Count the holes in your basin and the choice makes itself. One tap hole means a monobloc, a single tap that blends hot and cold and pours from one spout. Two holes means a pillar pair, one tap for hot and one for cold, so before you buy anything, go and look at how many holes your basin actually has.

Most people typing “monobloc” into a search box are not sure what the word means, and most people replacing an old pillar pair have no idea whether a mixer will fit their two-hole basin. This guide sorts both out. It goes deep on the one thing no product grid explains, which is the fitment, so you order a tap that drops straight into the holes you’ve got.

• Count your tap holes first
• What is a monobloc tap?
• Monobloc vs pillar pair compared
• Swapping a pillar pair for a mixer
• Why a monobloc usually comes with a waste
• FAQ

Count your tap holes first

This is the whole decision in one rule. Look down at the top of your basin, at the deck where the taps sit, and count the drilled holes.

• One hole. You want a monobloc. That’s a single mixer tap that sits in the one hole, blends the hot and cold inside the body and pours warm water out of a single spout.
• Two holes. You want a pillar pair, which is one tap for hot and one for cold, seated in the two holes. If you’d rather have blended water than two separate taps, you can fit a deck mixer made for two holes instead, but the basin still needs both holes to take it.

That’s it. Everything else is finish, price and looks. Get the hole count wrong and no amount of shopping fixes it, because a single-hole monobloc won’t cover two drilled holes and a two-hole pair won’t fit a basin with one. So measure twice, or at least count twice, before you spend. If you’re buying a new basin at the same time, the hole configuration is usually listed in its spec, so you can pick the tap style and the basin together. Browse the full bathroom taps range once you know your number.

What is a monobloc tap?

A monobloc basin tap is a single mixer that fits into one tap hole and does the whole job on its own. Hot and cold feeds come up through the one body, get mixed inside it, and come out of a single spout at the temperature you set. “Mono” is the giveaway, one tap, one hole. Most modern basins are drilled for exactly this.

The bit that makes it work is a single lever over a ceramic disc cartridge. Nudge the lever up for more flow, side to side for hotter or colder. The ceramic cartridge is the part that seals the water, and because it’s ceramic rather than an old rubber washer, it doesn’t perish and start dripping the way traditional taps do. That’s why a decent monobloc stays drip-free for years.

The Premier Monobloc Basin Mixer Tap (£54.99) is the honest starting point and the one most people land on. It’s a modern round design in a high-quality brass body with a ceramic cartridge, it comes with the flexi hoses in the box, and it runs from 0.2 bar, so it works on a gravity-fed system where the cold tank sits in the loft. It also ships with a push-down slotted basin waste and carries a lifetime guarantee.

If your basin sits on a countertop rather than being set into it, look at a tall monobloc so the spout clears the bowl with room to wash your hands under it. The Core Chrome Tall Monobloc Basin Mixer Tap (£79.99) is a deck-mounted high-rise design in polished chrome, single lever over a ceramic disc cartridge, built for exactly that countertop-basin job. See the rest in the monobloc basin taps category.

Monobloc vs pillar pair compared

Both do the same core job, they get water into a basin, but they feel and fit differently. Here’s the honest side-by-side.

	Monobloc (one hole)	Pillar pair (two holes)
Mixing	Blends hot and cold inside the tap, so you set the temperature you want from one spout	Separate hot and cold, no blending at the tap, so you juggle two taps to get it right
Fitting	One tap hole, one body to seat, one set of tails to connect	Two tap holes, two taps to seat and connect, so a bit more work
Cleaning	One base to wipe around	Two bases and more edges for limescale and grime to catch
Look	Modern and minimal	Traditional and classic, the period-property choice

The short version is that a monobloc gives you blended water and less to clean, while a pillar pair keeps the classic separate-taps look that suits an older home. Neither is better across the board. It comes down to your basin’s holes first, then the style you’re after.

