Drill new holes in bathroom sink?

[SkunkedAgain]

I've got a problem sink/faucet in our bathroom. The faucet leaks, the handles rub against the sink so it's very difficult to turn the water off, and the droopy nozzle/spout is about 1/2" away from the sink basin so you constantly whack your hands against the sink when washing your hands.

We are going to renovate the bathroom but that's one or two years away. At that point we'll spring for a nice sink and faucet, but in the meantime we need a fix. It's rare to find wall/side-mounted faucets and when you do find them, they are several hundred dollars. I want to buy something in the interim that's in the under-$100 range so I don't feel bad about throwing it away when we buy a new sink and faucet later.

Here is my question: I want to drill three new holes in the porcelain sink for a standard top-mounted faucet? I assume that I could then just plug the wall/side holes with some kind of a patch. It wouldn't look great, but neither is the current setup that splashes all of our guests and is hard to use.

Is my plan feasible?

I've never drilled through porcelain. Is there anything particularly tricky about it?

Can you patch porcelain easily?

Here is my current setup:

[Archerysniper]

I don't think you will be able to drill the porcelain with out breaking the sink your best bet would be to look for a wall hung or pedistal sinl that you like and can reuse when you remodel in a few years you might be able to find a used one online.

[DTro]

I think you'd be better of finding a used sink. Drilling that big of holes in will be tough.

[DTro]

Heck I just looked at C-L and there are plenty to choose from. Even one sink/faucet/vanity for free!

[jeffreyd]

you can drill them, takes a special hole saw. I had a hole drilled in my kitchen sink, contractor came in i marked the spot he drilled it and done. have to go slow and keep the saw wet. i would talk to a plumber.

[Surface Tension]

You'll need a wet diamond hole saw. Considering then you'll be patching the holes in the sink, your better off finding a used sink till your ready for the remodel.

[SkunkedAgain]

That's a good idea. I hadn't considered the used sink route.

[Redlantern]

Franks plumbing down on Washington Ave in Mpls might have a used one for you, if they are still in business. If you want to try drilling it, I'd talk to a tile guy. That's more there line of work than a plumber.

[Stratosman]

For the cost of having some one drill it out or buying the proper tools like the diamond hole saw or roto zip x-bit diamond bit, you will be far better off finding a used one for next to nothing.

Don't waste your time with it...IMO.

[echo2010]

big box stores has pedestal sinks for 99 bucks...

Grab a cheapo faucted and your good for about 125 to 150

[ZapMan]

I work at a print shop and did business cards for this guy. It was amazing looking at the pix of the before and after. He could cut or patch anything. He said he made a walk thru tub for some lady and got called back before she even used it to make it back into a reg. tub because she sold the house.

[WallEYES]

Why don't you repair the faucet...looks like an american standard or central brass....they have barrel seats in them...pull handles, unscrew stems, pull out seats, install new seats, change washers on stems, reinstall stems and handles....parts are available for such faucets... cheap fix before renovation. If you don't have the parts you can contact me

[SkunkedAgain]

The biggest problem is that the faucet handles don't sit correctly on this sink. I've had plumbers tell me that they look like generic American Standard retro fits. I flipped the rubber washers to the un-grooved side but that hasn't made much of a difference. To turn off the water, you need to really crank on the handles because the base is rubbing against the sink - my wife can't even turn off the hot water, I have to do it. Our house has incredible water pressure so when you turn the water back on, you have to muscle it open and then get sprayed by a fire-hose type of flow.

Where is a good place to get all of the parts or replacement faucet handles at a decent price?

I'll have to head down to Frank's Plumbing this weekend. It looks like they are still on Washington and 11th.

[Archerysniper]

A good place for a person to get faucet parts is park supply in mpls losated east of hiawatha on 26th just bring in the insides to your faucet and they will have the right parts for it.

[WallEYES]

I 2nd Park Supply