One solution to modernise a bathroom, kitchen or laundry is to replace your old hot and cold taps with a mixer. Mixers bring a simple and elegant look to your space, using one handle to operate both hot and cold. The lever is simply adjusted to achieve your desired temperature.
However it’s important to bear in mind that there are both positives and negatives to both mixers and taps. Although mixers can bring a nice clean look to your space, when it comes to servicing mixers are very different to taps, the parts are generally more specialised and a little bit more expensive. It must be noted that usually a mixer’s warranty is voided when water pressure exceeds a certain limit. It can also be difficult to update mixers and cover plates later on if they become outdated. Standard hot and cold taps can generally tolerate a higher pressure of water and they are much easier to service.
Alternatively, if you go with a quarter turn, or a half turn tap then the service becomes more expensive over standard taps because the ceramic disc spindles are harder to find and more expensive to replace.
We also believe that when you’re making a selection on your tapware, you must consider how easy the taps are to use. Most mixers and quarter turn taps benefit people that struggle to operate a tap or turn off a tap. However, if you want something that you can update in the future without a huge cost then we believe that a traditional hot and cold tap would be the best path.
We know that with all the new homes that we build that the more unique a tap/mixer is, the more difficult it is to service or replace. Sometimes they cannot be replaced and the only solution is another renovation. So it is important to know what your plan for the future is. Whether you like to constantly upgrade your home, or whether you want to build a modern home which you will be committing to for long a long time?
At the end of the day it is important to remember that all fixtures should be functional as well as beautiful. There are also no correct answers, it is all about choosing the option which suits you best.
