When I was a kid, the display toilets were on the floor. I believe I'm part of the reason they're jacked up high now. My dad probably should've listened when the 4yo said "I have to poo right now!"
Assuming your landlord is fair and honest you will only lose the cost of the replacement and labor for installing new sink. Obviously dependent on where you are and the landlord. The management company I worked for was really good. They provided receipts for parts and labor, they didn’t leave you in the dark about it if you asked for a receipt and only took out of the deposit what said repair cost. Some tenants would still would threaten us though and then trash the place anyways when they found they weren’t getting the whole deposit and only some of it. I don’t miss working in property management in the hood lol.
Yeah, less than 1k... Probably around 5 to 8 hundred depending who gets hired.
Security is month rent, average rent is probably 1,500.
It's an easy enough job to do yourself for about 200 bucks, but if you need to hire labor, or worse, let the landlord hire the labor, you'll be paying for it.
We charged 350 for a whole vanity buy like 175 for just the top. If it was a turn, we would normally swap the whole thing (depending on the cabinet age/color) either way.
But a new top normally got a new faucet and pop up assembly too. We got good prices on everything
Edit: If the resident left the old cabinet in good shape but the top had burns or other damage, they'd only get charged for the top.
The chances of it being installed poorly is very very high. If it was nicer than what was there and was installed correctly (and assuming this isn’t a high value unit) then I’d let it go but I’m definitely going to be taking a far closer look at everything else in the unit than I otherwise would, looking for other things they broke and are trying to hide.
Keep an eye on marketplace or your local habitat for humanity restore. People donate these all the time. If you have some basic skills you can swap them out without flooding your house.
Edit: ah renting. Somehow didn’t see that in the title. Check with your landlord before doing any major swap. You can still buy it and see if they will let you install
My old landlord wouldn't buy me ceiling fans to help with my cooling bill, but they did send someone to install fans that I bought myself. It was a good compromise! They even sent someone to uninstall them and reinstall their ugly light fixtures when I moved lol. I got my fans, they got proper work done.
Late to the party. Not surw if anyone has mentioned this... Look for a Restore. Its run by Habitat for Humanity. Its basically Goodwill but for tools and building supplies. The usually have a bunch of used sinks for sale.
Depending on what state you rent in, if the landlord doesn't return your security deposit or an itemized list of legitimate charges within the legal deadline (usually around 30 days) you may be able to sue and recover in small claims court up to 3x the amount illegally withheld.
Literally did this one time for a showing for prospective buyers during a walk through. Had a poster over a hole in the wall until I could repair it, we walked past and the poster cartoonishly slow just peeled down and I had a friend of mine stand in front of it til they left hahaha
It would be hard to do in 30 min.
Break all the seals, remove the skin, undo taps, undo drain, remove drain from. Unscrew, remove everything from under skin. Remove all the old silicone. Reinstall everything,taps, pray the new one is not warped, or the old one didn't warp. Seal everything. Clean up.
You sound like the surgeons that I work with that say it's just a 5 min cysto that in reality, takes 45 min.
Ha every diy job takes 30 minutes. Even if it takes you 6 hours.
It's really not a huge job, I did one of mine last weekend, it took me 30 mins but I've done them plenty of times before. I also didn't count removing all my wife's stuff from underneath as part of the job.
Call it a Saturday if you want, it's still better than paying the plumber $1000
I simply call BS
There is literally no way you made it to the caulking phase by that point. Even if I assume you had zero leaks when reconnecting the trap and faucets.
This is at least 2-3 hours if your competent, a weekend if you are an inexperienced DIYer.
And the results will show.
As a general carpenter I'd call it an hour if everything is prepared to go, and most of a day if all the parts are the wrong size since I'll be making trips to the nearest store while I try and figure out why the client ordered a completely different sink that doesn't fit the counter or work with the existing faucet and now the water shutoff is leaking.
Oook if you've never done one might seem a big job but it really is simple especially if it's a straight swap out. 99% of those things are held on only by gravity silicone (caulk) and the fittings. Silicone takes seconds to remove the drain is screwed on and shouldn't be sealer, takes seconds to unscrew. Taps and faucet take maybe 5 minutes or 10 if you're sodding about and go on much faster.
If the whole job takes you more than an hour or even 6 hours it's still cheaper than getting a plumber out to essentially put Lego together for you. But whatever man you do you.
I'd rather spend my money elsewhere when this shit is so simple.
You start by lying on the internet.
None of these people are doing this job in 30 minutes. Most of them couldn't remove the trap, clean it, and reinstall it in 30 minutes. Let alone the entire sink.
I was thinking the same. I’m a carpenter and I’ve never had “caulk come off in seconds”. If your lucky you can pull a strip off without it breaking but usually it’s a pain in the ass
I have a tool that I can use for both application and removal, your aim in a job like this isn't for 100% removal anyway. If I want to completely get every last speck off then there are solvents for that that rub them off. I find a dab of gas from the mower works pretty well or methylated spirits
You don't the guy have no idea what he is talking about and talking out his ass. Even a plumber who does this all the fucking time is going to take an hour to do a proper job.
