Plumbing problem

[samwichse]

I am trying to replace a plumbing fixture, a bathroom faucet. The counter is made of some sort of composite material, not one of those laminated plastic over pressboard kind, and not marble.

I was wondering, is it safe to use steel wool to remove the ring where the old faucet was? The new one is smaller...

If not, what would be good to use? (it's a green mess, the faucet was gold plate on brass and still complete junk)

Sam

Hey, guy welcome to the synthetic marble..
I wouldn't use steel wool or anything abrasive on it.. your wife will use abrasive words on you..
I know about this stuff, cause I used to buy the raw materials for a company that made them....
Try something like vinegar first (to break down the minerals in the water build up) .. a bleach? or try Dow scrubbing bubbles..
Brasso! MY sister-in-law has a house cleaning business.. she said Brasso and elbow grease... What's elbow grease??
Doh! yeah I remember now..
.. let us know.. but anything abrasive will damage it...

[Graham]

No specific advice, but start with some thing very mild (detergent and a nail bush) and work your way up. Steel wool will scratch the surface of most things, so be careful, if you are lucky you may be able to polish the surface back to a shine afterwards.
Automotive compounds are useful, colour restorer, rubbing compound, various grades of grinding paste all the way up to a cold chisel and mallet

G

[samwichse]

Thanks for the quick replies... I've got vinegar and bleach already here, so I'll start with that.

Hey socalgal, my wife won't be using any abrasive words on me...

Sam

[Knothead]

Dear Samwichse
I come from a family of Plumbers, and couldn't wait to jump on this... but Surreal beat me to it! And her advice is correct: no steel wool!!
You CAN use a single-edge razor (CAREFULLY) on the resin composite, just keep the back of the blade DOWN. After that, you might also consider a store bought compound called CLR, removes Calcium, Lime, Rust, pretty well.
Are you replacing the stems, or rebuilding them?

[FreakyOCR]

replace a plumbing fixture

the old faucet was

I think he is replacing it knucklehea errr knothead!!!!!

[Knothead]

Hey, Freaky,
Why do you think they call me KNOTHEAD?!? (Er, wait a minute...I call me Knothead...that is...Knothead is what I call ME...oh, dear, this isn't working at all..oh, well. )

Seriously, though, a Faucet is just the spout the water comes out of. The Valve Stems are what the handles go onto, which turns the water on and off. A combination of the two would called a Faucet fixture or Lav Set.

Perhaps THAT'S where my confusion came from

I just got done rebuilding the plumbing in my daughter's bathroom, and the zesty thrill of it remains a week later... It's a double-sink setup, and the faucet and valve stems are separate units.

Oh, and Samwichse,
If you haven't done so already, be sure to replace the supply lines to the valves stems. They're not expensive, and new ones are cheap insurance against water damage.

[Graham]

No confusion here Knothead, they are just taps.

Bathroom taps, Kitchen taps, Mixer taps, Gas taps (methane not petroleum spirit) (gasoline)),.............


G

[Knothead]

LOL, Graham!
**heheh, he's in England...they're called taps...loo...ol!**

[samwichse]

Well, the bleach worked pretty well, still a little staining though, but it seems pretty well soaked into the surface.

Replace the supply lines? You mean the two metal lines that go from the wall cut offs to the bottom of the fixture? That might be a little much work for me, my dad picked up a couple unopened pfisters at an auction and I'm putting them in for him while I'm home for school.