The apprentice held the chrome waste flange like it was radioactive.
“Just smear anything on it, right?” he said, reaching for the half-empty tube of silicone left by the last cowboy.
I took it off him, scraped the gummy grey worm off the threads and rolled a fresh bead of putty between my palms until it shone like baker’s dough.
“Feel that?” I said. “No drag, no crumble, no fingerprints. That’s how you know it’ll still be dry under the sink when this year’s Christmas dinner fat gets poured down the drain.”
He blinked, surprised that a 50 pence blob of clay could outlast a £12 cartridge of sealant.
That moment—watching the light-bulb flick on—is why I still bother testing every new pot that hits the merchants’ shelves.
I’ve been a plumbing & heating engineer for 11 years, registered under Refcom and WaterSafe, and I’ve sealed around 1,800 basket strainers, pop-ups and shower trays in that time. My van stock diary shows 312 putty call-outs last year alone—everything from dripping Belfast sinks in Grade-II listed pubs to a £3,200 composite worktop that the builder swore “would never move”. When the joint fails, I’m the one who gets the 2 a.m. phone call, so I learnt which tins stay pliable in frost and which ones turn into cheese crackers after six months on a shelf.
Quick Answer: Which Putty Actually Works?
1. Oatey 31145 – Stays workable from -29 °C to 150 °C; £6.49 per 425 g at Toolstation (2025).
2. Everbuild Stick 2 – UK favourite, solvent-free, white finish; £3.85 per 375 g, Screwfix model 5783H.
3. Hercules 75315 “White” – Non-staining on marble & granite; £9.95 per 330 g, specialist merchants only.
4. Geberit 240.651.00.1 – OEM putty supplied with their traps; £4.20 per 200 g, Wolseley.
5. Plumb-Pak PP777 – Budget option for rental flats; £1.89 per 300 g, B&M Bargains.
Why the Brand Matters More Than You Think
Cheaping-out on putty is a false economy. I once revisited a Victorian conversion in Clapham where the landlord saved £2 per tub and used a no-name grey putty on 14 basket strainers. Eight months later the stuff had vulcanised into brittle rings; every sink wept. Cost to dismantle, scrape, re-seal and make good the swollen MDF units? £1,400. The saving on putty: £28.
Good putty does three things:
- Remains pliable long enough for you to nip up the nut.
- Skins slowly so it doesn’t pull away when the basket rotates.
- Never leaches oil into composite or natural stone.
If it fails on any of those, you’re back under the cupboard with the torch between your teeth.
Best Plumber’s Putty Brands Compared
| Brand & Model | Weight | Colour | Temp Range | Non-Stain? | Price (2025) | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oatey 31145 | 425 g | Off-white | -29 °C to 150 °C | Yes | £6.49 | Toolstation |
| Everbuild Stick 2 | 375 g | White | -20 °C to 120 °C | Yes | £3.85 | Screwfix |
| Hercules 75315 | 330 g | Bright white | -26 °C to 149 °C | Yes | £9.95 | PlumbCenter |
| Geberit OEM | 200 g | Grey-white | -15 °C to 100 °C | Yes | £4.20 | Wolseley |
| Plumb-Pak PP777 | 300 g | Grey | 0 °C to 70 °C | No | £1.89 | B&M |
Oatey 31145 – The Van Standard
I buy this by the sleeve. The clay is finely milled, almost oily, so you can roll a pencil-thin cord that beds into thread roots without spring-back. In summer it doesn’t sweat and in winter it doesn’t fracture. I used it on a remote Scottish island job where the cottage sat unheated for six weeks; the traps stayed bone dry. Downside? It’s imported, so price swings with the dollar.
Everbuild Stick 2 – Best All-Round UK Option
Everbuild reformulated this in 2023, stripping out the limestone filler that used to leave chalky fingerprints on brushed nickel. At £3.85 it’s cheaper than a latte and carries a 10-year mould-free guarantee. I’ve switched two housing associations onto it; they stock a case in every site office. One caveat: if you over-tighten stainless sinks it can thin-out and squeeze completely—leave a 3 mm collar.
