Vintage sink, Kitchen Room Box

This is how I made the kitchen sink for the kitchen room box. I made the sink from wood, gesso and a jelly container, the small single serve kind from restaurants. If that's not available I've used any "bubble" packaging that is the size of the sink I want, this one being 1 1/2" x 1 3/4".

Start out with a piece of 1/16" thick stock, 1 7/8" x 4 1/2". Cut a hole in the center for your sink. I am now going to refer to this piece as the sink top. The plastic bubble should have a flange that you can use to glue the "sink" onto the wood. I glue the "sink" under the top. Don't glue now, just don't trim this flange off. Measure the sink and cut the opening, 3/8" from the back and 1/8" from the front. You can use an exacto knife, cutting a little bit at a time. Sand smooth.

We are going to add onto the 1/16" x 4 1/2" x 1 7/8"piece, the sink top, by gluing more wood to the top of it to make it thicker for the edge, back of top and drain board ridges.

From 3/32" stock cut a strip 3/8 wide and 4 1/2" long. Soften one edge of this piece, it should not be square, diagram A. This piece is glued toward the back on the of the sink top. This is where the faucet will be glued on. Glue the strip on using wood glue and clamp.

From 3/32" stock cut a strip 1/8" wide and 4 1/2" long, also cut 2 strips 1/8" wide and 1 3/4" long. Soften the top 2 edges of these 3 pieces, diagram B. Glue these pieces onto the sink top according to diagram C. Clamp and let dry. When dry slightly round off the front 2 corners of the sink top.

When everything is dry I sanded a slight slope to the drain boards going toward the sink.

Cut from 3/32" stock 1/16" wide strips. ( If you have access to 1/16" half round use that.) Round off the top 2 edges of the 3/32" x 1/16" strips according to diagram B. These are the drain board ridges. I glued 6 of these onto each side of sink. You'll need to clamp these down if you sanded the slope in.

Before you glue the sink to the underneath side of the sink top, cut a hole in the center for your drain. I found a plastic cap about 1/4" in diameter. I cut it off at about a 1/4" and stuck a straight pin in the center, painted it silver and dotted it with black on the inside of the cap to simulate the drain holes. This became my sink strainer/basket.
Another option is to use a gripper snap for the rim and leave out the strainer/basket. Gripper snaps are found in the notions department of a fabric store.

When you are satisfied with all of your sanding, glue the sink to the underneath side of the sink top, and set this assembly aside.

Cabinet. Follow the sizes in the diagram for cutting out the sink sides, back and front. Round off the top 2 corners of the back. Glue the sides onto the back, bottoms even, the back will be 3/8" taller, that's the back splash.
Glue the front onto the sides, keep the tops even. Follow the drawing at the top of page.

Cut from 1/16" stock a strip 3/8" x 4 3/8", this is to be painted black and will be glued onto the bottom front of the cabinet, it's the back of the toe kick.

The doors are made from 1/16" stock, cut 1" x 1 3/4", cut 4.

The drawers are 1/16" x 1" x 1/2", cut 2

The center vent is 1/16" x 1 1/16" x 1/2", cut 1.

With sand paper soften all four edges of the doors, drawers and vent.

I cut vent slots with an exacto knife. I've also seen a shape cut out and filled with decorative screen, maybe paper with tiny holes punched into it, or cross stitcher's perforated paper.

Glue sink top onto cabinet. The sink top will be longer and wider than the cabinet by just a bit, center the cabinet under the sink top from side to side and it should have extra in the front.

I use gesso to smooth everything in, all the seams need to be filled. I paint the whole sink top and let dry. The gesso will sink into the seams, so you will have to paint the gesso on a few times. After you've got everything filled you can sand it all smooth. Remember you want this sink to look like a piece of cast iron with the smooth finish of porcelain.

When that's done paint the sink top and cabinet. Paint the doors separately. I used Rustoleum white, it's an oil base enamel, gives a good appliance finish. Paint and sand between coats with fine sandpaper, I will use up to 400 grit to get a good smooth finish. When you are satisfied with the surface, do not sand the last coat of paint. Glue on the doors and toe kick. Go to the Kitchen Room Box Stove for a little more explanation of the painting.

I don't make my kitchen cabinets or appliances open. I am not going to open them and I don't leave them hanging open. They aren't hanging open in my full size kitchen. I think leaving them open in a miniature scene emphasizes that it is a miniature. I'm going for as much realism as I can achieve.

