Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:37:51 -0500, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

Not sure the best way to clean stains, but the sink can be refinished
easily by a pro. No need to remove the sink. It takes maybe an hour
and not usable for a number of hours until cured.

I've had sinks done a few times - at home and at rental properties I
had. If the enamel is really worn a resurface would better, Imo.

You might check a sink resurfacing web site for cleaning methods.

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem?

Depends on what the stais are. Scrubbing...bleaching...etc

Any way to seal the surface?

If it is truly porcelain then the surface was made by heating the cast iron
(or stamped steel) then covering it with materials that will fuse (melt).
You wind up with the same sort of surface as you do on tile; essentially,
glass. I know of no practical way to repair it, about the best you could do
would be to use colored epoxy (best) or polyurethane.

If it is rough because you used something too abrasive to clean it and
scratched it in the process but did not cut through it, you could alleviate
it via finer & finer silicon carbide paper. When you get as fine as you can
go with that, you can use the very fine aluminum oxide stuff that is used to
polish plastic. Comes (usually) in a liguid medium, found at auto parts
stores. There are other polishing materials too; you need something harder
than glass (moh's 7) and finer than the finest wet or dry paper which is
usually availble up to 2000 or 2500. The finer the grit the shinier the
surface.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Jan 10, 2:57*pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem?

Depends on what the stais are. *Scrubbing...bleaching...etc


First thing I'd try is to plug up the sink, put some bleach
in it and let it sit awhile.

On 01/10/13 03:08 pm, wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem?

Depends on what the stais are. Scrubbing...bleaching...etc


First thing I'd try is to plug up the sink, put some bleach
in it and let it sit awhile.

I've done that, and it works, but only till next time: the rough surface
stains much more easily. I'm looking for a longer-term solution.

Perce

On 01/10/13 04:10 pm, I wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem?

Depends on what the stais are. Scrubbing...bleaching...etc


First thing I'd try is to plug up the sink, put some bleach
in it and let it sit awhile.

I've done that, and it works, but only till next time: the rough surface
stains much more easily. I'm looking for a longer-term solution.

What I man is: the rough surface stains so easily that I don't think
things even have to be left on the surface: the rough surface gets
stained simply from colored liquid or other material coming into contact
with it only briefly.

Perce

In article ,
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

Hmmm... try some 'Bar Keepers Friend' on it... It's gotten out stains I
didn't think would ever come out. It's 'magic' ingredient is a little
Oxalic acid. I've had best results with the powder version, but then
again really don't have a lot of experience with their liquids.

http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

A friend once had a slob in one of his apartments who let dishes,
cutlery and whatnot sit in a wet porcelain sink for years. There were
numerous deep dark rust stains & mineral deposits that looked hopeless.
The usual cleansers took off the the surface stuff, but only lightened
up the rust stains. BKF didn't remove them instantly... it took several
good scrub cycles, but the sink came out looking new.

Makes stainless look new as well.

Many super markets now carry it.

No affiliation... just a happy user. Good Luck, let us know how it comes
out.

Erik

"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub,

I think Percival has discovered not the Holy Grail but the same thing I
have: that Soft-Scrub isn't as soft as claimed. (-:

If it is rough because you used something too abrasive to clean it and
scratched it in the process but did not cut through it, you could
alleviate
it via finer & finer silicon carbide paper. When you get as fine as you
can
go with that, you can use the very fine aluminum oxide stuff that is used
to
polish plastic. Comes (usually) in a liguid medium, found at auto parts
stores. There are other polishing materials too; you need something
harder
than glass (moh's 7) and finer than the finest wet or dry paper which is
usually availble up to 2000 or 2500. The finer the grit the shinier the
surface.

While I think that DadiOH's approach to restoring the surface is the best,
my experience tells me once the original high-temp glaze is gone, it's not
coming back - at least not the way it was when it was new. Material has
been lost from the surface that's gone forever. Time for a new stainless
steel sink - they're usually much more resistant to the kind of damage that
the sink strainer's rubber feet apparently set in motion. Been there, done
that. )-:

--
Bobby G.

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:10:35 -0500, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:




I've done that, and it works, but only till next time: the rough surface
stains much more easily. I'm looking for a longer-term solution.

Perce

Aside from refinishing, there is none. You have porosity and it
allows absorption of the gunk in there.

Soft scrub should be call Delay Scrub and it is still abrasive and
will just take longer to ruin the sink.

