I’m going to install a bath faucet and it has a chrome plastic plate under it.
It is going on plastic laminate. What would you use under the faucet?
The guy I’m installing it for like things neat so it would be nice to keep water out form under it.
Thanks!
Edited 3/29/2009 8:52 pm ET by popawheelie
Replies
I pack it with plumbers putty. Scrape off the squeeze out with a plastic whatever.
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Those two are the ones I've heard of. I try to stay away from silicone because it is such a mess. Maybe if I was carefull and took some thinner to clean it up.
I have both of them. Plumber puddy is old school. Which I like.
Descisions, descisions ;^)
Maybe I'll ask him?
I have had very good luck with some of the new "siliconized" acrylic latex caulks. They're water cleanable, and, unlike silicone, you can re-caulk over them once they've cured. The label claims a 50-yr guarantee, which I think we all take with a grain of salt, since the guarantee basically says: "If this stuff is no good, we'll give you more." But, you've gotta pick something.
Putty usually is oil-based, which is a petroleum product with a tendency to break down plastics, like the plastic base of the faucet.
Thanks to all. I'm off to install a faucet.
So, hey...what did you end up doing? You never said. You said you installed it. Said the install went fine except for one bad supply line...but you never mentioned what you used. You did mention that you normally use caulk, but also said you liked the idea of plumbers putty and had that available too.
Soooo pleeease, the suspense is killing me...what did you use?
Davo
You got a chuckle out me! Only a builder would be in suspense over this!
I showed him the three options and talked about them. Clear silicone, plumbers putty, and the white caulk. We decided to use the white siloconized latex caulk I had in my plumbing box. The faucet set on the white sink so a white caulking line was fine.
This home owner is becoming a close friend. He's smart and soaks in information like a sponge. He and his wife are young by my standard and I am just helping them out. He fed me home made lasagna for lunch.
He is a bit if a neat freak, but so am I. No sooner had I set the faucet than he was back in the bathroom using a toothpick and some tissue paper to dress the caulking up around the base.
I took him through the whole process of installing a faucet. Historical, jokes, everything, and he soaked it all in.
I hope you told him that old forest pine toothpicks and acid free paper toweling are the only suitable products for cleaning up caulk.
He'd get it. You should have seen his face when i spilled a little sink trap water on my pants. You could tell he was not ok with that. I was explaining something and using my hands with the trap in one of them. Dumped it right on them.
I didn't bat an eye. I didn't even wash them. But when comes to the faucet i get it super clean.
Edited 4/1/2009 11:11 pm ET by popawheelie
Thanks.
I kinda thought you caulked it but wasn't sure. Now that I know, I'll sleep better tonite. ha! ha! Yea, I'm a home remodeler.
Davo
FWIW plain rubbing alcohol is good for tooling silicone and it can also be used to wash any excess off..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
I'd be leery of using plumber's putty on plastic laminate -- liable to discolor it. Silicone is what would generally be suggested, if the faucet bezel doesn't come with a rubber gasket that is sufficient.
I always use latex caulk (clear), usually comes out of the tube white, cures clear. Easy water clean-up. I use my damp finger and a grouting sponge cut in half for a super clean installation. Set the sinks that way also.
I do the same thing but usually in white. Damp fingers or sometimes a dampt t-shirt.
The installation went fine except we used the old supply tubes and one leaked.
So new hoses were in order. I left it with him. I haven't head anything so no news is good news.