Total house remodel

[Time1992]

New to this forum, need advice on under sink shutoff valves, shower valves, facuets, etc. on which brand to buy. Are the ones at Lowes or HD quality or should I look for a specific brand at a supply house. This should be the last house we remodel so I want to do it right with quality parts. Please advise.. Thanks, Tim

[master plumber mark]

I Cant sleep tonight.....5 in the morning


the best shut off valves to use are the Brass Craft with
the compression fittings...

the best faucets to use are the DELTA bought from a supply house
DO NOT GET THEM FROM LOWES...
http://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12568



the best toilets....depends on how much money you want to spend.
Eljer seems to be very good for a lower budget.

[HDFAN1]

Mark, I'm curious. Why do you say not to get them from Lowes? Are they not the same valves?

[frenchie]

Click on the link he posted.

[jimbo]

There has been considerable discussion, along with possibly some truth splattered in, about the quality of merchandise from box stores. It seems true that the manufacturers will package a model a little different, maybe use a plastic pop instead of all metal, to come up with an exclusive model number, so you can't price shop, and also to make a price point demanded by the store and by the consumers.

I have not been convinced that the basis underlying quality of the products is any less. Certainly we know of cases of "bad out of the box" , but this may be due more to the way products are manhandled by customers in the store, and to the return policy.

All in all, I would not discourage you from dealing with a box store, as long as you are willing to accept the possiblity and hassel of getting a bad one and dealing with that. The store of course has a no-questions-asked return, you just have to deal with the hassel. And if you buy from there, you cannot expect a plumber to stand by that product. If a shower valve turns out to be defective, or missing parts, you must pay his labor involved in fixing that. Additionally, if the product later fails during the warranty period, the store, or the manufacturer, will provide replacement parts as necessary, but the plumber will be under no obligation to provide the labor on that repair.

SO, depending on how you wish to deal with it, you can take the discount price, or you can let the supply house and the plumber take a markup on the product, and provide you more personalized service. Your choice.

[master plumber mark]

Well Jimbo.....

please go buy a 2 handle Delta kitchen faucet from lowes

take it apart and see for yourself....ita almost laughable

It is not the same as the trusty repair parts you
now carry in your truck...

I will bet that you cant to put it back together,,

becasue after about 20 minutes I could not get the off

brand stems back the right way to get the lever handles to

set right... so we took it back.


Perhaps I am wrong if you are buying the 1400 0r 1700
tub and shower valves...

I admit that I have not gotten a single
handle kitchen or lav faucet to check those out...


but with all their 2 handle lavatory faucets..
and two handle kitchen faucets

they will cause you nothing but greif.

[hj]

Let's put it this way. If you are going to get a defective, or missing parts, faucet, even in a sealed package, it will be from Lowe's, HD, or similar. Usually you won't know there is a problem until after you have it almost or completely installed so you have to take it apart and return it for another one.

[dx]

I have not been convinced that the basis underlying quality of the products is any less.

I AM convinced from first-hand experience it's considerably less on some products and same quality on other products.

Trouble is, you don't know which is which. They don't put on the package "this product is junk".

Unless you buy a certain product regularly and you know its quality intimately, it's safer to just say NO.

dx

[GrumpyPlumber]

More often than not, my customers prefer to get their own fixtures.
I tell them up front that I'm not responsible for defects or problems down the road...for me it's just easier in some cases than trying to explain the price difference...people seem to think the markup is free money for us.
What dx just said above is completely true, it's a crapshoot, I've seen faucets that I wouldn't want in a tree-house...that to that point were a "trusted" name, but came from HD or Lowes and I haven't the time to create an itemized list of good and bad from the box stores.
The saying stands...you get what you pay for.
Whats funny is that so many people don't want to pay a mark-up..so they opt to get their own...more often that means we have to spend more time trying to get plastic tailpieces to stop weeping, or trying to figure out a way to keep the faucet from being so flimsy...I've even had customers try to insinuate it was my fault faucet handles were flimsy.
For this reason, my labor rate is higher on stock I don't provide...and yes, there IS a markup when we buy the stock...calling suppliers, driving there and waiting in line takes time.
In the end, price-wise...the cost is the same, the product differs.

[cwhyu2]

thank you grumpy Icould not have said it better my self.I have been through
to many times to count.It seems that most of the producs.sold at box
stores are geared to home owners for easy installation.Not for pros.