Totally Confused About Showers
We have to order a shower for our claw foot tub. I’m totally confused by all the options and prices. The plumber says don’t get the cheapest one ($150, Spring House). Other options are Randolph Morris, Elizabethan Classics, Strom/Sign of the Crab, and Sunrise Speciality, ranging in price from $400 to $710. Can anyone recommend…
We have to order a shower for our claw foot tub. I’m totally confused by all the options and prices.
The plumber says don’t get the cheapest one ($150, Spring House). Other options are Randolph Morris, Elizabethan Classics, Strom/Sign of the Crab, and Sunrise Speciality, ranging in price from $400 to $710.
Can anyone recommend a good quality brand with solid brass that they are happy with? Do they all pretty much look the same? Does it matter whether the shower curtain ring is oval or rectangular? Any other tips?
Thanks, Susan. What kind of faucet did you finally end up with?
Mopar, We couldn’t get gooseneck cause the spout had to be below the edge of the tub. It worked out fine, and as it happened, the plumber was allowed to self-inspect. We’ve had to get someone in after the fact to have the water properly regulated as the plumber screwed up. So much for self-inspection!
I like the look of the spigot style one in the photo, but I wonder if water splashing outside the tub could be a problem. Susan, did you go with a gooseneck style faucet? How has that worked out?
Sorry for the confusion. Maybe then we had to have the tub faucet above the overflow, but below the edge of the tub? We were specifically told to change the Sunrise unit we had bought because of this.
yes, i think top quality is important with these tub to shower conversions because they’re somewhat rickety by design so the more solid the better. I wanted one with a handheld shower too, but that adds a lot to the cost and it’s a lot of hardware to look at. Thinking of eventually painting the tub feet a metallic bronzish color. They’re currently a chipped pinky-beige. But that’s the least of my worries with all of the nickel-polishing I have ahead of me!
Thanks for all the thoughtful comments. It’s unanimous — Sign of the Crab! I was thinking of going with something cheaper, but you’ve convinced me. Also, we have the same brand for our sink faucets because it was a very close match with our original faucets, and the quality is really nice to behold. BHS, they’re nickel, and I’ve taken to buffing the spouts every ten seconds with a towel. Hopefully the incipient OCD won’t progress any further.
Actually, Susan Elkins, the tub filler outlet needs to be *above* the overflow. The DoB disallows what is called a “submerged inlet” where the water outlet is able to become submerged in water held in the tub (or bidet, etc)
Me:
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com
Sign o’ Crab from George Taylor Specialties 212-226-5369
Used the faucet everyday for a decade… just recently changed the washers. Finish holds up well.
If you need to pass a plumbing inspection, code in NYC demands that the tub faucet is below the overflow, and that it has a thermostatic valve. If you don’t need to pass an inspection, you can do what you like. We installed Sign of the Crab cause Sunrise does make this type.