Stainless steel sinks are pretty rugged and while they do scratch they will resist rust and with a little care they will last a lifetime. Eclipse Stainless steel sinks are designed to go with stone countertops and last a very long time. While sturdy they are not indestructible. We do not like to talk about problems but being forewarned is forearmed. ANO recently received a warranty call. The complaint was the finish was bad. Below is the picture we received.
When we called the consumer our first question was did you have tile work done. The answer was yes but the consumer was convinced the “tile guy” had been very careful. After further investigation we discovered the “tile guy” was the homeowner and he had cleaned the tools he used to acid wash the tile in the sink.
Acid will damage the sink finish so it is critical that when working with acid or even selecting cleaners avoid acid based chemicals and cleaners. Note in the picture the stainless steel garbage disposal has the same damage as the sink.
So what can you do? Likely the easiest is to replace the sink. If the damage is not too severe the finish can be restored or at least the damaged surface can be removed by grinding the surface of the sink. This will take specialized tools and experience and is not recommended for homeowners.