On the pillar side, the Premier Basin Taps (Pair) (£54.99) are a modern round pair with a brass body and ceramic cartridges, and they run from 0.2 bar so they’ll work gravity-fed. Want a squarer, more contemporary line? The Forme Basin Taps Hot and Cold Pair (£54.99) are a modern square design, again brass-bodied with ceramic cartridges and rated from 0.2 bar. Both carry a lifetime guarantee. The wider basin taps range has more pairs and singles to compare.

Swapping a pillar pair for a mixer

This is where most people come unstuck. You’ve got an old two-hole basin with a tired pillar pair, and you fancy a single sleek monobloc instead. The problem is a monobloc needs one hole and you’ve got two, so it isn’t a straight swap.

You’ve got a few honest routes:

• Fit a two-hole deck mixer. The tidiest fix that keeps your basin. A deck mixer made for two tap holes uses both existing holes and gives you blended water from a spout in the middle. The catch is spacing: two-hole basins are drilled to a set distance between the holes, and the mixer has to match it. Measure the centre-to-centre gap between your two holes before you order, because a mixer built for a different spacing won’t line up. Take that measurement to the tap’s spec and match it against your own basin before you buy.
• Buy a new one-hole basin. If you’re set on a single monobloc, the cleanest answer is often a basin drilled for one tap. You get the look you want with none of the bodging, and if the basin’s tired anyway it’s money well spent.
• Blank the spare hole. Possible on some basins, but be realistic. Reliably blanking a drilled hole in a ceramic basin so it looks factory-finished is a faff and doesn’t always come off, so it’s the last resort rather than the plan.

Some people also use the second hole for a separate pop-up waste lever or a soap dispenser, which turns the spare hole into a feature rather than a problem. Whatever route you take, sort the hole count on paper before you order the tap, not after it turns up.

Why a monobloc usually comes with a waste

A lot of monoblocs ship with a basin waste in the box, and there’s a good reason. A single-lever mixer often has no room for the old-style pop-up rod and lever behind the spout, so it pairs with a click-clack push-down waste instead. You press the plug to seal, press again to open, no lever needed. The Premier monobloc above, for instance, comes with a push-down slotted waste included, which is why “push down basin taps” is such a common search, people are really after that combo.

The one thing to get right is slotted versus unslotted. A slotted waste has a small opening for the basin’s overflow to drain through, so it goes in any basin that has an overflow hole. An unslotted waste has no such opening and only suits a basin with no overflow. Match the waste to your basin and you’ll be fine. If your tap doesn’t include one, or you want a different finish, the basin wastes range has both types.

FAQ

What does monobloc mean on a tap?

It means one body in one hole. A monobloc basin tap is a single mixer that sits in a single tap hole, blends the hot and cold inside itself, and pours warmed water from one spout. “Mono” is the clue. If your basin has one hole, a monobloc is what you’re after.

Why do UK homes have separate hot and cold taps?

It’s a hangover from older plumbing. Traditionally the cold came straight off the mains as drinking water while the hot came from a tank in the loft, and the rules kept the two supplies from mixing inside one tap to stop tank water backing up into the mains. That’s why so many British basins came with a separate hot tap and cold tap. Modern mixers and monoblocs get around it with the two supplies kept apart inside the body until they leave the spout, so blended water is standard now.

Can I put a mixer tap on a two-hole basin?

Yes, but you need a deck mixer made for two tap holes, not a single-hole monobloc. It uses both existing holes and puts the spout in the middle. Measure the centre-to-centre distance between your two holes first and match it to the tap, because two-hole mixers are built to a set spacing and yours has to line up.

What are push down basin taps?

That usually refers to the waste rather than the tap. A push-down, or click-clack, waste is the plug you press to seal and press again to open, with no pop-up lever behind the spout. Monoblocs often come with one because there’s no room for the old rod-and-lever setup, so the two get searched for together.

Are monobloc taps better than pillar taps?

Neither is better outright. A monobloc gives you blended water from one spout and less to clean, and suits a modern basin with one hole. A pillar pair keeps the classic separate-taps look that fits an older or period bathroom, and needs a two-hole basin. Count your holes first, then pick on style. For the full overview of tap types, our sink tap buying guide walks through the lot, and the tap materials and finishes care guide covers keeping whichever you choose looking new.