DIY Outdoor Cast Iron Farmhouse Sink Base

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Follow along as we build an outdoor cast iron farmhouse sink from salvaged materials and pressure-treated 2X4 boards.

After a winter of hibernating inside and not doing many home improvements, we’re revving up our DIY mojo this spring and tackling lots of outdoor projects this spring.

This base for my outdoor cast iron farmhouse sink is our latest project. I’ve always wanted an outdoor sink for washing up paint brushes and produce from our garden. And I also think they look some pretty and homey. I can’t wait to get this beauty painted, plumbed and installed on the side of our house.

Today, I’ll be sharing the details of how we built the base for the outdoor sink, using salvaged materials and pressure-treated lumber. In a later post, I’ll show you how to plumb the sink and attach it to your outdoor water spigot. And as soon as the pressure-treated lumber cures, I’ll paint it and add some trim and share some pretty photos.

Supplies

• Salvaged cast iron farmhouse sink
• 4 36-inch tall chunky island legs, 4X4 posts or table legs
• 8-foot pressure-treated 2X4 boards
• Pocket hole jig
• Drill
• Circular saw
• 2 1/2 inch outdoor screws
• Tape measure
• T-square
• Work gloves
• Safety glasses
• TYLENOL® 8 HR Muscle Aches & Pain (You’ll understand why this is essential later!)

I’ve been on the hunt for a cast iron farmhouse sink for a while now, and I finally found one at a local salvage yard. Actually, they had two.

While I really wanted the 5-foot long sink with a drain board, it was a behemeth. It would have taken two or three strong guys to move it, and I didn’t want to do that to my back or my husband’s.

So, I bought the smaller double sink, which was better suited to our space anyway. And it was still a bear for the two of us to lift. I definitely felt it in my arms and shoulders when we lifted it onto the finished base.

I’m glad I had TYLENOL® 8 HR Muscle Aches & Pain to help relieve my minor muscle aches and pains after this building project. Even though the build was fairly easy, there was a lot of heavy lifting, and hubby and I were both feeling it afterwards.

Because the cast iron farmhouse sink I salvaged was so heavy, I knew I needed some substantial legs for the base.

I had a set of four, chunky mismatched island legs that were perfect for the project. They measured 36 inches tall with a 4-inch base, the perfect height for a standing sink base.

If you’re a perfectionist, you may not like the mismatched look, but it’s just what I was going for with this rustic build. I think it adds to the charm of the outdoor farmhouse sink, especially since I plan on painting it to look old and weathered and chippy. I did opt to use the two matching legs for the front of the sink base.

I bought the legs from a builder friend, and I paid $30 for all four of them. That’s about what one would cost at the hardware store. You could use salvaged table legs, fence posts or even 4X4 lumber, cut to length. Be sure to check local architectural salvage yards, as they may have something similar.

Before we started framing up the outdoor farmhouse sink base, we turned the sink upside down in the yard and placed the legs where we wanted them to sit. This helped us determine what length to cut the pressure-treated 2X4.

My sink measured 33 inches by 22 inches, which is fairly standard for a double sink. So we cut our front and back boards at 28 inches and the side pieces at 18 inches. We only needed one 8-foot 2X4.

To assemble the frame, I used a jig to make pocket holes at each end of the 2X4 boards. This way, our screws are hidden. We set the apron of the base back 3/4″ on the legs and 1 1/4 inches on the sides to accommodate our sink.

Assembly was super easy. We used 16 2 1/2-inch exterior screws to attach the 2X4s to the legs.

I definitely recommend laying out your legs on your sink before cutting your boards. This way, you will ensure the rough opening will fit your sink, and you won’t waste any wood.

I snapped this photo before we’d tightened all the screws, when we were testing to make sure the sink would fit. So I know I need to square up the left rear leg.

The sink base is pretty sturdy, as it is, but I am thinking about adding some extra stability by either bracing the corners or adding 2X4s at the bottom.

I may even build a shelf where I can set buckets to collect the gray water when I use the outdoor sink. I’m also contemplating adding some salvaged trim pieces to the sides and apron, just to pretty the cast iron farmhouse sink up more. What do you think?

For now, I’m just waiting for the rain to stop and the pressure-treated lumber to cure so I can paint my outdoor farmhouse sink and start enjoying it.

Speaking of rain, I really owe my husband lots of love for his help on this project. I met him in the driveway after work and told him I needed help building the sink RIGHT NOW because rain was imminent and I needed to get it done. He quickly changed clothes and agreed to help, even though it was hot outside, he was tired from a long day at work, and he was hungry for dinner.

And then at one point, I saw him wincing and rubbing his deltoid after lugging one of the island legs around.

I’m really glad I was able to offer him two TYLENOL® 8 HR Muscle Aches & Pain tablets, along with my gratitude, when we were finished with our building chore.

I’m happy to report that he still loves me, and he loves our new outdoor sink!

You can find TYLENOL® 8 HR Muscle Aches & Pain and Extra Strength TYLENOL®, to help you get through the aches and pains of the spring season, on the pain relief aisle at Target.

If you’re interested in other outdoor DIYs, check out this potting bench buffet server we built.

DIY Outdoor Buffet

I am not a medical expert, and this post is not medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. ©Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. 2017. The third party trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.