Enter the bathroom of a friend and what’s the first thing you notice? For many, it would be the outstanding stylish taps and shower fixtures. Whether it’s an elegant Antique Gold Victorian Tap at the bathroom sink, or a stylish Chrome bath spout, these small items really draw attention. Fortunately, changing out your old, run-of-the-mill cheap taps for one of these specialty items couldn’t be easier.
In some cases changing the Bath spout, for example, is as simple as loosening a screw on the bottom, twisting off the old one, applying a little Teflon plumbers tape and popping on the replacement. Ditto for removing that ordinary chrome shower head pipe. Unscrew the old head, unscrew the pipe and just twist on new ones that better suit your taste.
Some jobs can be trickier than others and often tackling the most troublesome can pay dividends later and result in a better learning curve. Basin taps can be a good place to start and fitting a whole new can take as little as an hour and this includes the removal of the old set.
You will find two flexible hoses that the taps connect to, these can be replaced or you can just fit the new tap to them if they are still in good condition. The first thing to workout is if you have stop valves beneath each tap under the basin, if you don’t it might be worth thinking about fitting some while you are here. In order to achieve this you will need to turn the water off to the whole house.
In the majority of cases, all that’s required after that is to loosen the plastic or metal retaining nuts on the bottom of the tap. A jerk is better than a gradual twist for removing tight, often stuck nuts. But take care not to slip and or bang the wrench against any porcelain under the sink.
Some basins have a different number of pre cut out holes for the taps and it depends on what design of tap you originally had as to which basin you originally purchased. Unless you wish to change the basin at the same time you will need to stick to the same number of tap holes as you are replacing.
Fitting the new Tap is generally easier than the removal of the old one, so once you have got it off it should be all downhill. It is very important however to ensure that you cover the joint with PTFE tape and ensure the join is tight to avoid a leak.
Some hoses fit on over a small ridge on the hose bib. The clamp is then enough to keep it from leaking water. In other cases, a bit of plumber’s tape is required. Wind it around so that it layers up to prevent water flow, rather than opening up the hose wider. Now you don’t have to envy anyone else’s Bathroom taps.
Before you actually fit anything or remove the old taps have a look at the selection of Shower Enclosures and other Bathroom Suites.