Throwing this into the air. Home maintenance query.

Google fails me. DDG, too.

I am confronted with an installed kitchen sink which was in place when the homeowner moved in ca. 2000. I am convinced it dates before 1960 and is in an 1890’s house. Despite Texas, some older homes survive and I am presently in one.

Homeowner testifies that the sink was in its present state upon move in. No caulk is between the sink and the laminate countertop. None, not a trace survives. The laminate is in excellent condition. My guess is the present kitchen came to be in the 1950s based on the style and configuration, but could be older. The sink fixture may date from the 1970’s. It’s an Ameri-Flow about which I can only surmise it was part of a water softening system at some point (60s? 80s?). Enamel has worn from spots where the sink meets the countertop and rust is apparent on the countertop where caulk should be.

The best advice I can google up tells me I should simply patch over the chipped enamel with one of those Home Depot epoxy kits, pray for plausible color match, then caulk the sink into place with silicone covering the rust on the countertop. All of this done with the knowledge this is a kludge which may last a few decades. This doesn’t sit well because I have a potentially naive belief that rust should be treated or eliminated whenever possible.

I’m also having to relearn what little I knew about selecting kitchen fixtures; the desire to replace the sprayer head on the sink started this operation. The names I know are all crap today. Most disheartening, American-Standard whose regional operations in my home MSA was a major employer until the Reagan administration.

This may not happen this weekend. Surely more weekends will follow.