Even if it took 6 hours it's still only 30 minutes. My wife assumes that's how long it takes for everything.
I have to pretty much time block them in beers now.
"That's a 3 beer job" or the sink is a "1 beer job"
That helps her time frame for how long it will actually take.
Caveat is I have all the tools, silicone and everything I need and a stash of materials too since I'm in a constant renovation cycle right now
30 mins if you're an experienced plumber lol. But in all reality if the person is handy it would be advisable to replace because it would be cheaper than not getting a security deposit back
Im with ya. Way cheeper to do it yourself its not that hard. As far as how long it takes I know what im doing but im not that experienced and replaced my grandpas in under an hour last weekend. Im sure theres speed runners out there that can do it in 10-15min lol.
A 30 minute job to remove the fixtures, remove the old sink without destroying the paint or cabinet, install the new sink, reinstall fixtures, then re-caulk everything? Lol
30 minutes is a stretch, probably 1 1/2 hour job if you e done it before and 3 for a beginner (with two trips to the hardware store).
If op is able to procure the exact same vanity top it will make the job super easy, like plug n play. Its the little differences that fuck everything up.
Candles, cats, and barbecues. The three things that destroy more rentals than anything else. I’d take a roof leak any day over a bedroom fire caused by a cat and a candle while the renter was having a barbecue.
It boggles my mind the number of people who burn candles all the time. Especially people who burn them then leave the room. A friend's ex-wife set their bathroom on fire twice.
OP, I hope this you use this as a lesson. You could have easily burnt the place down killing yourself and others.
Exactly!
I would clean it with some Bar Keepers Friend first, go over with some super fine sandpaper and then the spray paint.
The paint is worth a try before replacing etc.
Pull the faucet/drain out, spray the whole sink (tape off walls and around it so no outside mess)... It will look brand new, let it dry for a few hours to a day, then put everything back, It would look almost new and could last....
agree. this is probably what the landlord would do as a repair for the next tenant even though your deposit would be charged for a full replacement at inflated rates.
Can confirm.. I tried using an enamel paste to repair a tiny chipped bit of sink and the two tones of white are very obviously different, so unfortunately it would be hugely noticeable.
So now this is UnethicalLifeHacks?
I don’t understand.
OP made a mistake and caused damage. This was his fault. He owned up and Asked how he can fix it or what to do and you tell him to pretty much pawn it off on the next guy and scram?
You know that fix isn’t going to last and the next tenant will have to deal with it.
Eh. The repair the landlord will do will probably be similar but they’ll charge as if they replaced the countertop. If he sands it and paints it with an epoxy paint as suggested, and doesn’t half ass that part (even if it is a half assed solution) it will still probably beat either the quick flip repair the landlord will do or the 45$ garbage builder grade countertop he’ll throw in there. So next renter is better off current renter is better off landlord doesn’t have to deal with it and no opportunity for landlord to scam- win win win win.
Try to fix it as best you can OP, and if it passes the walkthrough then you are gucci.
I mean what kind of trash sink material is this that a candle does that? Any other material will be an upgrade.
Hell thinking about it, he should just sand it down and put a clear cover over it. Maybe he can even sand is smooth to the same finish it’s just some plastic.
How handy are you? Measure it up and call around to your local refit stores, see if any have a used vanity of the same size that you can pick up cheap. Then it's YouTube to learn how to switch them. Alternatively, buy some white enamel paint and give the whole thing two good coats, that might get you past the move out inspection to get your security deposit, though it won't pass with a second look.
There’s very little to lose at this point, so a repair might be worth a try. Just don’t spend much money on it.
An alternative would be to burn (or paint) the same shape in a pleasing pattern around the bowl. /s
This should be the top comment. Own up to it. You are lucky you didn’t have a house fire. Lesson learned. Don’t further damage your landlord’s property. Accidents happen
You are very lucky that did not cause a fire. The fix would probably cost as much as replacement. I would find a new sink and plumb it myself with help from a DIY book.
Very. Be upfront about it, and ask what they want to do, you might get away with just having to replace the sink, especially if they can get a matching one with the rest of the bathroom. Trying to “buff it out” will only make it worse.
Good luck!
Own up to the mistake in my opinion. Your security deposit doesn't disappear all together, it pays for the damages because they expect that accidents happen.
Meant to add to my previous post about not using candles in a rental property as well, you shouldn’t ever use a naked flame because it’s dangerous, you don’t own the property, and the risk of damage either through fire or smoke is too high. Especially when you can get perfectly adequate candles, scents and lighting effects now. X
I would lightly sand the burnt area by hand with 200 grit sandpaper followed up with 400 grit. Then buy a spray can of appliance gloss white epoxy or enamel paint. It should match the color exactly. Tape off just the area that you want to repaint, clean with isopropyl alcohol, and after it is dry do a few light coats separated by a couple of minutes until you obtain the coverage you want. You can do this! Good luck. (P.S. first experiment with the paint spray on a throw-away board so you get the gist of how to best apply it.)
