Chip/crack in pedestal sink

[Watson524]

Hi all,

I just discovered that the sink in our powder room has a chip in it along with a few cracks extending out from the chip. I can see a touch of blue which tells me our ceramic soap dispenser that was sitting on the little ledge fell in.... It's a pedestal sink. The brand is Eljer. We built the house in 2002 and I just pulled the builder color sheet and the color is "silk". It looks like Eljer doesn't sell in say a Lowes or Home Depot anymore. I'm in north east PA. A few questions

1.) Is this a porcelin or ceramic sink?
2.) Can it be repaired?
3.) If 2 = no, what's my best bet on replacement? I thought I could just do the basin part but seeing as it looks like Eljer is tough to get, perhaps not. Also - our toilet is Eljer and that's "silk" too. I'm really hoping not to hear that leg, basin AND toilet have to be replaced to keep them matching.

thanks in advance!

 

[Terry]

Eljer Silk = Kohler Biscuit = American Standard Linen = TOTO Sedona Beige

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, all porcelain is ceramic, but not all ceramic is porcelain. Porcelain is just a special type of ceramic.

The best way to check would be on the Eljer website, or to call their support line. There may be s similar color in other brands, but the pedestal is unlikely to be interchangeable, even if the color is - the way they attach just isn't the same in height or configuration unless you were extremely lucky. Even if you got an exact sink replacement, you might have to tweak things slightly to get it to fit the pedestal properly.

 

[Watson524]

thanks Terry! That gives me some hope that at least I can leave the toilet alone.

So replace vs repair is the sense I'm getting? I checked Eljer's website and their "where to purchase" page only lists ******* stores which we don't have anywhere nearby. Let me ask this, let's say I had to replace basin and leg... is it safe to assume that I don't need to do anything at the wall as far as hot/cold/drain there? I know the bolt holes for the basin part might have to change (which I'm sort of not happy about because I don't want to do spackling/painting...)...

thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

The height and shape of each brand and model is slightly different. It may or may not cover. You'd have to study the line drawing very carefully. It is likely you'd have to touch up paint. Without knowing the model and what you are planning to replace it with, there's no easy way to tell. Each one comes with an installation drawing that tells where the 'ideal' placement of supply lines and drain need to be. The easiest would be to see if there is an exact replacment. Call them to see if you can identify the model to see if it is still made, then ask them where you could buy it. Keep in mind that from batch to batch during the same year, colors can change slightly, so after 8 years, an exact replacment may not be a perfect color match. You'd have the same issues with buying boxes of tile, fabric,wallpaper, etc...unless you get everything from the same batch, there can and will be differences.

 

[Watson524]

I just called them and they were somewhat not helpful and sent me to their website after I offered to give them measurements. I think I found it sort of... just based on the look of the leg. This just kills me. For years we've been saying we should have a shelf to put the soap on because there's not much shelf on the sink basin itself and all... it apparently bit us in the A%%. Good news is I have a friend who's a 5th generation plumber in the family business who will be up on vacation for a week and a half starting tomorrow so I think I'm set from an install perspective just a matter of finding one since it sounds like repair isn't an option.

 

[hj]

IF you were in AZ, I could give you the name of a plumbing fixture repair company which could make the sink as good as new. There are others, however, often listed in the telephone book under "Fiberglass plumbing fixture repairs), (fiberglass is the most common repair but they do the other materials as well).