On 1/10/2013 2:37 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

How old is the sink? In my experience, with hard water, the porcelain
might last 20 years, then allow water to reach the cast iron and start
rusting. It's hard to imagine the rubber feet of the strainer causing
abrasion of the porcelain...might it be some lime has collected? Tried
CLR or LimeAway? I would try Magic Eraser after that, just to try to
smoothe the areas without further abrasion...I've used ME on painted
woodwork and wood furniture, with good results and very mild cleaning.
Let us know )

On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:49:29 -0500, Norminn
wrote:


It's hard to imagine the rubber feet of the strainer causing
abrasion of the porcelain...

Not hard for me to imagine. When deliberately lapping
surfaces, it's common to use a softer material as a tool to
lap the surface you want lapped. The grit in the lapping
compound embeds in the softer material, and abrades the
harder material.

The rubber feet on the drain rack could well pick up
abrasive material from cleansers, and act much like slow
grinders on the porcelain.

--
croy

On Jan 11, 5:52*am, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:10:35 -0500, "Percival P. Cassidy"

wrote:

I've done that, and it works, but only till next time: the rough surface
stains much more easily. I'm looking for a longer-term solution.

Perce

Aside from refinishing, there is none. *You have porosity and it
allows absorption of the gunk in there.

Soft scrub should be call Delay Scrub and it is still abrasive and
will just take longer to ruin the sink.


That's interesting and I think true. I never thought about
it that way before. But over the years, my sink has become
more susceptible to stains. Probably as you say, from the
surface getting roughed up over time. Still, the main thing
that causes staining is leaving something laying in the sink
that you shouldn't for a day or more. I just use Soft Scrub
with bleach to get it mostly clean, then let it set there to bleach
the
rest out.

In article
,
" wrote:

On Jan 11, 5:52*am, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:10:35 -0500, "Percival P. Cassidy"

wrote:

I've done that, and it works, but only till next time: the rough surface
stains much more easily. I'm looking for a longer-term solution.

Perce

Aside from refinishing, there is none. *You have porosity and it
allows absorption of the gunk in there.

Soft scrub should be call Delay Scrub and it is still abrasive and
will just take longer to ruin the sink.


That's interesting and I think true. I never thought about
it that way before. But over the years, my sink has become
more susceptible to stains. Probably as you say, from the
surface getting roughed up over time. Still, the main thing
that causes staining is leaving something laying in the sink
that you shouldn't for a day or more. I just use Soft Scrub
with bleach to get it mostly clean, then let it set there to bleach
the
rest out.

My house was built in the late 20's, and still has it's original white
porcelain kitchen sink.

It had lost it's surface glaze long before my grandmother bought the
place in the 50's. It had always looked 'ok', but required a lot of
elbow grease.

Later, after I'd inherited the house in about 2k, I read on the net of
Bar Keepers Friend (like I posted about a few days ago). Ever since,
other than a couple of small chips/dings, it's looked gleaming new,
bright white... with minimal effort.

Give it a whirl, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. If not, your
out a whole $3.00 or so. Sure beats refinishing and/or replacing.

Good luck!

Erik

On Jan 10, 12:08*pm, "
wrote:
On Jan 10, 2:57*pm, "dadiOH" wrote:

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem?

Depends on what the stais are. *Scrubbing...bleaching...etc

First thing I'd try is to plug up the sink, put some bleach
in it and let it sit awhile.

First thing I'd try is to plug up the sink, put some bleach
in it and let it sit awhile.

+1

OP- give the bleach a shot.

My experinece with "roughened" porcelain sink (porcelain over cast
iron not steel), the porcelain can be attaked / etched by acid
liquids, lemon juice, ctirc acid.

If the roughness isn't deep & the procelin sink is top quality, the
roughness can be polisihed out the a honing compound.

cheers
Bob

On Jan 12, 9:37*am, croy wrote:
On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:49:29 -0500, Norminn

wrote:
It's hard to imagine the rubber feet of the strainer causing
abrasion of the porcelain...

Not hard for me to imagine. *When deliberately lapping
surfaces, it's common to use a softer material as a tool to
lap the surface you want lapped. *The grit in the lapping
compound embeds in the softer material, and abrades the
harder material.

The rubber feet on the drain rack could well pick up
abrasive material from cleansers, and act much like slow
grinders on the porcelain.

--
croy

The rubber feet on the drain rack could well pick up
abrasive material from cleansers, and act much like slow
grinders on the porcelain.

+1

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?


Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless double
sink offered from between free to $40.

On 01/13/13 08:31 am, HeyBub wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?


Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless double
sink offered from between free to $40.

Apart from the fact that we so not want a stainless-steel sink -- too
noisy -- the present sink is no ordinary one: it has a lower-than-usual
divider between the two parts to accommodate such things as large frying
pans.