For the handles I painted a plastic drinking straw silver, then I tried to slice off identical widths, then I cut these in half. I glued the handles on with super glue, be careful.

Glue your strainer/basket in. I ordered a faucet from Hobby Builders, #938, $6.99.

If you have any questions about this please e-mail me and I will be glad to help you.

Miscellaneous Items in Kitchen Room Box

Just going to talk about a few items in the kitchen.

The round "tins" on the bottom shelf and canister set on the counter. These were made from card stock.
I use a wood dowel for the forms, choose the diameter you want for the size of "tin" you want. I find 3/4" dowels make a nice size tin. They come in all sizes, you choose the size of dowel you need.

Take a length of sewing thread, grey if you have it, and run it through your fingers full of silver paint. Get the thread covered, hang the thread to dry. Do enough to go around the tin twice. I do this the night before to be sure that the thread is dry.

The tin I'm copying is 2 1/2" tall. I'm going to cut a strip of card stock 7/32" wide and 2 5/8" long. Wrap it around the dowel, overlap the ends and glue with Elmer's white glue. Be careful not to glue it to the dowel. Let dry. When dry, sand the seam a bit to soften the joint.

Do you want to have a tin that opens? You can fill with cookies, candies or like mine, a button box. For the lid I like a pattern. There are lots of Dover Books that have copyright free designs and patterns. There are catalogs full of pictures that can be used. You can make your own on the computer. Or you can paint the lid. Small print calico is a good source, you can copy it on to card stock.

Cut a strip of card stock or your patterned paper that's been glued (with glue stick) onto card stock, 1/16" wide and 2 5/8" long. Wrap this narrow piece around the already glued strip that is still on the dowel. Carefully glue the lid strip to itself. Don't let glue go onto the bottom strip or you won't be able to open your tin. Let dry, testing occasionally to see that it is not glued to the bottom strip.

Push the lid strip slightly off the dowel, not all the way. Leave the bottom strip where it is. Cut a circle, a little larger in diameter than the dowel, from your patterned paper/card stock. Apply Elmer's white glue to the edge of the lid strip and set the circle (top) onto the glued edge. Let dry. When dry, carefully trim around, cutting close to the edge. I use curved scissors for this.

Take the completed lid off the dowel. Cut another piece of card stock a little larger than the diameter of the dowel. Push the the bottom strip slightly off the dowel, not all the way. Apply Elmer's to the edge and set the bottom circle onto the bottom strip. Let dry. When dry carefully trim off the extra card stock.

You can paint the bottom tin, I use Delta's PermEnamel, to coordinate with your patterned top. Let dry.

To make the rolled edges apply tacky glue in a very narrow line along the bottom edge of tin and apply the thread along this glue line. Let dry. Do the same thing with the bottom edge of the lid.

The canister set is made the same way using graduated sized of dowels.

To make the floor I first made a pattern and then cut a floor from poster board. I found something I liked from a "Better Homes and Gardens" 1940's magazine. I painted the whole surface dark blue, I used a little roller I found at Home Depot. You can use a foam brush, too. This time I used Delta's Ceramcoat. I let this dry. I marked off the border, it's about 5/8" and left an 1/8" space and masked another line about 1/8" wide. I used painter's blue tape. Then I sponged, I'm a great sponger, that's my answer to everything, "Sponge it". I used 2 shades a little lighter that the orignal blue plus white. Let this dry. Then according to the picture from the magazine I painted a little blue square, a yellow circle and 2 red lines. It's not much, but it gave the kitchen a 1940's feel. Take the blue tape off. I finished the floor with Delta's PermEnamel Clear Gloss Glaze.

I made the clock radio from polymer clay. The metal ring around the dial is a rim from a "Gripper" snap from the notions department in a sewing store. I use these for sink drain rims, too. The dial is a barometer face from a clock catalog.

The cabinets do not open. They are all boxes with doors glued on the faces. They are made from basswoood. The handles are drinking straws I painted silver. I snipped off small rings, trying to keep them all the same width, then I cut the rings in half, there's your handle. I glue them on with super glue. I painted the counter tops dark red. The old counter tops were covered with linoleum, some didn't have back splashes. I finished them with Delta's PermEnamel Clear Gloss Glaze. The edge of the counter tops is made from silver foil from a stained glass store or supplier. It's narrow, just the right size for the counter top, you can fold it over the top and bottom. This comes on a roll and is sticky. It looks just like the aluminum edge that used to make the front of our shirts black!

Going to make the sink top next.