A friend asked if the guy who installed his Costco marble vanity and faucet set screwed up. The installer says he installed correctly and will not do anything about it.
Note the dark halos surrounding the valves. Looks like stains from plumber’s putty to me. The spout shows no halo, but it is also so loosely mounted that it moves readily when touched.
What do you guys think caused the halos?
What should the installer have used to seal under faucet bodies installed on porous stone like marble? Clear silicone caulk?
Does anyone know a way to fix this problem?
Thanks
Replies
Bruce,
You can try to remove the stains with a poultice made from whiting and acetone. Make a slurry and paste it on, cover with a paper towel.
I never use plumbers putty. Lexel or silicone.
KK
Ditto the silicone. I pity the poor bastid that has to swap a fixture potted in lexel. That stuff is tough.
What is whiting, talc or something?BruceT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Calcium carbonate ie marble dust. Used in ceramics and stained glass works. Pottery suppliers have it. Kitty litter would probably work also since the acetone is the working agent.KK
I've used corn starch in an acetone poultice with good results, though not on marble.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Thanks to all for your confirmation of the likely cause of the problem and the poultice suggestions. I've passed them on to my friend.BruceT
It appears that he used plumbers putty, or some sort of grease -- a no-no for marble.
I doubt that it can be cleaned up.
A poultice with the right solvent can work wonders. An earlier post mentions acetone which is probable a good choice. This link gives a pretty good step by step explanation.http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/step/0,,20055946,00.htmlThe most dramatic story I heard at my local slabyard was a homeowner who was really particular about the placement of their 12 x 12 white carrera tiles so they took a red marker and labeled the sequence each tile should be laid in.After the tile were set they realized the red marker was bleeding up to the surface of the tile.After applying several poultices to the tile they managed to pull all the red marker through the tile into the poultice leaving no visible remains.Karl
I agree it's certainly worth a shot. Probably should figure out what the cause of the stains is first.It occurs to me that the plumber may have used supplied gaskets that were lubricated with beeswax or some such, though I wouldn't think that would make as large of a stain.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
In addition to what coonass suggested, you could try this product by DuPont. It also is a poultice, but specifically for stone.
http://www2.dupont.com/Stone_Tech_Professional/en_US/Consumers/diy_projects/remove_deep_set_in_oil_stains.html
It's just wood.