How can I fix this coating on the kitchen sink?

Question

Just moved into this house. The coating on the sink is coming off. I think maybe the sink has been painted, but I am not sure. It is particularly bad around the drain where a larger piece has chopped away and it is lifting all around it. In other places there are small chips. The bottom of the basin looks worn and permanently dirty. Does anyone have any ideas about what the coating is or what could be done to fix it and/or make it look better and last longer?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Looks like a repaint. (Those are popular in the real estate world, because they look good for a couple of weeks.)

Since it's failing, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was a crummy job and will probably continue to get worse.

Three choices:

• live with it
• painstakingly strip and paint again. (Professional recommended... good ones use epoxy paints/equipment that aren't really DIY. A good job will last reasonably well, though not forever.)
• new sink, though this often turns into a quagmire of new faucets, plumbing, counter, cabinets, flooring, paint, windows...