I have an entire house full of fixtures currently in polished brass finish which I am changing to brushed nickel. This will be done under warranty from Pfister due to the brass finish being defective. Pfister has been very supportive about replacing the fixtures, however I have some detailed technical questions and need some help/advice.
I can replace the entire faucet for the kitchen and lavatory sinks fairly easily because they are accessible. However my showers and roman tub would require busting out tile to replace the entire unit. I REALLY don't want to do that if I can avoid it! Simply swapping out the trim would be ideal, but there is a catch.
My current polished brass fixtures have compression stems (manufactured pre 2003). I am told by Pfister customer service that compression stems and ceramic stems are apples and oranges and the trims are only compatible with one or the other type (not both). The problem is that the selection of replacement trims for compression is very limited. So to get the trim I want I need ceramic stems. Questions:
1. Why are the trims not interchangeable between compression and ceramic stems? The obvious answer is they are different dimensions but I don't want to assume anything.
2. Can the current compression stems simply be swapped out for ceramic? I realize the seats may also need to be removed.
3. Is there an adaptor that will allow trim designed for ceramic to be matched to compression? I have seen stem extenders advertised, but I'm not sure how/why they are used.
Overall I'm looking for the path of least resistance that will still get me the trim I want.
Background information:
Current fixtures are Georgetown collection. Both roman tub and shower/tub combo are two handle design with cross type handles. Desired new trim is Saxton collection. I'm happy to post pictures and part numbers if that helps. I will be doing the work myself, but I am capable of doing pretty much anything.
I appreciate your time.
I can replace the entire faucet for the kitchen and lavatory sinks fairly easily because they are accessible. However my showers and roman tub would require busting out tile to replace the entire unit. I REALLY don't want to do that if I can avoid it! Simply swapping out the trim would be ideal, but there is a catch.
My current polished brass fixtures have compression stems (manufactured pre 2003). I am told by Pfister customer service that compression stems and ceramic stems are apples and oranges and the trims are only compatible with one or the other type (not both). The problem is that the selection of replacement trims for compression is very limited. So to get the trim I want I need ceramic stems. Questions:
1. Why are the trims not interchangeable between compression and ceramic stems? The obvious answer is they are different dimensions but I don't want to assume anything.
2. Can the current compression stems simply be swapped out for ceramic? I realize the seats may also need to be removed.
3. Is there an adaptor that will allow trim designed for ceramic to be matched to compression? I have seen stem extenders advertised, but I'm not sure how/why they are used.
Overall I'm looking for the path of least resistance that will still get me the trim I want.
Background information:
Current fixtures are Georgetown collection. Both roman tub and shower/tub combo are two handle design with cross type handles. Desired new trim is Saxton collection. I'm happy to post pictures and part numbers if that helps. I will be doing the work myself, but I am capable of doing pretty much anything.
I appreciate your time.
