You may have already chosen your basin, bath, and WC before you come to choosing the taps. Often an after thought, taps (brassware) plays an important part in the bathroom, not just functionally, but aesthetically too. However, the choice can seem overwhelming, and you don’t want to end up falling in love with a design you can’t have. So, here is mostly everything you need to know and a little step-by-step guide to choosing your bathroom brassware and accessories.
One hole, two hole, three holes!
It is easy for those of us in the industry to forget that not every knows the difference in design of brassware.
You can have separate hot and cold taps (sometimes called pillar taps) or a mixer, a single tap where the water temperatures are mixed and the come from a single tap (mixer). A single lever is also just that, a mixer tap that is controlled by a single lever, usually up to start the flow and left and right to adjust the temperature.
When you choose your basin, they will come with either none, one, two or three tap holes. Holes cannot be added to ceramic elements so you need to consider what taps you want, and how many holes you’ll need, when deciding on your basin. Some baths can be drilled to suit the brassware you choose, it depends on the material of the bath. So, choose
- No holes for a wall-mounted tap
- A single hole for a pillar tap or single lever mixer
- Two holes for pillar taps – where the water comes directly from a sperate hot and cold tap
- Three holes for two pillar taps that are the handles for the faucet
Right water pressure
You need to know your home’s water pressure to decide whether you need a high or low pressure. This will ensure you get a decent flow of water. If you have a gravity-fed system, you will have low pressure. The higher the tank is away from your taps, the better the pressure will be. If you have a combination boiler system then you will have medium to high pressure.
The majority of single-lever mixers and wall-mounted taps will need high water pressures to be effective. If you have low pressure you are probably better choosing pillar taps. A low-pressure tap can work well with the high-pressure system but not the other way around.
Styles of Brassware
Match the style of your bathroom with your brassware. Edwardian Square stepped basins on full pedestals with a high-level cistern are still popular, choose 3-tap hole pillar taps with cross handles and a handheld shower mixer with a cradle for the bath.
For a more contemporary look choose clean lines and single-lever mixers if you can.
Materials
Although called brassware in the industry not all brassware is made of brass and your choice of materials affects the look and longevity of your taps.
Taps work hard and are prone to limescale build up and corrosion. Solid brass taps are extremely resistant to corrosion. You will find brass taps made from recycled brass as well as ‘virgin’ brass. Virgin brass contains no impurities so the taste of your water is not affected by the taps.
Taps that contain ceramic discs are much more hardwearing and resilient than ones that have the traditional rubber washers, and they are easier to turn needing only a ¾ turn from off to on.
What your brassware is made of and how it is finished will affect the price, so it’s important to understand why the brassware you’re interested in is the price it is. We can talk you through all these elements when you come to see us at JD Kitchens and Bathrooms.
Colours and finishes
The colour and finish (matt or polished) of your taps is also important to the overall look of your bathroom.
Chrome is hands-down the most popular finish for bathroom taps – modern looking, easy to clean and fairly resistant to corrosion and scratches.
Gold is a good choice for classic and period-style bathrooms, but you want to make sure your gold taps are dipped, not plated to avoid the issues of peeling and tarnishing. Rose gold is also available from some manufactures as well as a lighter antique gold.
Nickel gives a gun metal look and is relatively new on the scene. Matt black is also increasing in popularity but is a bold choice.
With so many styles to choose from it can get confusing. If you are planning a new bathroom, come and see us at JD Kitchens and Bathrooms and we will guide you through all your choices and help you decide what would work best for you.
Give a call on 01865 849 990 or email sales@jdbathroomsandkitchens.co.uk, or come in and visit us at Unit C, St Georges House, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1HT
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