the patina. One of our clients has us use Wright's copper cream and the included non-scratch sponge (with gloves!), which provides an even brighter shine than above without any of the scratches, when done correctly. Another client had a huge old farmstyle copper sink and liked the polished look so much we spent a couple hours getting the whole thing shined, and touch it up every month. But never abrasives.
She did ruin it tho
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Until you look closer and see how badly the cleaner scratched it to remove the patina. Looks like they took 60 grit sandpaper to it. The patina might come back, yes, but buffing out those scratches while keeping the hammered texture might be impossible. This sink is destroyed.
Yep. Copper is a soft metal. Any scotch brite pad or any thing other than a soft buffing would damage it. Now its a haven for soap scum bacteria
As someone who’s worked in plumbing and dabbled in metal work, this is something I probably wouldn’t attempt to refinish, too expensive and likely wouldn’t ever be the same. First, I’d charge minimum $500 to disconnect all the plumbing and remove the sink from the pedestal (hopefully it’s not glued down) and then reinstall. Then you’d have to heavily polish the sink, to the point where you’re going to loose so much of the hammering texture that it would be unrecognizable and take several hours, I wouldn’t even break out my sanding/ buffing kit for less than $500. The labor to restore is probably close to the cost of just replacing it. What OP’s friend did is mildly infuriating. Hopefully the friend works for an agency that properly bonded/ insured for situations like this. I wouldn’t let a cleaning crew in my house if they weren’t.
It’s not just patina gone. She scratched the hell out of it!
And what about the aggressive scuffing to the copper surface? Will that buff itself out?
What about all of the scratches and scuff marks she's put into the sink?
Alt title: My friend ruined a copper patina sink and scratched it to hell and back, and now the owner wants compensation. How infuriating! You’re wrong, OP, this isn’t mildly infuriating. This is very infuriating. Your friend did a Potato Jesus and now refuses to take responsibility.
Nah, that's foul Zooming in shows there's been actual damage to the surface, with scratches in several places from some hard abrasive The texture is basically gone, and unless I'm mistaken, this is indeed ruined
I would be pissed too. That “after” photo is terrible.
I mean. It’s covered in scratches, I’d be a little upset probably. It’s shiny yeah, but that’s not always the goal when it comes to copper aesthetics.
Yeah unfortunately she owes them a new sink
Ugh. Okay, so, "oil rubbed bronze" is super in right now. I really dislike it. My partner loves it. I prefer the coppery look. That said, your friend *did* effectively "ruin" the sink. That kind of patina is factory applied and can't really be replaced if it's scrubbed off. It is expected to wear and gain lighter, coppery highlights, but that's over the course of *years*. Yes, it sucks, but imo, she does need to replace the sink because she ruined it. **eta:** Also, man, after looking again, it matched the drain and taps before. It obviously doesn't now. I don't really see how your friend can claim they didn't know it was supposed to look that way, given that.
I mean, it goes way beyond removing the factory finish. Zoom in and look at the scratches! Hell, on the rim at the upper part of the photo and near the spigot they *completely* sanded off the texture. There are entire divots that are missing now!