A tradesman’s guide to fitting freestanding bath taps

If your customer chooses a freestanding bath, then it’s likely you’ll have to fit freestanding taps alongside this, unless they’ve opted to have the tapholes drilled directly onto the bath and fitted midway along the tub. It’s therefore useful to know how these are installed, as they require a different approach to fitting the taps straight onto the bath itself.

The Nuie Greenwich Freestanding Double-ended Bath in Acrylic, with floorstanding tap mixer.

What is a floorstanding tap mixer?

Just to clarify – a floorstanding bath tap mixer is one which is secured to the floor beside a floorstanding (or freestanding) bathtub. Using these offers a degree more flexibility in terms of where the bath is located within the room and negates the need to drill tapholes onto the bath, as the taps are fitted to the floor instead.

The pipework is subsequently concealed underneath the floor and has two water inlet pipes carrying the hot and cold water to the tub. While it’s more straightforward to connect these to the room’s existing plumbing, they can also be fitted elsewhere in the room, if the customer prefers, although this will obviously require more work.

More space will also be required to install freestanding taps, but freestanding baths also need a lot more room anyway, so the bathroom should already be of sufficient size, though it’s still worth bearing this in mind.

NB Freestanding taps will require a higher water pressure to function properly, as the water has to travel vertically upwards before entering the bath.

Our step-by step guide will subsequently outline how to go about installing freestanding taps.

Tools required:

• Safety goggles and gloves
• Masking tape
• Pencil
• Screwdriver and screws
• Plier
• Hex wrench and adjustable wrench
• Pipe cutter
• Sealant/plumber’s putty
• Cloth (to clean debris)

NB Always remember to flush out the plumbing before connecting up the mixer and to check the water pressure and maximum temperature, installing pressure-limiting valves and isolating stop cocks which can be easily accessed.

Also, turn off both the cold and hot water supplies before starting the work.

The Eliseo Ricci Vesu Floorstanding Bath Shower Mixer in Chrome.

Fitting the floorstanding bath-shower mixer

1. Measure the distance between the bath and taps, to ensure that you know exactly where they’ll be going, then mark the position on the floor. If the taps are too far away, then you’ll risk water hitting the side of the bath, so it’s important to get this correct at the outset, to avoid drilling unnecessarily into the floor.

2. Drill a hole in the floor (at least 57-65mm in diameter).

3. Lift the floorboards to fit the pipes and connect them up. First, install the drain assembly/flange over the standpipe, connecting this to the base of the tap mixer and using the plumber’s putty to ensure a watertight seal.

4. Assemble the taps according to the product’s instructions, then connect to the two water inlet pipes, making sure these are long enough and have sufficient vertical movement.

NB The water inlet pipes should be suitable for the flexible hoses which will be attached to the mixer and should also accommodate the standing pipes which will be secured to the floor with screws.

The Eliseo Ricci Vesu Floorstanding Bath Shower Mixer in Brushed Brass.

5. Run the flexible hoses through the standpipe and attach these to the tap mixer.

6. Test the pipes for leaks before replacing the flooring and tighten with the adjustable wrench. NB Be careful not to over-tighten these.

7. Install the tap mixer and connect to the water supply, again tightening with an adjustable wrench once these are correctly in place, again, taking care not to over-tighten. Secure with the plumber’s putty for a watertight seal.

8. Test for any final leaks and make any corrections as necessary.

Floorstanding taps at Bathshack

With a range of high-quality floorstanding tap mixers at Bathshack, we offer great value prices across all our products and have something to suit all tastes and budgets. From brushed brass finishes and polished chrome to a more modern matt black design, we have a variety of attractive taps which will add style to any space.

The Eliseo Ricci Noir Curved Floorstanding Bath Shower Mixer has a modern aesthetic.

For example, the Eliseo Ricci Noir Curved Floorstanding Bath Shower Mixer in Black is a modern mixer which will look great alongside both a traditional white freestanding bath or a more contemporary painted bath. The matt finish and graceful design give it an elegant appearance and it will subsequently elevate any bathroom, while also being easy to use, with a simple single-lever operation.

No matter what type of floorstanding taps you need, we offer affordable, high-quality products, with trade discounts available across our range. Our expert team is also on hand to help at any time, with recommendations of trending products and other information, as required.

For more information about our floorstanding baths and taps, just email our team at info@bathshack.com or call (028) 9077 0188. Alternatively, drop in to our warehouses in Antrim or Duncrue, Belfast.