BTW, I don't think we ever actually scrubbed the sink with Soft-Scrub --
just poured it on and let it stand for a while, then brushed it off
along with plenty of water.

Perce

In article ,
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:

On 01/13/13 08:31 am, HeyBub wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?


Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless double
sink offered from between free to $40.

Apart from the fact that we so not want a stainless-steel sink -- too
noisy -- the present sink is no ordinary one: it has a lower-than-usual
divider between the two parts to accommodate such things as large frying
pans.

BTW, I don't think we ever actually scrubbed the sink with Soft-Scrub --
just poured it on and let it stand for a while, then brushed it off
along with plenty of water.

Perce

I'm not a big fan of stainless sinks either.

However, years ago before installing one for a neighbor, I read that
giving the bottom of of them a couple of coats of pre installation
automotive undercoating helps a lot.

And it in fact did deaden the noise considerably! Dish water seemingly
stays warm longer as well...

Not as nice as a full blown cast iron/porcelain sink, but a big
improvement.

Erik

On Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:36:58 -0800, Erik wrote:

In article ,
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:

On 01/13/13 08:31 am, HeyBub wrote:

Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially
where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think
that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away
immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough
to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with
Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that
the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?


Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless double
sink offered from between free to $40.

Apart from the fact that we so not want a stainless-steel sink -- too
noisy -- the present sink is no ordinary one: it has a lower-than-usual
divider between the two parts to accommodate such things as large frying
pans.

BTW, I don't think we ever actually scrubbed the sink with Soft-Scrub --
just poured it on and let it stand for a while, then brushed it off
along with plenty of water.

Perce

I'm not a big fan of stainless sinks either.

However, years ago before installing one for a neighbor, I read that
giving the bottom of of them a couple of coats of pre installation
automotive undercoating helps a lot.

And it in fact did deaden the noise considerably! Dish water seemingly
stays warm longer as well...

Not as nice as a full blown cast iron/porcelain sink, but a big
improvement.

We love SS sinks. Cheap ones are noisy but decent SS sinks are great.
They're easy to keep clean and are almost impossible to damage. I wish
we had an even bigger one, though.

On 1/10/2013 2:37 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce
When I was selling my parents' house, there some dinged up sinks and
bathtubs. I found out that there are porcelain refinishing kits that can
allegedly be used to match and repair the surface. I don't know; I never
tried.

When I sold my own house, my 1950s tub was rough and stained, so that
time I hired a professional tub refinisher. He did a very nice job. Two
drawbacks - 1) the process smelled! and 2) forever after you're supposed
to use soft scrub type cleaners and not leave mats in the tub. I'm not
sure how much of a hassle that would be for a kitchen sink or if they'd
even do that. Might be worth getting an estimate, though. (I think 5 yr
ago the tub was in the $300 range).

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless
double sink offered from between free to $40.

Apart from the fact that we so not want a stainless-steel sink -- too
noisy -- the present sink is no ordinary one: it has a
lower-than-usual divider between the two parts to accommodate such
things as large frying pans.

1. Add a noise-dampening substance to the sink before installing it.

2. NEWS FLASH: Stainless steel sinks are made in the exact same shapes as
any other available material.

But, I do apologize. I thought you were trying to eliminate a continuing
problem rather than finding an excuse to shun stainless.

I regret the error.

On Sunday, January 13, 2013 12:39:30 PM UTC-6, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 01/13/13 08:31 am, HeyBub wrote:



Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially

where the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think

that stuff that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away

immediately has caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough

to stain the surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with

Soft-Scrub, but hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that

the stained areas actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.



Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?





Watch your local CraigsList. At least once a week I see a stainless double

sink offered from between free to $40.



Apart from the fact that we so not want a stainless-steel sink -- too

noisy -- the present sink is no ordinary one: it has a lower-than-usual

divider between the two parts to accommodate such things as large frying

pans.



BTW, I don't think we ever actually scrubbed the sink with Soft-Scrub --

just poured it on and let it stand for a while, then brushed it off

along with plenty of water.



Perce

On Thursday, January 10, 2013 1:37:51 PM UTC-6, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where

the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff

that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has

caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the

surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but

hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas

actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.



Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?



Perce

On Thursday, January 10, 2013 1:37:51 PM UTC-6, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where

the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff

that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has

caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the

surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but

hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas

actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.



Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?



