Another thing I’ve been umming and ahhing about when considering my first world problems, is what type of tapware to get: wall-mounted or bench-mounted.
My original reason for wanting wall-mounted is ease of cleaning, as water supposedly doesn’t pool on the bench as much, so you don’t get those blue-green rings of calcium build-up. I also think that aesthetically, it looks cleaner especially when you have an above-counter vessel, which we have already decided on.
But I have since also heard that if you want to change the taps in the future, it’s a big job and tiles have to come off, as each manufacture makes the interior cartridge differently. On the other hand, changing taps within the same brand isn’t that hard as the interior cartridge doesn’t need to change.
And another question is, does this even matter? Will we want to change without redoing the whole bathroom anyway? I can’t really see that happening anytime soon, we’ll be too exhausted!
Anyway, some pictures.
If we get bench-mounted, it would have to be a mixer tap style.
Option 1: Bench-mounted mixer style.
If we went wall-mounted, it could either be a mixer or separate taps:
Option 2: Wall-mounted mixer tap on a plate style.
Option 3. Wall-mounted mixer taps, separated style.
I’m not sure about option 2, most of the ones I’ve seen have looked a bit too chunky for my aesthetic.
A quick Reece search reveals the following readily available styles, which seems to leave Option 3 out in the cold.
Extended basin mixer styles for consideration:
Mixer on top of tap. E.g. Milli Glance
Mixer at bottom of tap. E.g. Teknobili Likid
Wall-mounted taps styles for consideration:
Separate hot and cold taps. E.g. Dorf Pearl
Outlet and mixer on a plate. E.g. Mizu Bloc.
So, I’m interested in opinions here. Wall-mounted or bench-mounted? Any examples of taps you love?
I love your first world problems trixee! My vote goes for wall mount but then I’m biased as we’ve chosen wall mounted tapware for all our bathrooms. I do love the black mixer though, it’s very on trend now.
That pic of Michael and Carlene’s powder room is one of my fave looks. It’s so glam! I’m trying to talk hubby into using that very same pendant but having no luck.
I loved that powder room too, everything about it! Is hubby saying the pendant is too expensive? Cos there are some nice replicas out there.
Thanks for the vote, that’s 1 for wall mounted!
Hubby thinks the bling won’t go with our powder room.
Pfft. If there’s one place that bling belongs, it’s a powder room! Maybe you should find some images and start working on him…
Trust me I’ve shown him a few including that one. He actually likes Michael and Carlene’s but he doesn’t think it will work with ours. It’s such a bold piece and I think the timber benchtop softens it a bit. We have a white wall and white vanity paired with the Walnut stone top. I’m having my own first world problems over our tiling choices at the moment. I might write a blog post about it to get feedback!
Hm, you’re probably right, if the tile was patterned it might work better.
You should definitely blog about your tiling dilemma!
I like your thinking on the wall mounted tapware… but I suspect you will have more choice ? with bench mounted or do you just choose the set that would come with the bathtub for the wall mounted? I never really thought about it and also have issues with the grot that accumulates around a tap (I use old toothbrushes to clean).
Anyway… my vote is for wall mounted although I know when shopping for a friend’s kitchen tap which was wall mounted (think really old school!!) it was very devoid of options.
Another vote for wall-mounted! A quick count of the options at Reece show that there are roughly the same number of options in each (I discounted the ones I didn’t like). So I don’t think there’s a lack of options.
I could go either way for the sake of beauty! And those matt black mixer taps are divine. I hate the grime that builds up around the bottom of bench mounted taps, but I don’t know if wall mounted just moves the mess.
The black ones are beautiful! I’m also ambivalent about the mess, whether wall-mounted makes a difference.
I thought wall mount would be easier to clean but when I stayed at a hotel I realised that every time you turn the tap off, the water dripped off hands and pooled on the bench. Which would be especially annoying if it went behind the bowl basin. Something to consider. I’d rather do the toothbrush scrub.
Hi Miki, yes the water dripping off hands is, I think, something that would happen regardless of where the tap is mounted. And having to continually reach behind the vessel to soak it up would be a pain. You see my dilemma! Perhaps the toothbrush scrub would be easier in the end. I’m beginning to think it doesn’t really matter, either way you still need to clean the thing, it doesn’t clean itself (unfortunately!).
I do love the look of the wall mounted taps and maybe mistakenly thought they would be easier for cleaning. We’ve gone wall mounted in our ensuite with our above counter basins . The black is stunning. We found Reece plumbing in Osborne Park had a good selection and were very helpful. Enjoy looking ☺
I was told the wall-mounted taps are easier for cleaning too. But I do like the look of them anyway. I think in the end it just depends on the actual tapware. The black ones sure are gorgeous, is that what you ended up selecting? Should be too long now for you, given you’ve just had your cabinets installed!
Loved the black taps but just couldn’t persaude my better half to go that way.
A friend has installed a black kitchen mixer in her kitchen and it really does look fab.
I agree that in the end it really is the tapware that you choose and not the fitting.
Some of our windows in today and I just love the louvres. I will be posting pics soon 🙂
Hmm you’ve got me thinking. I had to have a quick look at the photos of the show house to see what I’ve got – wall mounted bath and basin mounted for the sinks.
I love the look of wall mounted but if there’s a problem would it be easier to fix the basin mounted ones? The plumber has just put new washers in all the ones in our rental to stop the dripping. I’d be worried about the tiles cracking down the line if they had to tighten the wall mounted ones.
Yeah I was concerned about this and did a quick search on you tube to find videos of how to fix wall-mounted taps. I *think* it’s ok, the videos I saw looked simple enough. If you think about it, it’s pretty much the same as changing a shower tap. It could be a preference thing, maybe some plumbers don’t like fixing wall-mounted?
We are using both throughout our house. But I love the wall mount……I think they are so pretty.
Using both! Now that’s an idea…