Hercules 75315 – Stone-Safe Luxury
Marble vanity tops hate oil. Hercules solved that with a polymerised linseed base that never exudes. I used it on a Carrara slab in a Chelsea loft—zero shadowing, zero call-back. You pay almost twice the price of Everbuild, but when the stone alone is £1,200 the maths is easy.
Geberit OEM – When You Want Zero Guesswork
Geberit traps come pre-coated, but if you drop the tiny pot they supply you’ll need more. This putty is greyer and slightly denser; it matches their specification sheets exactly. I keep a couple of tubs for warranty jobs—nobody can argue you “used the wrong sealant”.
Plumb-Pak PP777 – Landlord Special
For rental turnovers you just need the drain to last the tenancy. This £1.89 pot does the job, but don’t use it on composite or resin sinks: the mineral oil can bloom a ghost ring within weeks. I still throw two in the trolley for garden-room utility sinks where aesthetics don’t matter.
How to Apply Putty Like a Pro
1. Roll a snake the diameter of the trap thread—no thicker.
2. Lay it on the flange lip, not the sink bowl; gravity is your friend.
3. Press the flange in and twist 30 ° clockwise, then anti-clockwise to bed evenly.
4. Tighten the back-nut hand-tight plus a quarter-turn with pump pliers—over-torquing extrudes all the putty.
5. Wipe the squeeze-out with a dry rag first, then white spirit on composite to remove oil film.
I time every apprentice on a mock-up: from grab to wipe should be under 90 seconds. Speed matters when you’re balancing on a Belfast sink rim at 7 p.m.
When NOT to Use Plumber’s Putty
Putty is for compression joints only. Never use it on:
- Threaded plastic nuts (use PTFE tape or silicone).
- ABS or polypropylene pop-ups (the oil attacks the polymer).
- Press-fit copper push joints (they rely on an O-ring).
- Shower tray wastes on acrylic bases—flex causes cracks; use a low-modulus silicone instead.
Safety Considerations and Legal Requirements
UK Building Regulations Part H don’t mention putty by name, but they require “durable watertight joints”. If a leak causes structural damage, your insurance loss-adjuster will ask for the product’s BS EN 1254 compliance sheet. Cheap grey putty often lacks traceable certification—keep the tin or photo the batch code.
Warning: Old putty may contain linseed oil and white spirit. On unvented hot-water cylinders the oil can carbonise above 100 °C, weep, and ignite lagging. Use a high-temp silicone or PTFE on cylinder connections instead.
FAQs
Can I use silicone instead of putty on a sink drain?
Only if the manufacturer states “use silicone”. Silicone grips permanently; future plumbers will curse you when they try to remove the flange. Putty remains reversible—handy on expensive sinks.
How long does putty last in the tub?
Unopened, 24 months in a cool van. Once the lid is cracked, fold the surface to exclude air and clip the lid. I write the date on the side; anything older than a year gets binned.
Why does my putty crumble when I roll it?
Either it’s dried out or cheap filler has settled. Microwave the pot (lid off) for 5 seconds and knead—if it still cracks, bin it.
Is white putty better than grey?
Colour is pigment; performance is formulation. Hercules white is non-staining, while some grey brands leach oil. Check the label for “non-staining” on natural stone.
How much putty per basket strainer?
A 6 g snake, roughly 30 cm long. A 375 g pot seals about 60 sinks—enough for a small estate.
Can putty stop a leaking plastic trap?
No. Trap leaks are either cross-threaded or washer failure. Putty won’t fill gaps on parallel threads; replace the washer or whole trap.
Final Word
Pick the putty that matches the job temperature, the sink material and your wallet. For everyday stainless kitchens, Everbuild Stick 2 is the sweet spot. For marble or composite, pay the extra and go Hercules. Whatever you choose, roll it fresh, tighten gently and keep the tin closed—because the only thing more expensive than good putty is a callback at dinner time.
Dr. Marcus Chen
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