Plumbing reviews in Berkeley, California

Ragnar was very helpful and had the part for our old Sunrise Specialty tub/shower fixture. He explained that they bought the entire inventory when Sunrise went out of business in 2016.

If you're tired of second-rate, over-priced junk from Home Depot and Lowe's, visit The Sink Factory. If Ragnar and his crew can't find it, they can manufacture it. I've been a loyal customer for 20 years and have been fortunate to restore two 1930s homes with Ragnar's guidance and knowledge of period fixtures. The age of Ikea and soulless warehouse/box stores that sell future landfill goods are being challenged by "mom-and-pop" stores like The Sink Factory. If you own an old home, speak with Ragnar before you buy from those other stores.

Saved me money by rebuilding my cartridge. I was in and out quick. And they were super friendly and helpful. I hope I don’t have problems with my sink again (like the cold side) but if I do I will definitely come back here.

Dump of facility, Bought a part which was expensive and had no instructions. It immediately. Owner was more interested on making a profit on this sale than on customer satisfaction. Extremely hostile. I would NEVER go there again. Afterwards, I found the part at 1/6 the cost on Amazon and it came the next day.

I cannot speak highly enough of these guys.
After a local plumbing company (see the previous review) gave me a quote of $1500, I went down here, and got parts that ended up costing under $100, AND explained how to install them. I did it myself, (It was easy)
These guys are my plumbing heroes! saved me $1400!

Simply amazing - both in terms of service and the depth of their vintage supply. I was able to match two missing feet for my clawfoot tub from their HUGE stock of random vintage tub feet. Good for new and vintage materials. A great local business!

Come here for creative, cheap solutions and honest customer service when it seems like everyone else is telling you the opposite of what your gut it saying!

I had a kitchen sink hose that was leaking because the threading on the hose got ruined so the hose spray attachment wouldn't seal onto the hose. I went to Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Moran, and Rubenstein (the latter two are plumber specialty stores) and everyone told me the same thing: that the sink type is not a common model and it'd be hard/impossible to find a replacement hose so it'd be best if I just replaced my ENTIRE sink (basin, handles, faucet, piping, EVERYTHING), which can run $350+. I couldn't believe this because it was just the threading on the hose that was ruined, and there must be some way to hack it and make it work!

Finally one of the plumbers recommended I try the Sink Factory, but warned me that it would be expensive. I called in and Ragnar the owner said he was technically closed today but offered to see me anyway. I dropped by and showed him the hose piece. He gave me a tiny little gasket and some teflon tape to wrap around the broken threading all for just $2. TWO dollars! And it works like a charm! Saved me hundred of dollars.

Thank you, Ragnar!

LOVE the Sink Factory! First found it years ago when we bought our first home and wanted to replace the funky tub/shower and sink with something with character. Ragnar got us set up with a great vintage claw foot tub, the cool external-plumbed shower head, and a beautiful pedestal sink. We've been back several times over the years for replacement parts and other projects. One time they even helped us figure out the reason our kitchen sink sprayer wasn't working was because I had reinstalled a part upside down! Great service, great stuff, and always interesting conversation.

This store is such an incredible asset to anyone with specialty or older fixtures. I've spent so much time in regular hardware stores trying to figure out what parts I need, or how I'm going to fix what I need to fix with the limited parts available. When I go into the sink factory, I've only ever spoken to one individual (I'm guessing the owner?), who always knows exactly what I'm looking for.
Case in point, I just went in with an internal part of a valve in our shower. He knew exactly what valve it was as soon as he saw it. He mentioned that it there had been a few different versions of it over the years, and that even though they no longer made the part, he had a replacement part in stock that worked as long as you changed out an o-ring (which - of course he also had).
Don't waste your time wandering around the plumbing section of a hardware store. Come here and talk to someone who, apparently, lives and breathes plumbing fixtures.
This small store is one of the great ones - the niche stores that contain as much knowledge as they do parts.

I am Restoration Architect and Owner of the National Landmark 1901 Frank Lloyd Wright Davenport House, in River Forest, Illinois. We have been purchasing faucets, plumbing fixtures, custom items, and parts from the Sink Factory for over 15 years now. Ragnar and his team have an amazing selection, incredible knowledge, and an awesome, can-do dependable attitude. As a Restoration Architect we deal with many vendors and suppliers in the historic preservation world. The Sink Factory is the best! I highly recommend them!

