Forum Archive

I live in a co-op built in the early fifties. Two different plumbers have told me that both my shower and sink plumbing should be replaced because they are in such bad shape they can’t be repaired very well. (In the shower, the diverter no longer works, and in the sink, the faucet drips and one handle leaks.)

So, like many people here, I am looking for a contractor–but one who is not going to try to convince me to rip out all my pink tile and install beige travertine. I just want to put in new plumbing, a new sink (old one’s also badly worn), and patch tile as necessary (not just where the shower is fixed, but also a few small areas where the existing tile was patched at some point with the wrong color). Any recommendations of someone who is very sensitive to restoration? (BTW, I have some extra matching tile from when neighbors gut-renovated their bath.)

Final question: Is it true (as one plumber told me) that if I replace the shower plumbing, I must install a one-handle control rather than the two handles I now have?