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Faucetry: Today’s Bathroom Jewelry
By Peter Schor
Hotel guests and homeowners have high expectations when it comes to bathroom faucets – “the jewels of the bathroom.”
Faucetry has changed dramatically in designs and styles over the last decade. More modern or contemporary designs and styles are dominating the market and, of course, they are available in a wide variety of sturdy metal finishes. Traditional styles have become less popular with the bath fixture industry trending towards a more modern look.
With the wide selection of today’s faucets and their variances, some considerations are: the depth of the countertop; the exact selection of the bowl size; and the thickness of the countertops. The most important detail is the measurement distances from the centre of the spout connection hole to the center of the end of the spout flow (aerator). Handle clearance to backsplash is also a normal consideration.
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With the emergence of “vessel” type countertop lavatories that use wall mount and deck mount faucets, the importance of the faucet length (wall mount) and the height of deck mount applications are imperative. The water splash must be checked closely. Many times the hot and cold volume at the controls below the countertop on deck mounts can be adjusted to avoid splash. Higher spout faucets are highly preferred by guests providing that the spout reach hits toward the centre of the lavatory bowl.
Almost all of today’s faucets offer ¼” turn washerless ceramic disc valves with lifetime guarantees. Most professional designers know to select faucetry made of brass rather than die cast, zinc, and other materials that do not show wear over the long term. Finish selections made with the exception of polished chrome must have a “physical vapor deposition (PVD)” applied to the finish to make it impervious to discoloration. Just ask, does this faucet have a PVD plating?”
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All lavatory faucets today, have matching shower, tub, and bidet fittings, along with bath accessories such as towel bars, towel rings, paper holders, robe hooks, shelves, lighting, and cabinet hardware. All of these companion pieces are made in a wide variety of metal finishes to complement any décor. Pay special attention to the shower hardware as today’s clients want “their showers turned into a spa retreat”. Features such as multiple shower heads, rainheads, raindomes, rain bars, body sprays, hand showers and much more are popular today.
A world leader in faucet design and construction is La Torre Rubineteria of Italy which is distributed in more than 40 countries around the world. The La Torre Brand is exquisitely designed, impeccably engineered, and has not only green features but is also produced in Italy’s first ISO environmentally certified factory. The products meet North American standards and have received all code approvals for the USA and Canada. USA. The La Torre factory is both an “Environmental Management System Certified (ISO 140001-1994.)” and a “Quality Management System Certified (ISO 9001:2000)” certified factory, which is very rare for faucet companies. Cascade Faucets has been the exclusive North American distributor for the LaTorre Brand of faucets since 1999.
The LaTorre brand features single-control eco-cartridge faucets. The eco-cartridge operates like the concept of a dual flush system in toilet technology. This unique cartridge has a tiered step, which when you first lift up on the handle, it has a “bump” or stop about half way up, limiting the amount of water flow by 20-40 per cent (depending on the water pressure). With an additional lift of the handle, it will go to the full flow of water when needed. With a 2.2 GPM (gallons per minute) aerator, the middle position will be around 1.5 GPM, but when you add a 1.5 GPM aerator, which is within the LEED acceptable limits, your water consumption becomes 1.05 GPM in the middle position. An additional feature and benefit of this function is to not have the water splash when you turn the faucet on.
As professional designers, architects, builders/developers, you know there are more than 50 faucet manufacturers to select from. Style, design, function, mechanical reliability, and price points are all valuable considerations when making a faucet selection.
Peter Schor is a residential and hotel industry bath educator, speaker, author, columnist, writer, and consultant to manufacturers – globally. His industry career spans 35 years young. Contact him at pschor@dynamicresultsinc.com. |
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