Today when I washed my hands in my half bath, I was reminded how corroded my sink faucet is. Yes I'd love to buy a new one, but installing an 8" on center faucet on a pedestal sink is not the easiest job in the world, nor is it the least expensive.
AFTER
BEFORE
So using my usual rationale (once you want to replace it, try to repair it first...then if it doesn't work, go ahead and replace it :) I set out to paint the corroded parts. Yes, it was all the gold plated parts I didn't like anyway. I love killing two birds with one stone :)
Now I know under that gold plating there is usually chrome, but I realized the hard way that it wasn't all of them. The one piece that definitely wasn't chrome underneath was the piece I couldn't replace at Home Depot. So painting or replacing the whole faucet was the only option.
I started by taking off the gold parts. Luckily on my faucet that was very easy. Faucet tip unscrews by hand, plug handle unscrews by hand, plug rod pulls right out with just a pressure clamp finger pinch, handle screws unscrew with a screwdriver and the center lever handle piece comes off by unscrewing the end cap by hand.
These two pictures show some of the corrosion.
I then sanded all of the pieces to rough up the shiny surface and smooth out any of the corrosion. I spray painted them with my favorite silver spray paint.
I reassembled everything...and it really was that easy. Again, if it doesn't hold up I'll just replace. But what a difference! I'll keep you posted as the painted finish ages.
