Replacing or refinishing sink stoppers??

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claycarson

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Hey folks!

We used an acid based marble polish on a vanity top. We had the homeowner remove the faucet handles first, to avoid damaging them and to reach all areas.

But the sink stopper and the round thing that it goes into (that's a technical plumbing term that I wouldn't expect you guys to understand :D) were also made of plated silver, and the acid etched them away so they look bad.

Options:

1. Remove and replace? The exact color silver is not made by the company anymore (maybe it etched too easily?? No idea why) but if an acceptable color is found, how is this done? One plumber told her that he could not guarantee not breaking the sink if he had to do this. Seems extreme to me, but is he making sense? How much labor cost is this to do?

2. Is there a way to re-plate the existing stoppers and little round thing they go into? On site? I know nothing about refinishing metal....maybe it's doable.

3. I don't know an option 3: I was hoping you would have one!!

I'd appreciate any ideas or opinions, thanks in advance!
 
I fail to see how removing the drain would break a sink. How about a picture top and bottom?
 
Redwood,

I had a hard time understanding that, too, but Im not in much of a position to tell a plumber how to do his trade.....

Pictures? You think I'm smart enough to bring a camera on the job????

You vastly overestimate me...:o
 
You say silver, but is it just polished chrome, which always matches from brand to brand..... or is it satin chrome, brushed chrome, Moen Platinum, satin nickel, brushed nickel, etc. etc.

The stopper removes easily. To replace the flange ring, the drain assembly must be removed from beneath the sink. This is fairly straightforward, and I have never heard of "breaking a sink" in doing this.

Replating the parts is possible, and $$$, and you would have to know how to spec the color.


Best bet is to try to get new parts from the manufacturer. If this is an imported foo-foo designer faucet, good luck!
 
Yeah, when I said silver, I mean real silver, not plated chrome that has the silver color.

And the manufacturer is Newport Brass. Link to their page that has current colors and finishes is: http://www.newportbrass.com/thirty-finishes

They just discontinued silver plating this March (a few days ago!!:confused:) )

and the closest color is polished nickel or brushed nickel.

Since there's no structural reason to remove the flange ring and stopper, can they be refinished on site? Anyone ever hear o' such an outrageous idea??

Client is reasonable, but just wants her sink to look good again.

Any help that leads to a happy client and non broke contractor will be rewarded with a case of Primo Supremo Beer in Ezy Open Pop Tops! :cool:
 
You probably have to disassemble it and send it out to be replated.

It's also possible that you could get a different finish and have it silverplated then install it.
 
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My wife is a silversmith. She wants to know if it is (was) a polished silver or satin silver finish. I'm not supposed to tell you about how she once inadvertently silver plated a set of gold wedding bands she made.

Also, you're talking about the lavatory popup; right?

-Sam
 
My brother in law does silverplating and we have taken old silverplating solution and rubbed it on a penny turning it silver:D but doing that would only leave a thin coating and it would not be a durable finish.
 
In her case, she dropped them into the wrong acid bath :eek: Anyhow, if it's polished silver, I think Clay might be able to find a brasstech popup assembly in silver via one of the online designer merchants.

I'm off to see if my wife will turn all my pennies into dimes! :D

-Sam
 
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I've seen small electroplating rigs that might do the job in situ. They use a paintbrush-like thing to paint on the plating while the object and brush are hooked up to a fancy electronic controller.
 
So it may be possible to replate this, hmmmm....

I will contact the company to see what they recommend.


Any metal plating gurus out there wanna venture how much $ this process could cost??? :eek:
 
Real silver will tarnish, and the plating may not be very thick. The fancy finishes done on new stuff tends to be ion-deposition done in a vacuum chamber. Some of those can be really tough - the manufacturers often give a lifetime warranty. I doubt you'd get much of a warranty on the silver plate.
 
Some finishes just do not do well in a plumbing application. Could it be that Newport Brass figured that out and discontinued the finish? Foo-Foo seldom means practical. But it sure means styling when first installed.:confused:
 
Contact Trim To the Trade or Westbrass. They might be able to supply you with a pop up drain in Silver.
 
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