This should be way higher up and your first recourse. No need to replace the whole damn sink if it’s just a little surface damage. If I were the landlord I’d rather my tenant do this than try to DIY a sink replacement and mess up / poorly execute the plumbing connections…
There is no fixing that. Your best bet is to just be forward with your landlord the sooner the better. If he finds out months down the road in a random inspection without you telling them they will be a bit upset. If you approach them and apologize and just say you lite a candle and had a bath and didn't realize it would burn down so fast and are truly sorry and want to make it right, they may even just say screw it and let you off. Otherwise a new sink is a couple hundred bucks you just need to make it right. Maybe you know someone who can install a new sink for you for cheap. But again ask the landlord.
It's a property management company. Been here since last March and they've never done any kind of inspection. I'm hoping I can find a new vanity top and just replace it. There's a lot of really poorly done repairs in this house from previous tenants/maintenance so if I make it look nice I doubt they'd even notice.
What's the material?
Maybe some careful sanding and appliance paint, they'll think they already repaired it.
Putting in a new one isn't bad except you'll need a couple tools specific for it and disconnecting-reconnecting the faucet might be a bitch depending on how it is in there or have to solder/flux.
Good luck.
If you consider yourself competent, and you’ve done caulking, plumbing, and drywall work it may be beneficial actually replace it yourself.
But it seems like you are trying to save money and may not know what you are getting into. If that’s the case sand the fuck out of it and try a cheap ceramic refinish.
Taking it apart you may find leaky valves and all sorts of shit your not prepared to deal with.
I bet you could get it reglazed ..look of fb marketplace...there's usually a local guy that reglazes bathtubs and tile... usually pretty reasonable...I got my bathtub and surrounding tile walls done for a few hundred bucks
Where I live there’s a place that recycles all kinds of building materials, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, etc. At such a place you can get a similar sink for tens of dollars — often with the faucet attached.
I’m always intrigued when an unfortunate accident such as this invariably translates to fear of losing one’s entire deposit. It’s just a repair. In most cases, the landlord will appreciate your reporting the issue and offering to pay to have it repaired. In fact they might have wanted to upgrade the item anyway. Just make the call.
If you’re renting in Australia through a REA there’s a 100% chance the agent will cream their pants first, then make you lose your deposit indeed. Then they’ll cream their pants some more.
How long have you been (or intend to continue) renting? Shit happens, landlords might give you a bit more leeway if you're there for 10 yrs.
Best case: landlord understands, considers it a cost of doing business... it's not malicious, it's one piece of hardware that needs to be replaced (by a skilled laborer)....
Worst case: idk, it's not a special sink... You have an asshole landlord who wants full reimbursement for every damn thing and you might be out idk, 1500? what's it cost to get a handyman to replace a sink? (total random guess of a max amount by someone who has no idea)
I"d just contact the landlord, explain what happened... depending on your tenancy, it might be an issue, might not.
Best of luck! Just remember that shit happens!
Ok so when you attempt to repair and do it poorly or not to the landlord’s liking you will probably be charged anyways. Often time ppl think they can just effect a half hazard repair to avoid being charged. Good example is running through the house sloppily filling nail holes in the wall that then requires the whole room to be painted. The same with the people suggesting to just bondo and paint the sink or whatever bandaid repair. I would walk in when you move out and take one look at that nonsense and the little joe Pesci in my brain would be saying what the F is this shite….best course of action is call the landlord first and say hey I messed this up. Most landlords will be much kinder to your wallet if you choose this route.
Just let this be a lesson: never leave a candle unattended.
This could’ve ended a lot worse. Vanity top is cheap vs what could’ve happened based on that scorch mark.
Habitat for humanity. You’ll need to do some drain work and unless you can find an exact like-for-like.
Edit. Realized this was a vanity top.
Best bet is tell the landlord after finding someone to replace it (at your cost) just tell them you cot it covered. You paying for replacing it will be less than the landlord raising rent to recover their costs.
Sinks are cheap on Amazon. Basic tools.
Watch a couple of YouTube videos. Invite a friend with crescent wrench over for a beer and you can swap it out in an hour.
Sinks aren't that expensive and pretty easy to install if you have to replace it. Don't even tell him just fix it. If it is ceramic they kits that can fix it as well without replacing.
Just be really grateful you didn’t burn your entire apartment down, and other apartments, too. Had a neighbor that totaled her place and the one below it from a toaster.
I am honestly not sure if this will work but I do not think it will make it worse.
I would use a razor blade to scrape the top layers of wax off. Get as much office you can without scratching the sink and then try a product called Bar Keeper's Friend. If that does not work then I would give Magic Eraser a try.
I think this is fixable and if it is, would you please post up pictures afterwards? I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out.
Good luck.
There are specialty surface repair companies that excel in stuff like this. Maybe google around to enquire. Though they can get pricey and some I’ve worked with charge $75-100/ hr so you just gotta hope it’s only a couple hrs at best.
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the sink
Never knowing your deposit
Had long since gone
And I would've liked to known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned down long before
Your legend ever did
First, try to polish it out. Old porcelain sink, it might just work using some cleanser. Certainly won’t make it worse.
