"prep was a beast...but honestly, the finish wore down faster than expected."
Haha, totally feel you on the prep struggle. Reminds me of when I tackled my first sink repair—thought I'd breeze through it in an afternoon. Nope. Spent hours sanding and cleaning, convinced I'd nailed it, only to find the finish peeling off after a couple months. Lesson learned: prep is sneaky important, but even perfect prep can't always save a subpar finish.
About porcelain vs ceramic, that's a solid point. Porcelain tends to be denser and less porous, so it usually holds up better over time. Ceramic can be a bit softer, and I've noticed it chips or wears down quicker, especially if you're using abrasive cleaners or scrubbing pads. My aunt had a ceramic sink she refinished herself, and within a year it looked worse than before she started. She ended up calling in a pro anyway, and they used some industrial-grade epoxy finish that held up way better.
If you're leaning toward DIY again, I'd suggest looking into epoxy-based kits rather than acrylic. They're a bit trickier to apply (and yeah, prep is still key), but the durability difference is noticeable. Also, make sure you give it plenty of curing time—rushing that step can really mess things up. Learned that one the hard way too...
Either way, good luck with it. Plumbing projects always seem straightforward until you're knee-deep in sandpaper dust and frustration, haha.
Yeah, I hear you on the epoxy kits being tougher overall. But I'm curious—did you guys notice any yellowing or discoloration over time with epoxy? I've seen a few sinks refinished with epoxy that looked great initially but started to yellow after about a year or so, especially if they're white or lighter colors. Wondering if that's just certain brands or maybe UV exposure?
Also, totally agree on ceramic being softer and more prone to chipping. My brother refinished his ceramic bathroom sink last summer, and it already has tiny chips around the drain area. He swears he followed all the prep steps perfectly too...makes me wonder if ceramic is just inherently trickier to DIY successfully.
Has anyone tried those professional reglazing services instead of DIY kits? Curious how much better they actually hold up compared to home kits—worth the extra cost in your experience?
I've definitely seen epoxy yellowing happen, especially in bathrooms with windows or skylights. Seems like UV exposure speeds it up. My aunt had hers professionally reglazed about three years ago, and honestly, it's held up way better—still bright white and no chips yet.
Yeah, totally get what you mean about the epoxy yellowing. I did a DIY epoxy fix on my kitchen sink last year, and honestly, it's already starting to look kinda dingy—especially around the edges where sunlight hits it. Thought I nailed it at first, but now I'm second-guessing that decision, haha. Your aunt's experience sounds promising though. Makes me wonder if professional reglazing might've been worth the extra bucks after all. I guess sometimes DIY just can't match pro results, especially for stuff that's heavily used or exposed to sunlight. Anyway, good to hear your aunt's sink is still holding strong after three years... that's pretty solid. Gives me hope if I ever decide to redo mine properly.
I feel your pain with the epoxy yellowing—I had a similar issue with my bathroom vanity. Thought I'd save some cash and DIY it, but after about a year, it started looking pretty rough, especially near the window. Ended up biting the bullet and getting it professionally reglazed, and honestly, it's been night and day. Two years in and still looks fresh. DIY is great for lots of things, but sinks that get daily abuse...might be worth going pro next time around.
