New replacement faucets for my old Shelf Back Sink
Thanks to readers of this forum I found a source for replacement faucets for my 40-50's American Standard Shelf Back sink. I found a master plumber who came out and very carefully removed one of the faucets so we could measure the bonnet. Apparently American Standard changed the size at some point, so in order to order the correct kit, I needed to find out. I could not even begin to remove the faucet caps, so a plumber was necessary. So when the new faucet kit came, the plumber came out and installed them. The total cost was about $525 faucet and plumber, but well worth it. The sink, the "Cinderella" tub, wall tile and floor tile are all in very good shape. Ripping it all out would have been HUGEly difficult, so not really an option, not to mention a crying shame to loose this vintage part of my little cottage. The faucets aren't original, but a very acceptable replacement. And they even act like real faucets! Now if I could find a vintage lighted recessed medicine chest (or a quality, realistic new) in very good condition.
Comments (18)
badgergal
9 years ago
enduring
9 years agoRelated Discussions
My New Potting Shelf
Comments (4)Ooooh, see, I knew my instincts were right. How cool to have the stairs wrap around a giant boulder! Just noticed the overhead lights too. Officially jealous to have such a good outdoor workspace. I'd be out there in the evenings too. I always have too many pots, so I'd probably try to score some kind of tall shelf unit at a thrift store to have lots of pots storage. You could use more doors to build another counter area, and leave space underneath for Rubbermaid type bins. That's what I use under my potting bench to keep my soil mix. You could also use undercounter space for things like bags of perlite (or whatever you keep on hand for potting mix.) Yup, definitely officially jealous....See MoreOPtions for replacement sinks/faucet placement?
Comments (17)writersblock, thanks for the warning on Ikea faucets - I will check out the reviews. In fact in looking at the bathroom hardware I have and the general traditional style of our home, I don't think the Ikea faucets would fit with the feel, they are all too modern and institutional. The thing is the ones installed by the PO are actually less than 2 years old and of not-entirely-awful quality, I just find the configuration and finish to be less than nice. I love the simplicity of a single hole, single lever faucet. hosenemesis, thanks for the encouragement - I have been studying dozens of blogs and DIY tutorials on the refinishing/epoxy topic. Some of the projects look tacky but several look really, really good for very little cost. I have been honing my DIY skills and have enough basic artistic ability plus practical skills to pull this off, I think. Since DH and I have priorities other than putting money into the house, I like the idea of making due as much as I can with what we have, but making it better and more attractive. Really, it can't get much worse than the chipped, yellowy 1980 cultured marble! Well, it can - I have seen some of the blog "before" photos of mauve and baby blue laminate, etc. live_wire_oak, I think you misinterpreted something I said or perhaps I worded something incorrectly - I would never try to use silicone to keep a sink in place! The current sinks are enameled cast iron and pretty heavy - they are with definitely held in by screwed-in clips under the counter - there is caulk around the mater sink to disguise the fact that it is not the right shape and keep water out - that's what I was re-doing as the old caulk was messy and bumpy. The master bath sink is more oval than the hole and there is a tiny gap between the cutout and the sink. I don't know whether the master sink was replaced more recently or if it is older but it's a different shape and size despite the countertop cutouts being the same. It is not rusted like the other 2, but fits much worse than the powder and guest bath (powder room sink is the photo at the top). So, maybe for now I'll keep the faucets and sinks in the powder and guest bath since they actually fit correctly - and just refinish with epoxy where the chips/rust are (worst that can happen is the rust comes back through!) . Replace the sink in the master bath and a new faucet there, and refinish all the tops. And of course I am repainting the vanities. Here's what I have done so far bath-wise - this is the powder room before purchase last summer and after a little paint facelift, hardware and a new mirror (I was going to make a frame with moulding but found this on clearance sale for less than the cost of moulding!): Photo take before we closed - note the hideous sheet vinyl and the industrial gray vinyl baseboard, During flooring after painting and flooring, new hardware after painting, flooring, mirror And here is the master bath in all its current splendor, as inherited from the PO. Notice the enormous slab mirror (you didn't notice it, right?) the "makeup station", the high gloss paint (only rooms I have not painted yet are the upstairs baths) and the huge expanse of 9' of yellowish cultured marble. The guest bath looks almost exactly the same but toilet on the left and shower on the end. It was functional and had 1 year old acrylic tubs, surrounds, and faucets so we left it as a "next year" project... now it is next year! But just so you can see I have not been idle, before we moved in I made this: into this: and this: became this So you can see I am not afraid of "DIY", and all of the above including 1500 sq ft of flooring and paint was done for less than $1500 :)...See Moreneed help replacing old thicker tile with new tile
Comments (8)Abby, I added a few pics to the album if you'd like to take another look. The cabinets are 27" deep so they are very spacious, but I feel like the space is not very practical. It's difficult to get to the very back of the shelf, so everything ends up piled near the front. I would love to have some shelves that slide out. Drawers would be even better. I guess it depends on what you want to store in there. Towels are a different story than little bottles, brushes, make-up, all that tiny bathroom stuff! There is an access panel in the lower cabinet. You can see in the pic that the panel is off right now, so it might look a little funny. The floor is just painted concrete. All the walls and shelves are painted as well. If I could do it over, I would probably keep the large lower cabinet with the access panel and enough room for toilet tissue/paper towels and cleaning supplies and another shelf. There's about 15 inches of unused vertical space down there that could benefit from another shelf (removeable so you could still get to the access panel). I would put a couple thin drawers (5-6") in between the upper and lower cabinets for all the little stuff. Then I'd have the upper cabinet. At that point I'd ask a cabinet/organization/closet expert to sugget ways to use the space efficiently. I don't know if that would include pull out shelves or what. But if you got creative in that space, you could really have a ton of storage. I would just keep your eye out around here, I have seen a few different bathrooms with this same set up. Maybe someone else has some additional suggestions. The toilet and sink are both Kohler Memoirs. I can't remember who makes the faucet but it is not Kohler. Thanks for the compliments, I love the sink as well! Good luck in your bathroom! Here is a link that might be useful: Updated album...See MoreReplacing the bathroom sinks without new countertops?