I have Kohler shower dials from the 1930's. I sent The Sink Factory an email with a photo asking if they were able to tell what valves I needed based on the image I provided.

Ragnar responded by saying, "Nozzles are not a plumbing term." Duh, I'm not a plumber, that's why I'm emailing you...He said, "I would assume you are talking about the shower head or somewhere around there." No dude...I'm referring to the two dials that are in the photo I sent. He then went on to describe exactly what was causing my leak and told me to send more info. So he obviously knew exactly what I was talking about. I sent the info and he never replied.

When you're in customer service, just answer your customer's questions without belittling.

I then chatted with Kohler. They looked at the same image I sent The Sink Factory and told me the valve I needed. I ordered it online and fixed it very easily.

Save yourself from the insults and order the parts online.

These guys are absolutely fantastic. Whether you’re looking for new or to restore old, they have a carefully curated selection of parts and fixtures at many price levels. Old school customer service and hospitality. Support this business!

Called because i needed to know availability for a sink, i gave them the exact name and measurements i needed and one of the sales guys just told me to call back when i was ready then hung up on me. That was the purpose of my call BECAUSE I NEEDED HELP.

needed help with a project and ragnar was so kind and helpful. responsive both over email and phone, and finished the job quickly too. he's really knowledgeable and i plan to consult here whenever i get around to replacing my kitchen sink

very happy to have found a local business to support!

Fantastic place for antique plumbing and fixture repair in store. I'm a plumbing contractor and have used them for 20 years.

Not sure where to start, in explaining why this store is such a gem. I've bought their products for almost 40 years.
It starts w/ the people.. Ragnar (owner) is a quick-witted super knowledgeable but ultra-humble guy. Seems he always has a twinkle in his eye when he speaks. And wow does he know his stuff! Ian and Curt are also amazing in their own right.
It's a really good place to buy kitchen and bathroom products like sinks, faucets, tubs, etc. However, if you have an old house and need some plumbing advice related to vintage sink/tub/etc products, these guys might just amaze you. Yesterday I had a problem and they toiled away at it and used a machine lathe, and wrenches and tools I had never seen before to fix my problem. They were so determined. And, so nice and friendly. Berkleyish in the best sense of the word. Thank goodness there are still stores and people like this! I can't say enough good things about them!!!

I can’t rave about this place enough. The guy who runs this shop is extremely helpful and they truly have everything. I have an original 1930 bathroom that had leaky faucets with hardware that was unfortunately unbranded. I had ordered several stems that claimed to work for my situation to no luck. That was in part because I had mixed closing valves (one left close and one right close). Decided to take my chance on this place given the great reviews and I’m so happy I did. I brought the stems in and was immediately given the exact replica. I’ve installed them both and they work like a dream. No more leaks. The owner even had the “H” and “C” markers for my handles that had popped out over the years that I would have never expected to find. This is a fantastic place to go if you have vintage plumbing that you are trying to restore. Will be coming back for my remaining plumbing fixture needs :) Forgot to mention that the price is fair to boot (vintage is on the pricier side because they are so hard to come by, but this shop was very comparable to the replacement parts I found online that did not work.

Fantastic..highly recommend..the best

These guys are great. We had a problem with our sink. Dino came to the house, did lots of trouble-shooting to figure out what the problem was, then suggested how I could order the parts and fix it myself. Very friendly and courteous. I will definitely call them next time I have any plumbing issues. Thanks, Dino!!!

Pelican Plumbers were available to come out on short notice for work on a duplex in Oakland. A shower valve was leaking heavily from an upstairs apartment into the apartment downstairs. The estimate was thorough and included possible fixes that could only be determined once the work got started. Pelican was prompt for the repair appointment, took all our needs into consideration, repaired the valve, cleaned up nicely after the work! It took half the time and it turned out the contingency work that had been estimated didn't need to be done. So actual cost was lower than the estimate! Appreciate the professionalism and honesty of this company. The work was completed in December 2016 - seven months later and no problems whatsoever! Appreciate Pelican Plumbers and will definitely use again when I have a plumbing need.

It was very easy making an appointment. I actually talked to a real person. [They automatically get 5 srars for that.] The price was reasonable, I didn't have to wait a month for an appointment. My son said the plumber was nice and new exactly what he was doing.