double handle shower/tub source

11 years ago

Ok guys, I can't be the only one. Hoping someone can refer me to a product.

We are looking for a double handle (Cross preferred, but I'll take what I can get) shower/tub unit in polished chrome. We have a 1940's house so a single handle unit will not fit in. Waterworks makes one (cha-ching) and I have found a Kingston Brass one (but seems excessively cheap and I'm worried about replacement parts: this will be behind a tiled wall and our only functional shower: we can't wait for parts from Timbuktu in case it breaks).

We were looking for mid-range (kohler, Delta, american standard? Chicago Faucets?) as the house is modest at best but I don't believe in going for looks over quality: we don't like fixing things or replacing them/sending them to the dump on our weekends! Chicago Faucets has a very utiilitarian one you can get porcelain cross handles to replace what it comes with, but the handles are ~$150, about the same cost as the entire unit!

Anyone come across something? what have you used in your bathrooms? (And 6 inch center vs. 8 inch center for valve body would be a HUGE bonus but I realize we'll have to replace a few tiles to deal with that issue)...

Comments (2)

akamainegrower
11 years ago
If you Google "double handle shower faucet" or use the search function for Lowes or Home Depot you'll find dozens of available units like the one you're looking for. Cross handles (which should be easy to add as a replacement) are available at several restoration/old house sites.
catdoc2
Original Author
11 years ago
That's exactly what I did (using Google specifically and ironically, Home Depot and Lowes, and efaucet.com, chicagofaucetshoppe.com, van dyke's restorer, Restoration Hardware (which has exactly what I'm looking for, at >$2k), and build.com and a million other sites that looked promising) and came up with very very few options, specifically the ones I listed above. Cross handles are fairly brand specific and are not universally replaceable. There are some "universal" ones, which we currently use, but as they are not faucet specific, they have poor purchase (at least on the shower set we have now) and slip eventually. We replace them ~ 1x/year. At ~$24/pair, not a deal breaker, but annoying.
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