Bathroom Taps

Bathroom taps split into two jobs: basin taps for your sink and bath taps for filling the bath. Which ones you can actually fit depends less on the look and more on how many tap holes your basin or bath has, and where the water comes in. One hole usually means a single monobloc mixer, three holes means a separate tap set, and a basin with no tap hole of its own means a wall-mounted tap or a tall countertop tap.

The full range sits below, split by type and by finish. Use the basin taps and bath taps sections to narrow it down, or read on for a quick buying guide and straight answers to the usual questions.

How to choose bathroom taps

Start with the fitting, not the look. Count the tap holes in your basin or bath and check where the water feed comes in, because that decides which tap types will physically fit before finish ever comes into it.

Basin taps: match the tap to your basin’s holes. A monobloc is the default for most modern basins: a single mixer in one central hole, with one lever handling hot and cold. If your basin has a single tap hole, that is what you want, and the monobloc basin taps range is where to start. Countertop basins that sit on top of a worktop or vanity need a taller tap so the spout clears the bowl rim, which is the job tall basin taps do. The Litchfield Oro Brushed Brass Tall Basin Mixer Tap at £149.99 is a good example of the type: solid brass construction, knurled handle detailing and designed for countertop basins.

Wall-mounted basin taps bring the spout out of the wall instead, so nothing sits on the basin or the worktop. It looks clean and it is easy to wipe around, but be honest with yourself about the install: the pipework and a concealed valve have to be buried in the wall, so it is a planned-in job rather than a quick swap. The Litchfield Oro Brushed Brass Wall-Mounted Basin Mixer Tap at £169.99 is the wall-mounted partner to the tall Oro above, with the same brushed brass finish and knurled handle, single-lever control of flow and temperature, and a lifetime manufacturer’s guarantee. The rest of the range sits under wall-mounted basin taps.

In a downstairs loo the basin is usually small enough that a full-size mixer would crowd the bowl, which is exactly what the smaller cloakroom taps are for.

Bath taps: filling the bath. If your bath already has tap holes, bath mixer taps are the straightforward answer: they are deck-mounted, sit on the rim of the bath and are usually a two-hole set feeding a single spout.

A freestanding or roll-top bath with no tap holes of its own is what a floor-standing tap is for. The Litchfield Select Brushed Brass Freestanding Bath Shower Mixer Tap at £199.99 and the Litchfield Select Matte Black version at £179.99 are the same idea in two finishes, both with one-handle lever control and a five-year guarantee. The brushed brass lists a quarter-turn ceramic cartridge and half-inch inlet and outlet connections, and the matte black an aerated spout for a softer flow. The part to plan for is the feed, which comes up through the floor rather than off the bath rim, so the pipework has to be run to the exact tap position before the floor is finished. Check the product page for what is in the box, and see the rest under freestanding bath taps.

The third option hides the spout altogether. Overflow bath fillers fill the bath through the overflow, so the rim stays clear with nothing sitting on it. The Litchfield Round Bath Filler Waste & Overflow in Brushed Brass at £109.99 is a concealed filling system that handles the waste, the overflow and the filling in one, with an integrated clicker waste, steel and brass construction and a 600mm overflow hose supplied.

Then pick a finish. Finish is the bit you look at every day, so it is worth getting right, but it changes nothing about whether the tap will fit. Browse by finish: brushed brass, matt black, brushed bronze, chrome, gunmetal and nickel. Chrome is the safe, wipe-clean all-rounder. Brushed brass and bronze are the warm, on-trend picks. Matt black is bold, and in a hard-water area it hides limescale spotting rather less than you would hope, so keep a cloth handy. Match the finish to the rest of your brassware, meaning the shower, the towel rail and the handles, and you will not go far wrong.

Quick answers

What is the difference between basin taps and bath taps? Basin taps go on your sink and bath taps fill the bath. The practical difference is flow and size: bath taps and fillers move a lot more water so the bath fills in a sensible time, and they are physically bigger. A basin tap on a bath would take an age, and a bath tap on a basin would be huge and splash everywhere. Buy for the job.

How many tap holes do I need? It depends on the basin or bath, so check what you have before you buy. One central hole takes a monobloc, the single mixer that is the most common modern setup. Three holes take a separate tap set, meaning two taps plus a central spout. A basin or bath with no tap holes at all needs a wall-mounted tap, a tall countertop tap or a floor-standing freestanding tap. Always match the tap to the holes, not the other way round.

Do bathroom taps come with a waste? Some do, some do not, so read the product page before you check out: where a waste is included it is listed there, and where it is not you buy one separately. One you never need to check is the Litchfield Round Bath Filler Waste & Overflow at £109.99, because the waste is part of the design: it is a combined overflow filler and waste with an integrated clicker waste mechanism.

Are wall-mounted taps hard to fit? Harder than a standard deck tap, yes. The spout and a concealed valve have to be set into the wall with the pipework buried behind them, so the first fix has to be planned before the wall is finished or tiled. If you are building a bathroom from scratch it is straightforward to design in. If you are swapping taps in a finished room, a deck-mounted monobloc is far less hassle.

What tap finish is best for a hard-water area? Chrome is the easiest to live with, because it wipes clean with no fuss. Matt black is the least forgiving, since white limescale spotting shows up on a dark finish, and the brushed metals (brass, bronze and gunmetal) also want a quick wipe after use to stay looking their best. Whatever finish you pick, keep harsh limescale chemicals and abrasive pads away from it.

Can I use bathroom taps in the kitchen? No, get a proper kitchen tap. Kitchen taps have a taller, often swivelling spout to clear pans and the washing-up, and they are a different product built for a different job. We sell them separately under kitchen taps.