I have a functional greenhouse sink! With running water and a drain and it’s beautiful! Below I answer some of the FAQs and go over some of the steps I took to transform the free stainless steel sink into the pearly white sink of my dreams!

You can find videos of my Q&A on my Instagram highlight: Q&A Greenhouse

This post contains affiliate links.

How to Paint a Stainless Steel Sink:

Materials (click for links):

Brass Faucet

Brass Drain

Stainless Steel Sink

Primer

Appliance Epoxy Paint

Tile

The Process:

1.) Begin by cleaning the steel sink- I used Bar Keeper’s Friend and 0000 steel wool. Rinse and let dry.

2.) Scuff the sink with 180 grit sandpaper

3.) Lightly coat with primer. Once dry, sand with 220 grit sandpaper then apply another light coat of primer. (This gives a smooth finish). Repeat until the sink is covered evenly.

4.) Lightly coat with appliance epoxy paint, sanding with 320 grit between coats. Apply as many coats until evenly coated.

Most common question: How does it hold up? So far, it has held up great. This is epoxy paint similar to what would be on a refrigerator, so it is pretty durable. I did have to touch up some spots after we dropped it and it scraped on the asphalt…so it will scratch if you drop it.

Q: How did you run the plumbing?

We connected our faucet to a garden hose! This works in an extremely similar way to your indoor plumbing-the faucet stays on and the water flow is turned on/off from the sink handles! (We only hooked up to one handle because there is only one water temperature). Designs By Studio C has a great blog post showing step by step on how to hook the sink to a hose.

Materials I used:

Teflon Tape (seals the threads)

1/2″ male to 1/2″ male nipple

1/2″ female to 3/4″ female connector (this connects the hose to the faucet connector line)

Faucet connector line (1/2″ to 1/2″)

Q: Where does it drain?

We ran the drain right out the back of the greenhouse, and down an exterior pipe that waters my trees! (There will rarely be anything that is used in this sink that is not garden/plant safe).

Q: What materials did you use to make the drain?

I wanted so badly to use brass drain pipes, but life got in the way and I used PVC then spray painted the pipes gold to coordinate with the sink faucet! (sand pipes with medium-fine grit, clean with rubbing alcohol or acetone, then apply spray paint in light coats).

Keeney 1-1/2-in Plastic Slip Joint End Outlet Continuous Waste

Charlotte Pipe 1-1/2-in x 1-1/2-in Hub x Hub 90-Degree Schedule 40 Elbow

Charlotte Pipe 1-1/2-in x 2-ft PVC Pipe

Oatey Handy Pack 8-fl oz Purple and Clear PVC Cement and Primer (only use on parts that do not have threads)

I absolutely love my greenhouse sink. This space gives the option to rinse off after an afternoon in the dirt and gives easy access to a water source for all those newly potted plant babes. And to think that my sink was FREE! it was already on the property when we bought it, and I’m so glad I was able to give it new life.

Talk soon,

xx, Lanna

There are so many repurposed treasures in this space: the wood wall (made from an old fence on the property); the brick pavers that I found on Facebook Marketplace (which I stained to become the pink floor of my dreams); the estate sale lockers/birdcage (that I paired with another Facebook find to create into a fairytale chandelier); the doors that were found inside a barn that was on the property…

My sweet friend Emily at EMphotography captured some beautiful photos of our in-progress greenhouse that brought me to tears. I wasn’t able to capture the true tones of these pavers with my good ‘ol iPhone and Emily came in and blew me away with the gems she captured.

We have so many more things to do until the greenhouse can be dubbed complete, but these are the moments we work so hard for. These are the details that make my heart sing. This is what makes me happy.

Brick pavers are precious to me. I love the aged feel they give to a space and how connected to history I feel when I walk down a row of them. So much that before I began building the greenhouse when I found a few pallets of gray concrete pavers on Facebook Marketplace for a steal of a price I knew I needed to buy them. And until now they have been sitting in a pile collecting leaves and dirt, minus the few here and there that I pulled for garden bed edging.

Now they have a forever home right here in my greenhouse. But they didn’t get this far without a little TLC. And the process made so many people (including myself) doubt and question everything the moment I started staining the pavers pink. But there are no regrets.

“There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness.”

-Shannon L. Alder

Here’s how I did it.

Materials:

• Cushion sand

• concrete pavers

• Valspar Concrete Stain (solid) in Red Sandstone and Garnet

• White (S) Mortar

• Hydrated Lime

First, begin by leveling your cushion sand. To me, this is one of the most difficult parts and I did not do it perfectly (I’m totally okay with that). We used a laser level to run string line grids and then leveled the sand to the same-ish height from the string line.

Lay your brick pavers in whatever pattern you choose. I did a 2×2 “woven” pattern. I used extra sand to level individual bricks as I laid each one. You will want to wear some form of gloves or you can kiss your fingertips goodbye.

Once your pavers are laid, here is where you start staining. I used my two colors to mix a middle shade for variation, but you can do as little or as many colors as your heart desires. I found that using a paint roller is quicker, but you will still have to go in and touch up edges/add your variation colors by hand brushing.

When your stain is dry and you are satisfied with the color placement, simply pour your mortar on top of the pavers and use a broom to push the dry mortar into the spaces between your pavers. Lightly add water after you have swept the mortar into the cracks and use your broom to push the “sludge” into the cracks. Here, if you want a clean brick look, take a sponge and clean each individual brick. If you want a messy mortar look, leave it alone to dry.

Add another layer of mortar in the same method as before if needed to fill any extra gaps.

Once your mortar is dry, use a brush or large broom to scrub your bricks and rinse off the excess mortar remnants.

You may choose to leave your bricks as is, or if you want a more delicate look, you can apply a limewash treatment. Limewashing will give your bricks a “chalky” finish. I did not use limewash paint on my bricks, but a traditional wash composed of 15-20% hydrated lime to 80% water ratio to make a slurry that was then rolled over my bricks and allowed to dry. Becasue lime is a mineral (calcium hydroxide) the limewash will flake off in time and will need to be reapplied if a sealant is not put on top. I chose to not apply a sealant as I want my brick look to “weather” over time.

Apply in thin coats, and let it fully dry in between to see how light it gets. If it is too dark you can always scrub or power-wash the excess off.

So what did this cost?

Overall, the total project (160 sq ft) cost me:

• Cushion sand (1 yard) $20
• Valspar Solid Concrete Stain (2 gal)-$50
• Concrete pavers (facebook find)-$100
• Mortar (3-50 pound bags)- $35
• Hydrate Lime (80lb bag) $12
• Misc brushes and tools-$30

Total: approx. $247

Finding the pavers on Facebook Marketplace was a huge cost saver here, and I have so many leftover from buying several pallets (used for garden bed edging). But if you cannot find any on Facebook, concrete pavers typically run about $0.60 per brick ad are about 4″x8″ in size. To buy pre-colored red ones, you are looking at about $0.75 per brick (buying them pre colored takes away from customizing your color).

You can use this calculator to help determine the number of bricks you will need for your specific project size!

My greenhouse is now ready for all those final touches (filling missing window panes, potting benches, lighting, shelving..etc) and I’m so excited to watch the full character of this greenhouse come to life! But most importantly… PLANTS! Spring is in the air and aI cannot wait to fill this space with all my little plant babies.

To see more greenhouse photos taken by my good friend EMphotography, check out the blog Greenhouse Updates.

Talk soon.

God Bless,

Lanna