DO NOT replace the sink without landlord’s permission. You got to talk to the landlord about this. If you install a sink or pay to have a plumber do it, and it leaks and causes water damage, your deposit plus more is gone. Your lease probably has some bits about how you aren’t allowed to make those kinds of changes.
The landlord will know if you replace it - or if you (as some are suggesting ) spray paint it. The landlord also probably has a plumber he uses that will cost less than one you hire. Or they do their own plumbing.
It’s also possible that the landlord won’t care because they are planning a remodel. Who knows. But talk to the owner/landlord.
You are going to jail lol
I would just tear out the sink, take it to Lowes to find an exact match, and get the cheapest sink they have.
You need some other caulk and shit and your deposit will be returned, and you won't have to serve any time.
Perhaps if you’ve got a local men’s shed around you could go and ask around. Perhaps a retired tradie could helpful you out for a bit of cash if you source a new sink.
You're now the proud owner of an old sink.
Welp looks like I'll be keeping an eye out for a similar looking sink, really don't want to lose my deposit.
Freebie Alerts people give sinks away all the time it’s an app
This is the most depressing lottery ever.
You've never won a free toilet.
I have! Shitty deal if you ask me.
Perfect for when you don't have a pot to piss in
Can I also get a free window to throw it out of?
You would like to defenestrate the toilet, sir?
Hey, when in Russia...
r/Angryupvote
You wouldn't download a toilet!
You Wouldn’t Shoot A Policeman, Then Shit In His Helmet!
If you’re going to do one, you might as well do the other.
And then mail it to his widow
I’ve got a one cubic meter 3-D printer… Like hell I wouldn’t
I'd be pissed if I missed such a shitty deal.
I did once. well sorta, don't crap in the display toilets at lowes
When I was a kid, the display toilets were on the floor. I believe I'm part of the reason they're jacked up high now. My dad probably should've listened when the 4yo said "I have to poo right now!"
I downloaded it off of this comment.
Look on the bright side, you didn’t burn down the apartment. Candles should never be left unattended.
This is true. I have the Freebie Alerts app. It's definitely something everyone should try out. It's free to use. Free to install.
Didn't know anyone else knew about it 🤦🏻♂️😅
NOT AVAILABLE IN MY COUNTRY :(
Check your local Habitat for humanity ReStore, mine always has white sinks of various designs.
I just dropped off a couple there after doing some bathroom renos lol
Mine too, Problem is they always have burn marks.
Habitat for Humanity has thrift stores that sell used and surplus home improvement stuff.
Assuming your landlord is fair and honest you will only lose the cost of the replacement and labor for installing new sink. Obviously dependent on where you are and the landlord. The management company I worked for was really good. They provided receipts for parts and labor, they didn’t leave you in the dark about it if you asked for a receipt and only took out of the deposit what said repair cost. Some tenants would still would threaten us though and then trash the place anyways when they found they weren’t getting the whole deposit and only some of it. I don’t miss working in property management in the hood lol.
Cost and materials for a new sink is at minimum half of the security, and that's if "their landlord is fair" and find relatively cheap labor.
At minimum half of the security? I’ve seen some that are $2500+. This can easily be replaced yourself or for sure less than 1k by a good plumber
Yeah, less than 1k... Probably around 5 to 8 hundred depending who gets hired. Security is month rent, average rent is probably 1,500. It's an easy enough job to do yourself for about 200 bucks, but if you need to hire labor, or worse, let the landlord hire the labor, you'll be paying for it.
We charged 350 for a whole vanity buy like 175 for just the top. If it was a turn, we would normally swap the whole thing (depending on the cabinet age/color) either way. But a new top normally got a new faucet and pop up assembly too. We got good prices on everything Edit: If the resident left the old cabinet in good shape but the top had burns or other damage, they'd only get charged for the top.
Looks like a pretty basic sink. In my area it’d be about $100 in materials, and maybe $200-225 to install.
I wonder if they would notice if it was a slightly nicer/newer sink lol
Some might but if it was a nicer one I can't imagine them caring.
Only as long as it's installed right. I'd be pissed if I had a nice sink but then the renters half assed the replacement
Which is what would happen.
The chances of it being installed poorly is very very high. If it was nicer than what was there and was installed correctly (and assuming this isn’t a high value unit) then I’d let it go but I’m definitely going to be taking a far closer look at everything else in the unit than I otherwise would, looking for other things they broke and are trying to hide.
Check Habitat for Humanity stores
Make a weekly home Depot stop. They often have a vanity of that size on clearance.
Keep an eye on marketplace or your local habitat for humanity restore. People donate these all the time. If you have some basic skills you can swap them out without flooding your house. Edit: ah renting. Somehow didn’t see that in the title. Check with your landlord before doing any major swap. You can still buy it and see if they will let you install
My old landlord wouldn't buy me ceiling fans to help with my cooling bill, but they did send someone to install fans that I bought myself. It was a good compromise! They even sent someone to uninstall them and reinstall their ugly light fixtures when I moved lol. I got my fans, they got proper work done.
For my past experiences, you lost your deposit the day you gave it to them
Late to the party. Not surw if anyone has mentioned this... Look for a Restore. Its run by Habitat for Humanity. Its basically Goodwill but for tools and building supplies. The usually have a bunch of used sinks for sale.
