Copper Sinks Offer More Than Meets the Eye

Think copper sinks are cool? Apparently a lot of other homeowners think so, too.

Copper sinks are all the rage in kitchens and baths as decor mavens look for something new beyond the stainless or porcelain sinks that dominate today's showrooms.

Why copper? For one, the dark patinas complement the trend toward oil rubbed bronze hardware and deeper, richer natural countertop stones such as granite.

Many homeowners are drawn to the variable shades of copper that seem in a day-to-day state of flux. Paul Sacco, owner of Copperhead Sinks in Dallas, calls the ever-changing hues of copper a "living finish" that evolves over time as the metal oxidates.

In fact, most copper sinks sold today are dark because the effort and elbow grease needed to keep copper shiny is more maintenance than many homeowners want to endure.

Sacco equates the rising popularity of copper to where stainless was 10 to 12 years ago as steel began a climb up the popularity charts.

"Pretty soon, you'll see a lot more darker finishes like copper on the market," said Sacco, who operates a sink shop in Mexico where more than 400 designs of copper bath, kitchen and vanity sinks are created. People have warmed to a rich Tuscan look that spills over into Mediterranean and Southwest influences as well, he said.

Sacco said copper is usually hammered, bent or pounded into shape by hand. The surface is rarely smooth, but that can be a plus. Unlike many sinks of other materials where a scratch or dent sticks out like a sore thumb, minor flaws or scrapes in copper quickly oxidize and blend in with the surrounding metal.

But copper has other innate qualities beyond beauty. The acids in copper make its surface naturally antibacterial. Harmful bacteria such as e-coli can't survive more than a few hours on untreated copper. The healthful advantage is lost, however, if homeowners unnecessarily seal the surface with lacquer or other commercial sealants.

Sacco said sales of copper sinks have gone from 40 percent to 60 percent per month as interior designers and home magazines tout the upside of copper in the home.

Article Source: David Bradley

Copper Facts

Copper is the most versatile and durable of all metals and has been called "man’s eternal metal". Copper is malleable, ductile and long lasting. Copper is a better conductor of heat and electricity than any other metal except silver. Without copper, there might never have been an electric light or space flight. This miraculous mineral and its alloys are at the heart of all technology, from telecommunications to transportation.

• Copper is everywhere – take a minute and look around you. It is in what you see and often in what you don’t see. It’s behind the walls of your
  home, in electrical and telephone wiring. It’s in computers, refrigerators, microwaves and automobiles.
  


• The average home today contains about 400 pounds of copper for electrical wiring, water pipes and appliances, while the automobile you drive
  contains about 50 pounds. Each child born today in America will need 1500 pounds of copper in the course of his or her lifetime to enjoy our
  current standard of living.
  
  
• Did you know? – When zinc is alloyed with copper, brass is made. And when tin is alloyed with copper, bronze is made.
  
  
• Copper Fact – The Statue of Liberty contains 179,000 pounds of copper. After one hundred years of enduring biting sea winds, driving rains and the
  beating sun, the copper skin of the Statue of Liberty not only has grown more beautiful, it has remained virtually intact. The weathering and
  oxidation of the copper skin has amounted to just .005 of an inch in a century.
  


• Did you know? – Today’s U.S. coins, dimes, quarters and half dollars have a solid copper core and an outer layer of a copper-nickel alloy.
  


• Copper’s Future – One of copper’s major advantages is that it is recyclable. In North America alone, approximately one half of the copper consumed
  annually comes from recycled material. Copper’s recycle value is so great that premium-grade scrap has at least 95% of the value of primary copper
  from newly mined ore.