How to choose a bath tap

Modern bathrooms have become another place in the apartment where the designer's imagination can run wild. New sanitary ware and availability of various materials open up new horizons in the design of this room. The highlight can become an original faucet. How to choose a faucet for the bathroom and what should you pay attention to?

An important aspect when choosing a faucet - the material of which it is made. Quality products are made mainly of brass and bronze, cheaper ones are made of silumin. Ceramic faucets are less common. To give metal faucets an aesthetic appearance and to protect them from corrosion, a layer of nickel is put on top, and then a decorative coating is applied: chrome, enamel, gold-plated, bronze, platinum, and others.

Plastic with a chrome coating is often used for faucet parts. Handles and valves can also be made of marble, onyx, crystal, malachite and other natural materials.

Today, both foreign and domestic manufacturers filled the market with faucets of all kinds of models. They differ in configuration, the functions performed, the type of attachment, the principle of action, etc.

Traditional faucets of yesteryear are still in demand. Especially for classic or country style bathrooms. The two streams of water, cold and hot, are controlled separately by valves. This principle of water supply allows manual adjustment of its temperature and pressure by turning the valves.

The disadvantage of two-valve faucets is the rubber gasket, which wears out quickly and needs to be replaced periodically. It's pretty easy to do. Some manufacturers make valve taps with ceramic plates, which last longer than rubber.

Nowadays, the most common type of faucet is the single-lever. It allows you to regulate the temperature and water pressure with one hand, while maintaining the adjusted parameters until the next use.

The principle of work of such faucet is determined by the mechanism of water supply. Earlier they used ball valves, but today it is more popular to use faucets with a cartridge mechanism. All you need to do is to turn the handle of the faucet up or down, to the right or to the left.

Despite their compactness and elegance, they are not deficient. Solids in the water flow are detrimental to the parts of the mixer, which leads to the need to replace the ball module.

These faucets have a huge plus point - they look amazing. They impress with their original design, shapes and curves. Often you can see glass cascade faucets with illumination. If you turn on the water, the faucet becomes a waterfall, turning the water flow into a wide stream. In other respects it is almost the same as the other types, because the mixing of cold and hot water is the same, except that the flow capacity of cascade mixers is slightly higher.

For those who do not like to get under a sudden contrasting shower, a thermostat faucet will be the ideal option. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it provides a water supply of a given temperature and head. This is especially convenient for families with small children, as it protects against hot water burns.

The thermostatic faucet has two knobs that regulate the temperature and water pressure. The data is shown on the display and saved. Installation of such restrictions levels out surges in the main pipes and provides comfort during water procedures.

Such faucets are often used in restaurants and clubs. They are very convenient to use, because they do not require manual operation. They work on infrared sensors, which give a signal to turn on the water when you bring your hand to them. After some time, it automatically turns off.

Electronic faucets are a more advanced version of non-contact faucets and allow you to like the thermostatic faucets, they allow you to set the temperature and pressure for different operating modes. They work on the principle of infrared sensor response. However, for hard water, such products are not quite suitable.

This is a familiar type of faucet that delivers water both a washbasin and a bathtub. The feature of the product is a long gooseneck that rotates in the desired direction.

It does not look very modern and most often has a short lifespan, so we recommend buying separate mixers for the bath and sink. Although for the "first time" such an economical option will be quite helpful.

Faucets of this type are mounted directly on the wall to the water pipes. This is the most familiar type for everyone. Wall-mounted faucets can have almost any configuration. Most often, these are single-lever or valve combination faucets.

A fairly new and unusual type of faucet. Features of its installation are that the pipes are masked in a tube attached to the floor. On the rack there is the mixer itself, which can be a single lever or a valve with a half-turn mechanism. Floor standing mixers look very original and effective, especially in large rooms, when the bath is located in the center of the room.

