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"You can't find the knowledge, quality of selection, customer service and committed neighborhood store setting anywhere else. I look forward to another 10 years of business with A-Ball and its staff."
DeNeice Worthington
Homeowner
Portland, Oregon
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Pedestal Basins |
Today's pedestal basins are generally made of vitreous china (the same material that is used to make toilets). Older pedestal basins were made from either cast iron and porcelain or china. Older china basins were usually more expensive and elaborate in design. Elaborate in design, is the catch phrase: It also means that trying to refit is usually a more elaborate process -- and sometimes an impossible one. If the sink says, Crane, you may choose not to purchase it. Crane Co. made many beautiful pedestal basins, but they are also incompatible with those of any other manufacturer. This can prove to be a problem, especially if the drain assembly is not intact.
In retrofitting an existing pedestal basin, some measures will keep frustration at a minimum. If possible, bring the sink top along; if not, bring photographs and measured drawings.
If purchasing an older basin, see if it has an overflow. Unless you can determine that the drain system is all there, you may not want to get involved with it.
Most people today like mixing water. However, many older basins have only HOT and COLD single faucets with a chain stay in the middle. In this case, there are some options: If the chain stay is removed and there is a hole approximately 1 in. dia. and the floor can be seen through this hole, any widespread faucet should fit. If the hole in the middle is encapsulated or too small, leave the chain stay. The next alternative is to put a single hole mixing faucet on one side of the basin and put a soap dish on the other side. If that option is not appealing, there are a few over-the-top mixing valves available.
In purchasing an older china pedestal basin, the biggest problem can be the thickness of the china. Sometimes the china is too thick to accommodate a replacement faucet. There are also some models where the valves were set into the china and are a closed system. When they are gone, they are gone!
More Tips
See our selection of pedestal sinks here.
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