Troughs
The vast majority of our troughs were found in rural China and range from 12 inches to 8 feet in length and weigh between 75 pounds to more than 1.5 tons. These carved stone troughs were originally used to feed and water livestock. Typically they are repurposed today as planters or water features. Some of our more unique pieces are being repurposed as kitchen farm sinks, bathroom sink basins and bathtubs. Measurements listed are approximate and may vary from 1 inch to .5 inches. If the space your piece is going to be used for is tight be sure and ask for photos of the exact dimensions!
Smoothing, Coring and Sealing
Most troughs have some type of interior carving or natural ridges. For the smaller water troughs this is smoothing process is less labor intensive. If you are purchasing a small water trough for a powder room or guest bathroom the labor for polishing and sealing the bottom only of a small trough is usually around $150. Depending on how much work is required, labor to smooth and polish is billed at $125 per hour. Some prefer to leave the rustic carving in the interior and just have a trough sealed and cored. Once you have selected your piece we can provide an estimate of how much the fabrication fee will be.
Every sink is a custom core. We have our clients send the drain assembly to us (email Sally@thegardenvault.com for shipping address), once we have the drain assembly we custom core the trough for the drain and make sure all the fittings are perfect The standard price for coring is $250. Here is a link to a style of long threaded drain assembly. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKC8HXO?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_HXZ1HWZVRYA0PNHP8M96
Click here: See the coring process live
Big Troughs and Rough Cuts
The prices listed above are for small troughs (troughs with a WT in the name) used for powder rooms. When it comes to larger pieces it’s an hourly rate depending on how detailed the finish is.
This is a large trough that will be used for a powder room. The client requested all interior surfaces be smoothed. In this instance the labor cost for smoothing and sealing is significantly greater. We are happy to provide an estimate of labor costs for larger pieces.
Notice the highly articulated side ridges
Interior Smoothed out enough to begin polishing
It will take several passes with the grinder before it is ready for polishing.