This type of mixer taps allows you to disguise the pipes and the shower hose. A recessed faucet is mounted into a bathtub or washbasin rim, and all communication is hidden. When the shower becomes necessary, the showerhead is removed from its place and the hose is pulled out following it. This is very convenient in terms of camouflaging the shower tube, but the constant pulling back there leads to the deterioration of the hose and the need to replace it. Bathtub side mixer looks very stylish and decorates the room.

A faucet recessed into the wall, allows you to hide all the visual flaws of the fixture and provides an aesthetic appearance of the structure. All the pipes, screws, nuts and other things are hidden behind the panel, and only the necessary parts of the mixer remain outside.

The disadvantage of this type of faucets is that they are quite difficult to install. It is necessary to cut through the wall and hide all communications in it. Then the back panel and the mixer itself are installed. In the case of a burst pipe, it will be quite difficult to determine the location of the leak and fix the problem itself, because you will have to dismantle the wall again.

When choosing a faucet for the bath, it is necessary to determine whether the faucet above the washbasin will be installed separately. If not, then the best option would be a combination faucet with a wall-mounted shower holder. Otherwise, you can install a recessed version or a floor standing version, which in itself looks original and very neat.

It is not uncommon to choose a recessed mixer. It is mounted into the acrylic bathtub rim or into the rim with ceramic tiles.. It is convenient to use faucets with automatic switching from one mode to another.

There are absolutely no restrictions when installing a faucet for the sink. All of the above types are suitable, so when choosing a washbasin faucet, it is better to focus on the available price range and the desired functions that the faucet should perform.

Bidet faucet can be installed on its edge, it has no special differences from similar faucets for the bathtub or sink. The only point - It is equipped with an aerator with a ball joint for the convenience of hygienic procedures.

The first thing to do is to determine the number of faucets needed to install in the bathroom. For small rooms one combined faucet is enough, but if the room has a freestanding bath, washbasin, shower and bidet, then you will need several products. In this case, you need to select them in a single style, preferably from the same manufacturer and from the same collection. Fittings and accessories must also be selected in the same style and according to the same principle.

The second question that must be considered is how to install the faucet. Not everyone can afford mortise or floor versions of the product, not only because of their higher cost, but also because of the location of the plumbing. Depending on personal preferences and needs, choose the type of faucet best suited in terms of functionality, type of opening and appearance.

After that, you should decide on the material, shape, color and style. That is, at this stage much attention is paid directly to the visual aspect of the mixer. It is better to focus on the collections of well-known European manufacturers. And although the price of such a faucet will be a little higher than the domestic production, but the quality of the goods will be at the highest level.

The choice of the faucet is not limited to its purchase. You should also take care about the quality of the installation. For this purpose, it is better to invite a qualified master, who knows all the nuances of working with this or that kind of faucets.

The counters of sanitary ware stores are filled with products from manufacturers from various countries. And faucets are no exception. The quality of manufactured products today can boast not only foreign companies, but also domestic manufacturers.

On the indicators of reliability and technological perfection, of course, European manufacturing firms are leading: German faucets Grohe, Swiss Geberit, French Jacob Delafon, Spanish Teka and Supergrif and Swedish Gustavsberg, as well as Mamoli and Carlo Frattini Vincentin made in Italy. Well-proven faucets are Finnish production company Oras, as well as American Kraus and Ideal Standart.

There are no specific rules for the care of faucets in the bathroom. The materials used for their manufacture are quite easy to clean.

However, it is undesirable to use abrasives and metal brushes so as not to damage the top layer. For cleaning, a soft cloth, sponge and gel or liquid detergents are excellent.

Vinegar, citric acid or lemon juice, in addition to special products, will help against plaque and rust. It is enough to wipe the faucet with one of these, leave it for a few minutes, and then wipe it with a damp cloth. To give a shine and wash away streaks, you can use a glass cleaner. For regular cleaning, wiping the shower and faucet with a dry microfiber cloth is sufficient.