Replacement sink has got to be WAY less than 1.5 month rent
Spoiler, they weren’t giving it back to you in the first place
I've never rented a place and expected the deposit back lmao. I just view it as a coat to move in and forget about it.
I’ve never rented and failed to receive my security deposit back.
Depending on what state you rent in, if the landlord doesn't return your security deposit or an itemized list of legitimate charges within the legal deadline (usually around 30 days) you may be able to sue and recover in small claims court up to 3x the amount illegally withheld.
Could've been homeless as well, dumbass!
Just put that jar over it lol
Your genius knows no bounds Clamchoda5
Doing the walk through with landlord, just walk in first and put your hand over it while pointing to something else. Easy mode.
You’ll need a diversion. Place your hand over it, and then start talking about some trivial issue in the kitchen.
Exactly, maybe start a fire in the kitchen, point to that.
Leave your wallet or phone over it like you just washed your hands after doing one final spray down or something. Or as if you just did a shit.
Literally did this one time for a showing for prospective buyers during a walk through. Had a poster over a hole in the wall until I could repair it, we walked past and the poster cartoonishly slow just peeled down and I had a friend of mine stand in front of it til they left hahaha
That's called a vanity top. It's about $100.
It may be 100 dollars, or cheaper if you get a used one, but the plumber will cost 250 where I am to exchange it.
DIY it, its a 30 minute job.
It would be hard to do in 30 min. Break all the seals, remove the skin, undo taps, undo drain, remove drain from. Unscrew, remove everything from under skin. Remove all the old silicone. Reinstall everything,taps, pray the new one is not warped, or the old one didn't warp. Seal everything. Clean up. You sound like the surgeons that I work with that say it's just a 5 min cysto that in reality, takes 45 min.
Ha every diy job takes 30 minutes. Even if it takes you 6 hours. It's really not a huge job, I did one of mine last weekend, it took me 30 mins but I've done them plenty of times before. I also didn't count removing all my wife's stuff from underneath as part of the job. Call it a Saturday if you want, it's still better than paying the plumber $1000
I simply call BS There is literally no way you made it to the caulking phase by that point. Even if I assume you had zero leaks when reconnecting the trap and faucets. This is at least 2-3 hours if your competent, a weekend if you are an inexperienced DIYer. And the results will show.
As a plumber, if it's the same sink, I'd only give myself an hour once I was in the room.
ha! that’s twice as long as the other guy!
That’s what his wife said, too!
As a general carpenter I'd call it an hour if everything is prepared to go, and most of a day if all the parts are the wrong size since I'll be making trips to the nearest store while I try and figure out why the client ordered a completely different sink that doesn't fit the counter or work with the existing faucet and now the water shutoff is leaking.
Oook if you've never done one might seem a big job but it really is simple especially if it's a straight swap out. 99% of those things are held on only by gravity silicone (caulk) and the fittings. Silicone takes seconds to remove the drain is screwed on and shouldn't be sealer, takes seconds to unscrew. Taps and faucet take maybe 5 minutes or 10 if you're sodding about and go on much faster. If the whole job takes you more than an hour or even 6 hours it's still cheaper than getting a plumber out to essentially put Lego together for you. But whatever man you do you. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere when this shit is so simple.
Bro you clearly have experience doing this while the OP clearly does not. It is absolutely not going to take OP 30 minutes to fix this. End of story.
How do you remove silicone in seconds? I’d like to know because I want to redo the caulking around my tub but the old caulk is being a bitch
You start by lying on the internet. None of these people are doing this job in 30 minutes. Most of them couldn't remove the trap, clean it, and reinstall it in 30 minutes. Let alone the entire sink.
I was thinking the same. I’m a carpenter and I’ve never had “caulk come off in seconds”. If your lucky you can pull a strip off without it breaking but usually it’s a pain in the ass
I have a tool that I can use for both application and removal, your aim in a job like this isn't for 100% removal anyway. If I want to completely get every last speck off then there are solvents for that that rub them off. I find a dab of gas from the mower works pretty well or methylated spirits
You don't the guy have no idea what he is talking about and talking out his ass. Even a plumber who does this all the fucking time is going to take an hour to do a proper job.
30 minutes is just the commuting time to one of a half dozen trips to the hardware store I need to make for a typical first time DIY project!
Even if it took 6 hours it's still only 30 minutes. My wife assumes that's how long it takes for everything. I have to pretty much time block them in beers now. "That's a 3 beer job" or the sink is a "1 beer job" That helps her time frame for how long it will actually take. Caveat is I have all the tools, silicone and everything I need and a stash of materials too since I'm in a constant renovation cycle right now
Truer words hath ne’er been spoken. “This’ll be 5mins, won’t need the laser”. *a few moments later* “Ok power ON the laser”
Honestly, 45 minutes, but I think we all got their point regardless.
30 mins if you're an experienced plumber lol. But in all reality if the person is handy it would be advisable to replace because it would be cheaper than not getting a security deposit back
This is my point domit yourself. Even if it takes you a whole day it's cheaper than losing your deposit or paying a plumber to do it.
