Bathroom & kitchen taps

In tapware, what you see is the finish and what lasts is the cartridge. The ceramic cartridge is the part that opens, closes and mixes; the feel of the lever and whether the tap still drips two years on both depend on its quality. It is also the part replaced when a mixer starts to fail, so it pays to choose brands with spares available rather than swapping the whole tap.

The finish is the main aesthetic decision and also a maintenance one. Chrome is the most durable and the easiest to match years later. Matt black has taken over on design grounds: it hides limescale better than chrome, but tolerates no abrasives or acidic cleaners, which mark it irreversibly. PVD finishes — brushed gold, copper, nickel — are applied by physical vapour deposition, giving a far harder, more wear-stable layer than traditional lacquers.

For the shower, a thermostatic valve is not a luxury: it holds the water at the set temperature even if someone opens another tap elsewhere in the house, which is exactly the scenario behind a sudden scald. It also includes a safety stop, usually at 38 °C, preventing you from going higher without pressing the override. In homes with children or older people, that is the difference between an annoyance and a burn.

On installation: wall-mounted tapware requires the connection to be set out before tiling, so it is a construction decision with no way back. Deck-mounted units install on the basin or worktop and allow later changes. And one check that avoids disappointment: on a tall countertop basin, measure the spout height before buying, because a standard mixer drops the water too close to the rim.

Finally, a word on water pressure and flow. Many taps now include a flow limiter that caps consumption without a noticeable loss of comfort, and in areas with low pressure that limiter can be removed. If your home runs on marginal pressure, check the tap's recommended working range before buying, since a model designed for high flow will underperform on a weak supply.