Utility, or slop sinks, are the workhorses of DIYers. They take a lot of abuse accumulating old paint and gunk washed off of paint brushes, paint sprayers and other home improvement tools. So sometimes these hard-working utility sinks need a bit of love. Today I’m sharing my quick yet effective way to remove paint off a slop sink using Citristrip (within an hour!).
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What is a Utility or Slop Sink?
A slop sink, also known as a utility sink, is specifically designed to tackle dirty and messy tasks. It’s commonly installed in basements, garages, workshops and barns – i.e. where all those messy things happen. These sinks have deep (and sometimes angles sides) perfect for washing out mops and cleaning tools like paint brushes with minimal splatters.
I love my slop sink. Originally wasn’t here when we moved into our American Foursquare house. Instead we had a random toilet in our basement. There were no walls, no sink, no privacy. Just an old toilet (commonly called a “Pittsburgh Potty” – although we don’t live in PA) installed literally on top of the main sewer line.
We weren’t interested in using this random toilet. Too much of a “yuck” factor. But we were interested in having a utility sink to help clean all the paint brushes and tools we were using for our home improvement projects.
About 8 years ago, I was able to find an old cast iron slop sink for FREE on my local Facebook community group.
It was in decent condition. The bottom has a lot of marks, but still completely functional. The basin (which I believe is enamel over cast iron) just needed a scrub. The cast iron base needed a fresh coat of spray paint. We hired our plumber to remove the Pittsburgh Potty and replace it with our “new” slop sink.
And wah-lah! A place to clean up our paint brushes and paint sprayer.
It’s not perfect. The bottom could need a refurbish. And someday I’ll do it. But for a free sink that retails for a few hundred dollars, I’m OK with it as-is for now.
We did a LOT of painting our first two years in this house. Almost every inch of painted surface in our house has been re-painted.
And our slop sink has paid the price. It has taken quite a beaten. A big difference in a few years!!
Removing Paint with Citristrip
I’m a novice furniture restorer. My hobby is finding free vintage furniture and learning how to stain, cane and paint. Luckily I’ve had some successes, and some failures. One of my biggest failures was letting Citristrip dry on a Lincoln-style rocking chair. Whoopsy…..
Luckily, I was able to fix my mistake and ultimately transform the chair into a piece I’m proud of.
I like working with Citristrip. Why?
- Safe for indoor use (but still open windows and doors for ventilation)
- No nasty methylene chloride (aka non-caustic)
- Pleasant citrus scent
- Biodegradable
So when it came to removing the paint off my slop sink, I figured I’d try CItristrip to see if it would remove paint off a slop sink. And it worked!
Disclaimer
Note that my utility sink is enamel over cast iron. If you have a different type of utility sink, like plastic, this method may not work. In fact, Citristrip could actually cause damage. Please first test Citristrip on a small inconspicuous spot on your utility sink. I’m just an average homeowner trying to navigate owning an old house, not an expert.
How to Remove Paint from Utility Sink with Citristrip
Even though Citristrip has a pleasant citrus scent, ventilation is still EXTREMELY important. Open windows. Open doors. Turn on a fan. Get that air moving!
Supplies
Supplies and tools needed are very minimal.
- Safety glasses
- Chemical-resistant gloves (Citristrip eats latex)
- Citristrip (obviously)
- Paintbrush
- Plastic scraper or soft
- Paper towels
Starting with a dry sink, I poured some Citristrip into the sink and evened it out over the sink using a chip brush. Since the bottom has the heaviest amount of old paint and gunk, it received a heavier layer of Citristrip.
Sidenote – I was impressed with how well Citristrip clung to the vertical sides of the sink!
The Citristrip sat for about 30-40 minutes to penetrate the layers of old paint. I wasn’t quite sure how long it would take to soften the paint, so every 10 minutes I poked the paint with a plastic scraper.
Once the paint felt pliable and easily lifting away, I gently scraped the old paint away using a plastic scraper. The old paint and Citristrip quickly built up on the scraper, so I wiped the plastic scraper with a paper towel.
Note that I used a plastic scraper. Abrasive tools like steel wood may damage the finish on enamel (or porcelain) sinks. How? Abrasive sponges make grooves in the surface of the sink. These grooves then trap dirt and cause the porcelain surface to appear dirty faster.
Also, note that I stuffed a paper towel in the drain so that Citristrip wouldn’t go down the sink. Or old paint clog up the drain.
For stubborn paint stains, you may need to repeat the process again. But I was fine with one time removal.
After removing the old paint, I wiped up any remnants with paper towels. Then I removed the wadded paper towel in the drain and gave the sink a quick wash with regular dish soap and hot water. For an even better clean, you may also want to consider using Barkeepers friend.
But for me, this is a just a utility sink in my basement. It didn’t have to be perfect. But it looked almost exactly how it did 8 years ago when we first installed it.
And now that I know how to easily remove paint off a slop sink, I’m ready to dive back into more DIY projects. And make a complete and utter mess in my utility sink again! ?
Or try to re-enamel the sink. Have you done that? Was it a success or epic failure? Any words of wisdom?
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