Comments (8)debrak2008, I have to figure out how to post a pic here first :P. But the countertop is those yellowish cultured marble top (you see a lot of those in the older houses) but it's not one-piece. The sink is an undermount sink, so it's just like the typical granite top with undermount sink you see now. BUT mine is not granite top obviously, and the sink is rusty and scratched. sjhockeyfan and weedyacres, Thanks for your link! Yes I looked on craigslist and saw some ads for prefab granite tops too. And my friend told me about this too. But my problem is I can't find my size, esp. the 72 inch SINGLE sink countertop... :(. And if I custom made that one, it's expensive. The worst is that I need one 60 inch (I found that this countertop is the only one that's the most typical size) and one 72 inch that's matching right, cuz they're in the same jack & jill bathroom! For the 36 inch countertop for the half bath, the problem is the depth is 1 inch more shallow than the typical tops, so it's 20 inch. And I can't go any deeper because the top is right next to the door opening so 21" countertop won't work! So yes, my house has some strange bathrooms and I figured either we spent more money to hire someone to renovate (but we don't have that funds now) the bathrooms, or we try to make small changes. Of course, I wish I could be as handy as most of the members here then the problem can be solved easily :( Anyways, thanks for all your answers! Please do share if you have any more insights. Thanks again!...See Morewritersblock (9b/10a)
9 years agojaneway452
9 years agoNot only are the new modern substitutes boring, they have no soul, writersblock. I've been searching the internet until I'm cross-eyed looking for a vintage lighted recessed mirror medicine chest in good shape. The only fairly reasonable one from Lowe's turned out to be cheaply made, at least to my standards. I'll keep looking, but I'm worried that salvaged items might have real problems with the electrical (maybe could be rewired), more than just minor mirror flaws and chrome being pitted or rusted way more than acceptable. I won't mind too much paying for really realistic high end replica. Just finding it is the problem. My next plan involves hitting the road (road trip!!) looking for architectural salvage and high end kitchen/bath showrooms. Suggestions welcome!
badgergal
9 years agoSaw the medicine cabinet below (sorry for the blurry picture) on Signature Hardware's website. Is that the type of cabinet that you are looking for?
I have ordered from them without a problem but they do have a 10% restocking fee on returns.
Here is a link that might be useful: Medicine cabinet
lcm_maine
9 years agojaneway452
9 years agoBadgergirl, that's the cabinet I ordered from Lowe's online (free delivery for store pickup). It was really close to what I am looking for in a new cabinet, but the quality was not acceptable. In the picture you can see how the bottom left "chrome" light holder gaps out. Yuck. I'd see that every time I looked at it. And it came with two plastic shelves. One of the reason I bought it from Lowe's is that I knew I could return it to the store if I didn't like it. It's just so hard to tell from a picture. On the etsy site I found two possible vintage cabinets, but the flaw in the mirror on one was too obvious (wonder if I could get the mirror replaced). The vintage Sears cabinet was a real possibility but there was a small hole in the front of the right light cover. I'm guessing it would be next to impossible to find a replacement square light cover. I found a picture of my original cabinet and can't remember the condition of the mirror, but I think that was an aquarium light bulb, probably none on the left for some reason and no kind of light cover. I so wish I had saved it, but that was back in '94 and I just didn't think.
dekeoboe
9 years agojaneway452
9 years agojaneway452
8 years agoaliammen
8 years agojaneway452
8 years agojaneway452
5 years ago
Lydia Devine
4 years ago
ternits