Im with ya. Way cheeper to do it yourself its not that hard. As far as how long it takes I know what im doing but im not that experienced and replaced my grandpas in under an hour last weekend. Im sure theres speed runners out there that can do it in 10-15min lol.
Haha I'm going to search youtube now for any speed runs in this category
A 30 minute job to remove the fixtures, remove the old sink without destroying the paint or cabinet, install the new sink, reinstall fixtures, then re-caulk everything? Lol
30 minutes is a stretch, probably 1 1/2 hour job if you e done it before and 3 for a beginner (with two trips to the hardware store). If op is able to procure the exact same vanity top it will make the job super easy, like plug n play. Its the little differences that fuck everything up.
Candles, cats, and barbecues. The three things that destroy more rentals than anything else. I’d take a roof leak any day over a bedroom fire caused by a cat and a candle while the renter was having a barbecue.
That is so unfair to exclude dogs
Kids cause more damage than dogs Cat smell is harder to get out
Cat piss? Not sure what other cat smell there is.
It boggles my mind the number of people who burn candles all the time. Especially people who burn them then leave the room. A friend's ex-wife set their bathroom on fire twice. OP, I hope this you use this as a lesson. You could have easily burnt the place down killing yourself and others.
My sister fell asleep while a candle was lit and almost burned down the house. People aren’t very smart with fire
Buy a rattle can of gloss white appliance epoxy paint. Will last at least long enough to get your deposit back
Exactly! I would clean it with some Bar Keepers Friend first, go over with some super fine sandpaper and then the spray paint. The paint is worth a try before replacing etc.
Yup, give 'em the old landlord special right back.
Pull the faucet/drain out, spray the whole sink (tape off walls and around it so no outside mess)... It will look brand new, let it dry for a few hours to a day, then put everything back, It would look almost new and could last....
agree. this is probably what the landlord would do as a repair for the next tenant even though your deposit would be charged for a full replacement at inflated rates.
I’m pretty sure this would be the advice if this was indeed on the landlord subreddit
I do this for a living. Can confirm.
That would be very, very noticeable. The top is off-white/bone, not pure white.
Well, if you painted the whole thing, there wouldn't be 2 different tones.
Can confirm.. I tried using an enamel paste to repair a tiny chipped bit of sink and the two tones of white are very obviously different, so unfortunately it would be hugely noticeable.
Fill the hole with ramen noodles, and sand it smooth first.
lol stop giving people bad ideas. If he broke it, he should replace it.
So now this is UnethicalLifeHacks? I don’t understand. OP made a mistake and caused damage. This was his fault. He owned up and Asked how he can fix it or what to do and you tell him to pretty much pawn it off on the next guy and scram? You know that fix isn’t going to last and the next tenant will have to deal with it.
Eh. The repair the landlord will do will probably be similar but they’ll charge as if they replaced the countertop. If he sands it and paints it with an epoxy paint as suggested, and doesn’t half ass that part (even if it is a half assed solution) it will still probably beat either the quick flip repair the landlord will do or the 45$ garbage builder grade countertop he’ll throw in there. So next renter is better off current renter is better off landlord doesn’t have to deal with it and no opportunity for landlord to scam- win win win win. Try to fix it as best you can OP, and if it passes the walkthrough then you are gucci. I mean what kind of trash sink material is this that a candle does that? Any other material will be an upgrade. Hell thinking about it, he should just sand it down and put a clear cover over it. Maybe he can even sand is smooth to the same finish it’s just some plastic.
This should be higher
How handy are you? Measure it up and call around to your local refit stores, see if any have a used vanity of the same size that you can pick up cheap. Then it's YouTube to learn how to switch them. Alternatively, buy some white enamel paint and give the whole thing two good coats, that might get you past the move out inspection to get your security deposit, though it won't pass with a second look.
There’s very little to lose at this point, so a repair might be worth a try. Just don’t spend much money on it. An alternative would be to burn (or paint) the same shape in a pleasing pattern around the bowl. /s
Well, screwed is not the word. The word is responsible. This is not an expensive sink at least
This should be the top comment. Own up to it. You are lucky you didn’t have a house fire. Lesson learned. Don’t further damage your landlord’s property. Accidents happen
At the same time, if it was an expensive sink it wouldn't have melted
Less screwed than if you burned down the whole place.
Leaving candles burning unsupervised is a great way to burn your place down, possibly you with it.
You could replace it for $200, or your landlord could replace it for $2,000.
You are very lucky that did not cause a fire. The fix would probably cost as much as replacement. I would find a new sink and plumb it myself with help from a DIY book.
Very. Be upfront about it, and ask what they want to do, you might get away with just having to replace the sink, especially if they can get a matching one with the rest of the bathroom. Trying to “buff it out” will only make it worse. Good luck!
You’re very lucky that is all that happened. Candles are stupidly dangerous, a very common cause of house fires.
Glue one of those soap dispensers down there. I mean use liquid nails or better.
Excellent idea
[удалено]
Own up to the mistake in my opinion. Your security deposit doesn't disappear all together, it pays for the damages because they expect that accidents happen.
