Wait - I think I answered my own question! I just looked online and for about $9 you can buy a replacement overflow cover in brushed nickel. Then the only chrome would be the drain on the bottom of the tub and I’m ok with that!
Help - my guys finished the demolition faster than they expected and are now putting the new tub in. He put a chrome drain and overflow thing (that little circle on the side of the tub) and told me I had to rush out to get my tub faucet/shower head kit. I thought I would have the weekend and did not really want to pick out of what was in stock at Home Depot but I had no choice so picked the one I liked best. Problem is I wanted brushed nickel.
Is it super weird to put a chrome drain/overflow thing with brushed nickel faucet/handle/shower head? I asked my friend who is great at design and she said it would be fine but I think she was thinking of just a shower where the only chrome would be on the ground. I am worried that the overflow thing will be to close to the tub faucet and look stupid.
oh - and I grabbed a chrome one too in case that made more sense. I didn’t want chrome but it is just a guest/kids bathroom and will not be the end of the world. (as long as I can still do brushed nickel on the other things like sink faucet/towel bars…))
IMO, if you want certain fixtures, you need to get them. Just because guys put in what came with the tub, it does not mean it should stay there. Run to HD and get brushed nickel overflow and drain things and insist that they need to be switched.
Thanks - we looked and they didn’t have the brushed nickel in stock at any of the area stores. I’m ok with just the drain being chrome, that won’t bother me at all. I am just happy they are working so fast, now I need them to give me a list of what I need next so I am ready on Monday!
Don’t jus ask - insists and be persistent. It is not rocket science to replace those things. They should not have gone with installing things they knew were not the correct finish.
@BunsenBurner is right. If you ask, you’re giving them the opportunity to say “no”, but if you hand them the parts and instruct them to install them, it’ll be done. And they’ll respect you for it.
OK - then I have one more question. Can I get a kit that just has the replacement parts for the overflow cover and the drain cover or do I have to get a whole new kit? Thank you for all of your advice so far - this is the first bog project we have ever done!
Conversion kit will work. But, in the grand scheme of things the chrome drain won’t be that noticeable. Focus on staying ahead of them on everything else
We have brushed nickel drain thingies in our MB sinks and they make me mad every time I look at them (twice a day, lol). Because every other fixture is chrome!!! Why??? Why did the prior owner use brushed in the sink?!! It rubs me the wrong way. So soon I will be replacing them. ? With nice, shiny chrome.
OK - you will all be happy, I ordered a brushed nickel drain and overflow cover set that will be delivered tomorrow. I didn’t realize you could leave the pipes in place and just replace the part that sows, much simpler.
Today I wasted my first bit of money. I was rushed buying the shower/tub faucet set last week and did not love what I bought. They had to open and and use the valves in there but did not put the actual filters in yet. Today I found one I liked better and grabbed it so the first one will go to waste (I will probably donate to the Restore.)
Looks like I am back on the hunt for a shower/tub facet kit. I just opened the new one and it feels like plastic, very cheap feeling. Luckily the guys told me that don’t need it until after the tile is done. Unfortunately they said that would be about a week away!
Yes, beware of metallicized plastic, IME it will eventually corrode.
Solid metal will not be cheap, though, and you may need to go to a bath showroom to find something nice. The listings on Amazon don’t usually say if it is solid metal or metallicized plastic, you often have to read through the customer questions or the comments to find out. Or look it up on the manufacturer’s web site and see if you can find the details there.
Even a big brand name does not necessarily mean it is solid metal. I have sent several Grohe towel bars and shower head holders back because they had metallized plastic parts. Even the manufacturer sites sometimes have that info buried.
Thank you! I am going to head to a local plumbing showroom today or tomorrow because they have so much on display. It’s funny, I bought both at Home Depot and the one that I don’t love feels heavier like it is real metal and the the other is plastic, neither were super expensive (plastic one $199 and metal one I think $149?) so I was surprised with the difference.
Well, we finally decided on carpet instead of hardwood for our master bedroom. I would have preferred wood, but husband decided he really wanted carpet, and I can live with that. It’s a Karastan Carpet, called Mission Ridge. Masonry is the color. It’s not as dark as it looks here, and will work well for my husband, who wears his shoes in the house.
After this, we paint the entire house, probably mostly SW repose grey, but I haven’t spent a lot of t8me on paint colors.
Someone brought up an issue the other day that I hadn’t spent much time worrying about. It looks like all/most of our face plates or whatever you can all the things over electric outlets, are white. They are not fancy, but they are fine. I’m assuming I don’t need to replace them as we paint? We have mostly stainless/chrome accents, but a couple of lights are brass. (We will replace them soon too). It seems to me like doing a metal cover would be too “modern” for our colonial house. What do people normally do these days?
Keep the white faceplates if they are not in bad shape. They will look good with grey. If they were off while, I would have recommended replacing them and the switches.
Why??? Why did the prior owner use brushed in the sink?!! It rubs me the wrong way.