Farmhouse sink, on a budget.

I've wanted an apron front sink in my new kitchen since the beginning of time (read, since I was introduced to Pinterest circa 2011). But let's be honest-- farmhouse apron fronts are CUUUUUHRAZY expensive when you're trying to build a house with cash. (Yeah, people still do that. And when I say people, I actually mean just my husband and I. If you're in our boat, shout it out. I could use the knowledge that I'm not alone out here, up a creek, nailing two-bys in  myself.)

So when I saw this listing on Amazon, I was pretty stoked. 

But then I got bogged down in the extremely negative reviews:

"the finish is not scratch resistant. in my house that would last less than a week. half of the directions were for installation and the other half were for removing scratches. I thought it would at least have some sort of a hard glazed surface but it was more like plastic and that is not good for a sink." 

and

"Very cheaply made and we returned it"

On another site, a woman claimed that her general contractor refused to install in "on principle alone" and claimed "he would be replacing in a few months anyway, so he refused to install it."

Needless to say, I cringed at the thought of spending $300 on a sink that I wasn't sure was a solid purchase.

Fast forward 3 months, and I see a listing for a "white sink" for sale on a local salvage store's facebook page. It's the same sink, still covered in the protective plastic.

It was listed for $100, so I still cringed a bit. (Btw, I'm a bit lot cheap.) I quickly forgot about the listing, because I had already read so many negative reviews.

Another month passed when some other things I wanted to get a closer look at were shown on their page (bathroom sink, faucets, etc.) I thought to myself-- I'll swing by and check everything out.

I had forgotten about the apron front, but when I went back to where their sinks were displayed, there it was. I asked the lady on duty how much it cost and she replied, "$85." 

Well, that called to me. That's pretty cheap. ESPECIALLY since it looked so nice. I knocked on it a few times, looked under it for any damage, and decided it was a risk I was willing to take.  (Because let's be honest, even if it only lasts ONE YEAR in my kitchen, that's long enough for me to save up to replace it, right?)

When I got home, I quickly pulled up the Amazon listing again. Still hovering at $300, but this time I tried to look only at the positive reviews:

February 25, 2013: "I got the sink by courier, but late because I am located in Canada. When I finally received it I found that a small section (about 1/2" x 2") had been broken off the left rear corner of the sink. I emailed Lyons Industries to inquire about the best method of repairing it, but never ever received any kind of response. I later repaired it using super-glue, and while not ideal, it worked and you don't really notice the break too much. I installed it a couple of weeks ago and I really like it. It was easy to install (although I needed to locate the measurements for the template on-line because the sink did not come with a template for that model, but had one for almost every other model they make). The sink looks really good, is quiet, and fits nicely. Too bad the quality of service by Lyons Industries wasn't better, and it would have been really nice to offer to replace the broken sink which was caused by poor packaging. If it weren't for the lack of service I would have rated this product much higher."

I might be borderline stalker, but posed a question on the listing (such a nice feature) about installation, and when this same guy responded, I asked him how his was holding up:

Amazon Customer said on October 1, 2014  |  Edit

Thank you for replying!  How's it holding up?

John B said on October 1, 2014

It's holding up fine. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders on keeping it clean. We had a guest set a hot pan in the sink which caused some minor crackling but if people know not to do that, that should not occur. 

That was reassuring!!

Then I replied to this review from Nicole N.:

“Not sure why others have had issues - we purchased this sink 5 months ago and have had no issues with stains or scratches at all - and with a family of four, it gets beat up daily. We get tons of compliments - couldn't love it more, especially for the price!”

I replied to her review and was sent this in response:

Amazon Customer says:

How's the sink holding up now? Could you post a few photos? I just purchased it and am very curious! Some of the reviews seem harsh, especially since they do not add photos of their issues. I would love to see a recent photo of your's! Thanks in advance!!

Nicole N. says:

I'm not sure how to add photos? I only see the option to insert a product link. I will try... But, it really does still look brand new. I agree that the other reviews are very harsh, and I honestly have no idea why! We toss heavy pots and pans in it regularly, along with knives, and have no scratches, etc. It's also handled plenty of toddler/baby baths well!

Well, I gave Nicole my e-mail address, and she sent me these photos of her kitchen sink. (She installed her sink in March of 2014, so her sink is about 8 months old right now.)

I’m not sure about you guys (and I’d love to hear opinions), but I think for $85, this was a STEAL.  If anything changes, I’ll definitely add a review—but for now, I am SO EXCITED for the kitchen cabinets to be delivered so I can DIY my wooden  counter tops and put this bad boy in.

MrsG