How/ where to buy taps

[Marmaladegin]

Shopping a house Reno, it is our dream house so I’m looking for quality fixings that last. Where/ what would you look for in terms of taps and fixings. I like a brass or black tap, but don’t want to buy something where the coating will peel off or chip after 5 years… does this mean I should stick to… (not even sure what material… stainless steel?)

tia

Yes just get stainless steel and stick to the legacy brands. No need to spend a fortune - the most classic/simple taps look best anyway.

Any DIY retailer stocks good standard taps.

Screwfix.

ahhh so no brass at all then?

sorry, what are the legacy bands?

A local plumbers merchant and stick to the well known brands.

In our bathrooms we have Hansgrohe (one set is 20 years old) and in the kitchen we have Franke.

Franke do taps in black and brass as well as chrome and stainless steel. Hansgrohe do chrome, matt chrome, black and bronze (which is a much nicer colour than brass).

Screwfix. Get steel. And if you live in a hard water area (like we do in Norfolk) don’t go for anything fancy as the limescale will destroy the taps (despite all the viakal in the world) and you’ll be replacing them every few years.

If you are in a hard water area avoid black as it will show up the limescale or you need to be a fastidious cleaner.

I would always go for Hansgrohe or Franke. I’d also want to feel the weight before buying - you want it to feel solid. We replaced bathrooms when we moved into our current home, but kept the 25 year old hans Grohe shower fittings the previous owners had installed and to be honest, they’re still (10 years later) in fantastic condition.

B&Q

I had a plumber in my house last week for a job. We got chatting about taps and he recommended Screwfix for quality and price.

Unfortunately, you are likely to suffer from the enshitification of everything. Most manufacturers are reducing quality to keep prices either the same or not increasing too much, so they cut costs on quality.

My experience recently has been that it doesn't matter how much you spend, nothing lasts like it used to.

I would recommend that you stick to known brands, and away from the chain stores own brands, and hope for the best.

We've just renovated what was a completely, derelict property, so everything had to be re-done. We found a local, independent bathroom/tile shop who were brilliant. We also have Hansgrohe.

I too would choose a regular silver/stainless steel colour rather than black. I'm sure it will date very quickly and be the avocado suite very soon 😬