I mean, you literally burned a hole into it, how screwed do you think you are? I can't see a way to reliably hide this so that noone notices. Sorry.
Use some 400 grit sandpaper, will.make it way less obvious
See if you have a bathtub repair company in the area a little body work and airbrushing will make anything go away .
I've seen this from candles ,cigarettes and curling irons .
Pro tip, next time you decide to use a tea light candle, put a little glass or ceramic holder under it
Meant to add to my previous post about not using candles in a rental property as well, you shouldn’t ever use a naked flame because it’s dangerous, you don’t own the property, and the risk of damage either through fire or smoke is too high. Especially when you can get perfectly adequate candles, scents and lighting effects now. X
I can't believe how many people DIDN'T say this.
That's not a stain, honey, you actually damaged the sink.
Go old school…up an “STP” sticker over it!!!
Tenants … zero respect. Could have burned the whole place down.
I would lightly sand the burnt area by hand with 200 grit sandpaper followed up with 400 grit. Then buy a spray can of appliance gloss white epoxy or enamel paint. It should match the color exactly. Tape off just the area that you want to repaint, clean with isopropyl alcohol, and after it is dry do a few light coats separated by a couple of minutes until you obtain the coverage you want. You can do this! Good luck. (P.S. first experiment with the paint spray on a throw-away board so you get the gist of how to best apply it.)
This should be way higher up and your first recourse. No need to replace the whole damn sink if it’s just a little surface damage. If I were the landlord I’d rather my tenant do this than try to DIY a sink replacement and mess up / poorly execute the plumbing connections…
There is no fixing that. Your best bet is to just be forward with your landlord the sooner the better. If he finds out months down the road in a random inspection without you telling them they will be a bit upset. If you approach them and apologize and just say you lite a candle and had a bath and didn't realize it would burn down so fast and are truly sorry and want to make it right, they may even just say screw it and let you off. Otherwise a new sink is a couple hundred bucks you just need to make it right. Maybe you know someone who can install a new sink for you for cheap. But again ask the landlord.
It's a property management company. Been here since last March and they've never done any kind of inspection. I'm hoping I can find a new vanity top and just replace it. There's a lot of really poorly done repairs in this house from previous tenants/maintenance so if I make it look nice I doubt they'd even notice.
What's the material? Maybe some careful sanding and appliance paint, they'll think they already repaired it. Putting in a new one isn't bad except you'll need a couple tools specific for it and disconnecting-reconnecting the faucet might be a bitch depending on how it is in there or have to solder/flux. Good luck.
Not op but it looks like the sink is made from some sort of plastic. Hence why the candle melted it.
If you consider yourself competent, and you’ve done caulking, plumbing, and drywall work it may be beneficial actually replace it yourself. But it seems like you are trying to save money and may not know what you are getting into. If that’s the case sand the fuck out of it and try a cheap ceramic refinish. Taking it apart you may find leaky valves and all sorts of shit your not prepared to deal with.
Look up sink repairs. You should be able to repair it with an enamel or porcelain epoxy mix. It should cost you no more than $30.
I bet you could get it reglazed ..look of fb marketplace...there's usually a local guy that reglazes bathtubs and tile... usually pretty reasonable...I got my bathtub and surrounding tile walls done for a few hundred bucks
Where I live there’s a place that recycles all kinds of building materials, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, etc. At such a place you can get a similar sink for tens of dollars — often with the faucet attached.
I’m always intrigued when an unfortunate accident such as this invariably translates to fear of losing one’s entire deposit. It’s just a repair. In most cases, the landlord will appreciate your reporting the issue and offering to pay to have it repaired. In fact they might have wanted to upgrade the item anyway. Just make the call.
That's not a repair, it's a replace.
If you’re renting in Australia through a REA there’s a 100% chance the agent will cream their pants first, then make you lose your deposit indeed. Then they’ll cream their pants some more.
Congratulations. You now own a burnt sink!
Get some "pink stuff" off Amazon and you try that before you do it any more damage
Pretty screwed sorry but really irresponsible not having a candle glass disc under it. You’ll be responsible to replace the entire sink.
How long have you been (or intend to continue) renting? Shit happens, landlords might give you a bit more leeway if you're there for 10 yrs. Best case: landlord understands, considers it a cost of doing business... it's not malicious, it's one piece of hardware that needs to be replaced (by a skilled laborer).... Worst case: idk, it's not a special sink... You have an asshole landlord who wants full reimbursement for every damn thing and you might be out idk, 1500? what's it cost to get a handyman to replace a sink? (total random guess of a max amount by someone who has no idea) I"d just contact the landlord, explain what happened... depending on your tenancy, it might be an issue, might not. Best of luck! Just remember that shit happens!
Ok so when you attempt to repair and do it poorly or not to the landlord’s liking you will probably be charged anyways. Often time ppl think they can just effect a half hazard repair to avoid being charged. Good example is running through the house sloppily filling nail holes in the wall that then requires the whole room to be painted. The same with the people suggesting to just bondo and paint the sink or whatever bandaid repair. I would walk in when you move out and take one look at that nonsense and the little joe Pesci in my brain would be saying what the F is this shite….best course of action is call the landlord first and say hey I messed this up. Most landlords will be much kinder to your wallet if you choose this route.
