An escutcheon (pronounced ‘ess-kutch-on’) is the (typically) metal bit that hides the ugly hole in the wall that the pipes come through. Some people call them flanges or cover plates. You can find escutcheons on the wall (or ceiling) around your shower arm, under your sink where the faucet supplies emerge, and by the toilet right next to the shutoff for your toilet’s water supply. A slightly different kind of escutcheon can also be found around the base of some faucets, but those aren’t the ones we’re talking about today.
Why would you want to replace an escutcheon? It’s just a decorative piece: it doesn’t really do anything but make things look a bit nicer, right?
Well, exactly. It doesn’t do anything but look pretty. And if it’s not looking pretty, it’s not doing its job. Escutcheons come in quite a variety of shapes, sizes, and fancy finishes, so you can find exactly the right one to match your project. They’re also very easy to replace, so there’s really no reason to hang on to that ugly, rusty old escutcheon. Get it out of there and replace it with something… well, pretty! After all, if you wanted something ugly, you could have left the hole in the wall.
Most escutcheons can be easily removed. For example, the shower arm escutcheon just slips over the shower arm and snugs against the wall. To remove that escutcheon, you would simply remove the shower head and slide old escutcheon off, replace with new escutcheon and reattach the shower head. Super easy!
But what about those harder-to-reach escutcheons? Like the one kept in place by a shut off valve under your sink or behind the toilet? 
Don’t worry, it’s the same idea, just with a few more steps.
Most often, if there’s a shut off valve in the way, you’ll need to remove the valve to get the escutcheon off. This is pretty easy, but takes a few minutes of planning.
First, shut off water to your house and drain the water out of the lines (in other words, turn on a few faucets until they run dry). Second, double check and make sure you have towels, a dish pan, or something else to catch any water that may come out of the line, just in case. Third, remove the valve in front of the decorative escutcheon. This is where it gets a little trickier.
A threaded-on shutoff valve can usually be removed fairly easily with a pair of pliers and a good twist or two. Just make sure to use a soft cloth to keep the pliers from tearing up the valve and making it ugly too!
A soldered-on shutoff valve might cause more of a problem, depending on your level of plumbing experience. If you’re familiar with this type of fitting, you might be comfortable enough to just go ahead and remove it. If you’re not, it’s probably time to break out some sturdy shears, tin snips, or something else that can handle cutting stamped metal, and simply cut away that old escutcheon.
If you removed your shutoff valve, simply slide on the shiny new escutcheon 
and replace the valve the same way you removed it.
If you cut off your escutcheon, you have a couple of options. You can carefully cut a new escutcheon, angling the cut so it’s not easily visible once you replace it. Or, even easier, you can use a hinged type of escutcheon. This is mostly a matter of personal preference, so run with whichever you like better.
Once your new escutcheon is in place, turn the water back on, check your work, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done!
Need help measuring an escutcheon? Watch this quick video
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We just had our shower tiled. After our handyman left we noticed the escutcheon plate is not flush against the wall. It’s close but not touching. We called him back. He said the wall is uneven and that’s as close as he could get. So he then put silicone around the plate. Is that good enough. We are so nervous about damaging behind the tile. What should we do?
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Hi B – The silicone should be fine, provided no gaps are present. You may want to ask over at http://www.plbg.com for some more opinions/tips.
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How about if there is dripping water behind the escutcheon? I tried to tighten the valve to the pipe coming out of the wall and may have loosened something but the drip is bigger now. I tried to tighten what looks like a nut next to the escutcheon. The water pipe seems to turn at the wall a bit.
Thanks for your feedback.
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Is there such a thing as an asymmetrical escutcheon for a kitchen faucet? We bought a new house with a double sink but the single faucet (mounted to the middle hole of the three) is so far to the right that it doesn’t reach the left sink bowl. I assumed we could simply buy a new escutcheon that would allow us to mount the faucet in the left-most hole so it would be closer to the left sink bowl, but all of my internet searches have been unfruitful. Does this thing exist?
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My escutcheon has a plastic coating that is now peeling off. The faucet is only a few years old. It had been getting dull and cloudy but where it’s peeling looks bright and shiny. I was told the plastic should remain and I need a new plate. Is this true or should it have been removed.
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Hi, my contractor installed a toilet for us.
He made a hole in the wall/tile for
the pipe. When he finished installing the toilet, he never put that donut shaped ring around the pipe to hide the u deleting hole in the wall around the pipe. It looks unacceptable in the newly renovated
bathroom. What is the correct name for a 2 piece collar that I can simply snap on around the pipe? I’d like it to be chrome or brushed nickel if possible.
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We cut our shower hole wrong in our shower panel. We need a 5in outer diameter escutcheon to cover the mistake. Does this even exist? I can’t find anything. What would you do to avoid tearing out the wall and starting over?
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The Escutcheon fell off the ceiling for the shower head. I need to glue it Bach to ceiling . What should I use that will hold it tight to ceiling?
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Re the Escutcheon,
I am requiring a new water spout/ Fawcett attached , over the bath.
A plumber who looked at this, says he would need to cut out 3 wall tiles to do this job . Then I would need a tiler to come and replace the tiles. Would all this be necessary?
The old escutcheon / cover plate is stlll attached to the tiles.