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Choosing Tap Sets for Your Bathroom
Whether you’re building from scratch, renovating or just touching up your bathroom with some new fittings, selecting the perfect bathroom tapware is vital for making your bathroom the perfect point of relaxation in your home. The selection process can often be daunting, with such a wide array of single lever tapware and mixer taps on the market. The finish on your tap set and style of tap is quintessential to satisfy your bathroom needs. The first step to deciding what bathroom tap set is perfect for you is educating yourself to what is on the market, understanding what your bathroom needs are, realising what your budget is, and recognising what you already have.
What Are Single Lever Taps and Bathroom Mixer Taps?
Single Lever Taps
Single lever taps, as the name suggests, are single spout taps with a single lever to control both the pressure and temperature of water. Typically, the further left you move the lever the hotter the water gets, the further right you move the lever the colder the water gets, and the further you raise the lever the higher the water pressure will increase. These taps have become very popular for their convenient use and simplistic style. Single lever taps can come with an integrated thermostat feature to instantly have your desired temperature water, as well as water saving features.
Mixer Taps
Mixer taps are taps that combine both hot and cold water into a single spout. They are usually controlled with a single lever, just like previously mentioned, however can also be controlled with more traditional methods, such has three-hole mixer taps that have separate taps with a single spout and monobloc mixer taps that have everything on a single tap body. Essentially, all single lever taps are mixer taps but not all mixer taps are single lever. Mixer tap sets can also have water saving features and are more versatile to what aesthetic and function you want your bathroom to be.
Pros And Cons of Single Lever and Mixer Taps
Pros of Single Lever Taps
Single lever taps are designed for convenience and excellent as basin taps, shower taps or bath taps. Because they can be manoeuvred easily with one hand, they are perfect for children and the elderly who might have difficulty adjusting water pressure and temperatures.
Cons of Single Lever Taps
However, single lever tap sets are fairly one dimensional in design. Single lever taps are elegant and simple, as such, are not as suitable for rustic or retro bathrooms. Because of their contemporary look, chrome, stainless steel or matte black are the most appropriate for their use. The other materials would look out of place and questionably distasteful.
Pros of Mixer Taps
Mixer taps can, when manoeuvred with a single lever, of course have the pros of a single lever tap.
Three-Hole Mixer Tap Pros
Three-hole mixer taps, where the tap adjustments are separate from the spout, in a gold or stainless-steel finish, are perfect for a more traditional, retro look.
Cons of Three-Hole Mixer Taps
These taps are however more difficult to manoeuvre than single lever taps and if used by children or the elderly, may increase the amount of water wasted in your bathroom. Three-hole mixer taps also need a three-hole basin, so if purchasing a new basin when you already have one is going to put you over your budget, three-hole mixer taps are not a viable option.
Pros of Monobloc Mixer Taps
Monobloc mixer taps are another mixer tap alternative and can offer an excellent rustic look in the bathroom if finished in brass.
Cons of Monobloc Mixer Taps
Again, like the three-hole mixer tap, monobloc mixers are more difficult to manoeuvre which can make saving water a problem.
So, What Tap Set is Best for You?
At the end of the day, almost all taps on the market are decent taps that will work for your bathroom. What makes things difficult is choosing which bathroom tap set is best for you. When choosing you should consider the following;
Do You Have Elderly or Children in Your Home or Have Difficulty Saving Water?
Elderly and children may find it difficult to operate tapware with more than one hand. As such, in order to save water the best option for you would be to choose a single lever tap.
Do You Already Have A Basin?
If you already have a basin, you will need to select tapware that can be fit to it. For example, if you have a single hole basin, you will not be able to install a three-hole mixer tap. Additionally, if you have a small basin and decide to get large or tall tapware, you risk splashing water all over your bathroom. On the contrary, if you get tapware that is too small, you will not be able to fit your hands under the spout to wash them.
What Is Your Budget?
If you have a large budget, you may be able to afford getting a new basin to suit the tap set you would like. Otherwise, if your budget is smaller, you will have to more closely subscribe to what you already have in your bathroom.
What Aesthetic Do You Want Your Bathroom To Be?
Lastly, different taps and materials will create different moods and aesthetics in your bathroom. Single lever taps are elegant, sleek and simple, so they suit a contemporary home style. Monobloc mixers or traditional three-hole mixer taps are more suited to rustic and retro styles respectively. So, more audacious materials in gold or brass are more suited to them.
Example Situation
So, for example, let’s say you are renovating your bathroom with a medium budget, you have children that might find it difficult to save water, you already have a small basin with a single hole, and you want a marble finished contemporary bathroom. An elegant chrome finished small single lever tap is perfect for what you are trying to achieve because it is contemporary, easy to use, they are not expensive and already work with your single hole basin
How To Purchase
The Plumbing Store has all options available to satisfy your bathroom tapware needs. The easy-to-use website has a wide selection of single lever and basin mixer taps for you to choose from in many materials, sizes, budget options and high-quality tap sets. The Plumbing Store also has a range of bathroom brands such as Caroma, Clark, Harmony, Phoenix and Stylus. The Plumbing Store has bathroom tap sets with extra features such as water saving taps and taps with thermostats inbuilt so you can turn your tap onto the perfect temperature every time you use it. If you are looking for tap sets outside of the bathroom, The Plumbing Store also has many kitchen tap sets and laundry tap sets to satisfy your needs. Whatever the need, style, material, finish, brand or even room of the house, The Plumbing Store has all the options you require at competitive prices.