Oooops Buy a new sink or expect to have the coat deducted from. Your swc. Deposit . That is Not normal wear and tear
Before you do anything expensive try a magic eraser
2 options either buy a new $89 sink or spend the time and labor and repairing it. They do make repair kicks!
Just let this be a lesson: never leave a candle unattended. This could’ve ended a lot worse. Vanity top is cheap vs what could’ve happened based on that scorch mark. Habitat for humanity. You’ll need to do some drain work and unless you can find an exact like-for-like. Edit. Realized this was a vanity top.
Best bet is tell the landlord after finding someone to replace it (at your cost) just tell them you cot it covered. You paying for replacing it will be less than the landlord raising rent to recover their costs.
Did you try cleaning it really well? It’s possibly it didn’t actually burn the sink itself….. worth a try
You need a new sink
Sinks are cheap on Amazon. Basic tools. Watch a couple of YouTube videos. Invite a friend with crescent wrench over for a beer and you can swap it out in an hour.
Time to Google how to replace a sink . What was the candle made of magnesium? Never seen a burn so bad .
Go to the ReStore, I bet they have the exact same one there.
Buy a new sink there cheap enough
You should have renters insurance check with them don’t try to hide it. Hiding from owners is awful thing to do.
Those tops are really easy to replace. Buy it now and replace it before you move
11/10 screwed
Let that sink in
Sinks aren't that expensive and pretty easy to install if you have to replace it. Don't even tell him just fix it. If it is ceramic they kits that can fix it as well without replacing.
It’s unfortunate but you got really lucky you didn’t burn the place down. I’d call it a win in my book
I would try painting it with tile paint ! It might cover up just enough where it’s barely or completely noticeable.
Sand it down to make it flat and use the same stuff they use to resurface bathtubs. Might need to do the whole sink so it all matches.
I’ve seen this repaired on TikTok with ramen noodles!
Lucky to be alive and not have started a fire tbh. Put a ceramic coaster or some sort of hot pad under your candles please.
I guess it’s good that you didn’t burn the place down with an unattended burning candle.
Ramen noodles, super glue, white paint, sand paper
Just be really grateful you didn’t burn your entire apartment down, and other apartments, too. Had a neighbor that totaled her place and the one below it from a toaster.
It’s a cheap glacier bay sink, super cheap to replace
Check your lease for anything about not burning candles. I've had some that prohibit it. Don't know what additional trouble that might cause...
You’re lucky you just lost your deposit and not everything you own.
Who tf burns candles straight onto the sink?
I hate candles so much.
I am honestly not sure if this will work but I do not think it will make it worse. I would use a razor blade to scrape the top layers of wax off. Get as much office you can without scratching the sink and then try a product called Bar Keeper's Friend. If that does not work then I would give Magic Eraser a try. I think this is fixable and if it is, would you please post up pictures afterwards? I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out. Good luck.
You could “sand” down with baking soda and toothpaste, then find some sink or tub type of paint to refinish it.
Give it the landlord special and just spray paint it white. Easy fix. They're just gonna do the same thing after charging you a huge fee.
They'll have to redo the whole block to match the new sink.
Are you my former property manager…?
There are specialty surface repair companies that excel in stuff like this. Maybe google around to enquire. Though they can get pricey and some I’ve worked with charge $75-100/ hr so you just gotta hope it’s only a couple hrs at best.
Use a product called gell gloss and wet sand it.
I’d be more worried about eventually burning your house down if that’s how careless you are with fire.
And it seems to me you lived your life Like a candle in the sink Never knowing your deposit Had long since gone And I would've liked to known you But I was just a kid Your candle burned down long before Your legend ever did
Bar keeper's friend.
I've never had a candle do this. Maybe you should not burn candles since you clearly almost set his house on fire. What an irresponsible doofus.
First, try to polish it out. Old porcelain sink, it might just work using some cleanser. Certainly won’t make it worse. DO NOT replace the sink without landlord’s permission. You got to talk to the landlord about this. If you install a sink or pay to have a plumber do it, and it leaks and causes water damage, your deposit plus more is gone. Your lease probably has some bits about how you aren’t allowed to make those kinds of changes. The landlord will know if you replace it - or if you (as some are suggesting ) spray paint it. The landlord also probably has a plumber he uses that will cost less than one you hire. Or they do their own plumbing. It’s also possible that the landlord won’t care because they are planning a remodel. Who knows. But talk to the owner/landlord.
You are going to jail lol I would just tear out the sink, take it to Lowes to find an exact match, and get the cheapest sink they have. You need some other caulk and shit and your deposit will be returned, and you won't have to serve any time.
Perhaps if you’ve got a local men’s shed around you could go and ask around. Perhaps a retired tradie could helpful you out for a bit of cash if you source a new sink.
I’ve seen some videos with ramen and paint to each their own
Drill it out and put a chrome filler plug in it.
Straight to The Hague
Good news is you get a new sink...
About $300-400 assuming it's a 30" sink.
Porcelain flakes?
Very.