Perce

Hi Perce,

You've probably solved the problem by now, but I ran across your post when looking for a solution to a similarly worn sink. Like you, I can get the stains out, but they reappear when just a touch of anything colorful/acidic touches the sink. Blueberries, tomato sauce, and raspberries make instant tough stains. I noticed that most of your respondents didn't address the key issue - a way to seal the porcelain to keep the stains from happening with every contact (except the guys who insist that you get a stainless steel sink

Anyway, I found a product here after reading these posts: http://www.superjetco.com/Bprocess.html. They have a claning/sealing/polishing system that I plan to order tonight. I'm going to get a "1-tub kit" for $34.95. Maybe I can save part to reapply in the future if needed. I'll check back here after I use it and let you know how it works out, if you would like. Let me know.

Toni

Have you tried scrubbing with Bon Ami or Zud cleanser?

On Thu, 24 Oct 2013 09:58:02 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Have you tried scrubbing with Bon Ami or Zud cleanser?

He tried back in January. He used something else, instead.

On Thursday, October 24, 2013 4:01:24 PM UTC-4, Oren wrote:
He tried back in January. He used something else, instead.


Old thread but I plug the sink, add hot water and Oxyclean. Let it sit for a couple hours and presto.

On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:27:56 -0700 (PDT), Thomas
wrote:

On Thursday, October 24, 2013 4:01:24 PM UTC-4, Oren wrote:
He tried back in January. He used something else, instead.


Old thread but I plug the sink, add hot water and Oxyclean. Let it sit for a couple hours and presto.

The threads do get a new life after years.

I;'e used companies that come right into the house, clean and put a
new finish on a sink. IMO, looks better than new.

Used them for rental properties and at home. Once had 5-6 sinks, a
claw foot tub finished inside and out - legs too, plus had other sinks
I sold before they would have be refinished.

They say not to use the sink for x hours and the smell will dissipate
(fans). Kewl stuff.

replying to Percival P. Cassidy, Linda Bennison wrote:
I have the same problem. I read the comments. Some people didn't even talk
about your sink problem.I am not sure about how to fix the sink.I have a three
bowle and I don't won't to give it up .I thank I might use the sand paper on
the surface. Go from there.thank you people.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...nk-731840-.htm

On 11/7/2016 5:14 AM, Linda Bennison wrote:
replying to Percival P. Cassidy, Linda Bennison wrote:
I have the same problem. I read the comments. Some people didn't even talk
about your sink problem.I am not sure about how to fix the sink.I have a
three
bowle and I don't won't to give it up .I thank I might use the sand
paper on
the surface. Go from there.thank you people.

Bowle?

On Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 2:37:51 PM UTC-5, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

Got a match? Just kidding. I think as others have said, your sink's surface is now actually damaged, but I undertand sinks, tubs, etc can be reglazed. I searched on the internet and found some DYI sites regarding how to reglaze, but personally I wouldn't trust mself to do that. So I guess I'd say if your sink is worth the cost of a company coming out to refinish it, go that route. If you find that to be cost prohibitive (compared to just replacing the sink) and you're ready for a new sink anyway, I think I'd just replace the sink.

On Monday, November 7, 2016 at 8:14:05 AM UTC-5, Linda Bennison wrote:
replying to Percival P. Cassidy, Linda Bennison wrote:
I have the same problem. I read the comments. Some people didn't even talk
about your sink problem.I am not sure about how to fix the sink.I have a three
bowle and I don't won't to give it up .I thank I might use the sand paper on
the surface. Go from there.thank you people.

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Yeah, sandpaper on a porcelain/enamel sink should do wonders!

On Tue, 21 Feb 2017 22:37:33 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 2:37:51 PM UTC-5, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
Our porcelain-enamel kitchen sink has developed stains, especially where
the plastic "feet" of a "sink protector" have rested. I think that stuff
that has been dropped into the sink and not rinsed away immediately has
caught on those "feet" and remained there long enough to stain the
surface. I have cleaned the sink from time to time with Soft-Scrub, but
hat no longer seems effective, and now I find that the stained areas
actually feel rougher than the unstained areas.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem? Any way to seal the surface?

Perce

Got a match? Just kidding. I think as others have said, your sink's surface is now actually damaged, but I undertand sinks, tubs, etc can be reglazed. I searched on the internet and found some DYI sites regarding how to reglaze, but personally I wouldn't trust mself to do that. So I guess I'd say if your sink is worth the cost of a company coming out to refinish it, go that route. If you find that to be cost prohibitive (compared to just replacing the sink) and you're ready for a new sink anyway, I think I'd just replace the sink.
To be sure it is not a deposit on the porcelain instead of etching,
get a peice of 2000 grit whet sandpaper and with soapy water give it a
good buff. In most cases that will smooth the enamel and remove the
stain, as it is a mineral based buildup ON the porcelain rather than
an etch. Definitely worth a try anyway - -

If it's mineral based there are products like clr that remove it without abrasive.