Friday, July 13, 2012

Product Review - Swanstone Contour Sink


This is the sink I fell in love with and choose for our bathroom. I loved the lines and ample counter space.
Now that we were at the house I was able to look at and live with it for a bit I've discovered it's kind of like an internet romance after the first meeting gone bad.

"Baby, in the pictures you sent me you looked great, but you're not livin' up to them."

It looks nice and shiny, doesn't it? It isn't. The surface is totally mat and every time hubby washed his hands, after being in the yard, the entire sink and counter top surface was dirty. Yeah, he's a splasher, but the water that was in the sink should run down and not just cling to the sink (my MIL suggested I put towels down on either side to catch Hubby's splashes - she knows her boy :o) ).

See how it sucks up all the light? Mat, mat, mat...Nothing like the shine in the pic above.
ANYway I polished it with turtle wax, in the hope the water, at least in the basin part, would run down. But the mat surface was like a sponge and sucked it up in a day. Not to mention the slight green hue the turtle wax left behind. Do I want to wax and polish the sink every day? Not really.

Oh yeah, one other thing. I don't know where it came from but there is a glass pin head sized orange stain near the faucet and two black scratches in the countertop to the left. I couldn't beach it out, couldn't polish it out. Stubborn.

I did reach out to Swanstone, the company that makes the sink, admitting that it was my misfortune/fault....not looking at it in real life before purchasing, but asking them what I could do about the issues. I remember writing them before about counter tops and never heard back. This time if they don't respond I will pick up the phone and give them a call.

Don't get me wrong, I do love the bathroom and how it turned out and am happy with my choices and can live with cleaning it...just wish I didn't have to. All of this brings us full circle to the look before you buy episode with the fridge. Will I ever learn?

So my review is more like a warning to anyone that might be interested in this sink. Please be aware that the surface is mat, you will have to clean a lot and it stains and scratches easily.

For now I am eagerly waiting for a response, I'll keep you posted.

Aloha a Hui Hou!

5 comments:

  1. WAIT! I did get a response, and here it is:

    Hi, Sorry you are having issues with your vanity top. Yes you can sand the vanity top with a 220 grit sand paper to get smooth and free of scratches etc, and then go back over with a 320 grit sandpaper, and then buff with a scotch brite pad. If a gloss is desired you can use Turtle wax "Ice".
    Thanks, Pat

    Guess I'll have to wait till our next trip to see how these suggestions work.

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  2. How disappointing! Why would anyone even make a sink like that? You're a trouper, to just suck it up.

    Joanne

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  3. Two things I would do...

    1) Realize that your first photo is of Swan's CULTURED MARBLE sink, with a shiny plastic vacuum formed cover, and your second pic is of their acrylic resin SOLID SURFACE vanity top with backsplash. Totally different products.

    2) If you wanted to, you could use something like Homax or Rustoleum's epoxy paint it white to make it glossy, water repellent and stain resistant! That's what I plan on doing with mine before I even install it :-)

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  4. Ha! Did not know there was a difference. Sent the pic to my contractor....maybe he didn't notice that there were two different ones available and just happened to get the matt one?

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  5. Please continue this great work and I look forward to more of your awesome blog posts.
    Bathroom Products

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