Wall mounted lavatory faucest-good,bad,ugly?

**lhparker** · 01-30-2005, 04:54 PM

We are about to embark on a remodeling project which includes one kitchen and and 2 baths. Our contactor does not seem too keen on wall-mounted fixtures. There is one wall-mounted fixture we liked from looking through magazines. What are the pros and cons of a wall-mounted faucets? We want something that is timeless and not just the fad of the day. Any ideas/suggestion

**Plumber2000** · 01-30-2005, 04:58 PM

If it pleases you and you like, don't let a contractor tell you other wise, just make sure it's a quality faucet and not something cheap, you get what you pay for.

**lhparker** · 01-30-2005, 05:34 PM

Thanks for the advice. Good to hear that from an experienced plumber. We have set aside money in our budget for good quality fixtures regardless, but we have seen wall-mounted faucets in some magazines and asked our contractor about them. He was trying to talk us out of it, but couldn't give us a clear reason. We we wondering if they were difficult to install, service, or replace.

**jimbo** · 01-30-2005, 05:55 PM

Naturally they are more difficult to install. Purchase a major US brand. It will be very difficult in the future to replace this faucet; so you want one that will be reliable and that parts will be available for 15 years or more.

**Terry** · 01-30-2005, 08:19 PM

I've installed a few of the Kohler Falling Water faucets.
They do take more thinking and work.

K-T196
Falling Water® Wall-Mount Lavatory Faucet Trim with 8-1/4" Spout, Requires Valve

K-307-K
Single Control Ceramic Valve Wall-mount

There needs to be room in the wall to fit this.

**lhparker** · 01-31-2005, 08:11 AM

We've always found your website helpful (decided on a new toilet based on info here), even after moving out of Washington state.

What has the customer and/or contractor feedback been like regarding wall mounted faucets? Are they just a fad that isn't worth the trouble?

Thanks again!

**RioHyde** · 01-31-2005, 11:47 PM

I dont think the wall mounted faucets are a passing fad. They are here to stay and frankly alot of them look very nice and are of very good quality. I'm not sure why your contractor would try to talk you out of them unless he's not sure how to install them. Most aren't extremely difficult to install, however as Terry said, they do require a bit more thinking and work. If you like the wall mount, I say go for it. Just purchase a good quality name brand faucet from a manufacturer with a proven track record and enjoy!
Good luck

**lhparker** · 02-01-2005, 07:37 AM

My wife's boss just finished a high-end, total home remodel, including two bathroom. He installed a very expensive wall-mounted faucent and sink which apparently are "matched" each other. Despite being matched, they have a terrible time with water splashing out of the sink bowl, regardless of how much high they turn on the flow. According to my wife's boss, this is a big problem with wall-mounted sinks. If you don't match faucet to sink, you'll have splashing problems. If you don't position the faucet just right above the bowl, you'll have splashing problems. etc. etc.

Have you heard of this? This was news to me. I really like the look of wall-mounted faucets and like the fact that they can open up counter space; however, I don't want to take a complete bath every time I wash my hands.

**Mike Swearingen** · 02-01-2005, 07:16 PM

Easy solution.
Tell him turn down the water pressure with the shut-off valves under the faucet and sink.
Good luck!
Mike

**Deb** · 02-02-2005, 07:58 PM

I am VERY particular about the valves I bury in walls. I personally believe that wall mounts are a passing fad and not something that is "timeless".
Tell us more about the valve that you have picked out. Why is your plumber not crazy about installing these valves? Part of what you pay your plumber for is their professional opinion. Many of these fancy-ass, foreign made, "designer" valves are just trouble.
Deb
The Pipewench

**lhparker** · 02-05-2005, 05:07 PM

Hi Deb,

We haven't picked one out yet. We were just flipping through some home remodeling magazines and found a bathroom example that seemed to fit with what we had planned, and it appealed to us. It also happened to have a wall-mounted faucet. It looked nice, but we'd never seen one before and mentioned it to our contractor who was not too thrilled.

**Robco** · 06-12-2006, 08:15 PM

Hi. Considering the reply about turning down the water pressure by using the angle valve under the in-wall faucet... my question is that when I see these installations (in-wall facets) I do not see valves under the sink. All that is there is the drain and p-trap. This tells me that the faucet is directly connected to the water lines inside the wall. So how would you turn down the pressure with a setup like this? I've seen this type of installation all over town (Palm Springs, CA) and am wondering how the pressure is handled. thanks

**jadnashua** · 06-13-2006, 10:19 AM

Brasscraft (and others) make inline service stops. Not sure how well they would work partially opened (some types of valves work well, others don't at throttling flow).

**geniescience** · 06-13-2006, 11:13 AM

the minute you vary from the easiest, people try to steer you back.

In my bathroom reno, I have some 135 degree corners. I have some wall-mount items too. Both were in the plans. At all times, all the people (friends, workers, designers, etc) who looked at the plans had various and sundry weird and perverse reactions when they came across these parts that were NON-standard.

And, to give them their due, I can attest that getting drywall to look good and straight over a 135 degree corner is harder to do than over a 90 degree corner. It is "a pain". But that is just talk. It got done, adn done well. It wasn't a serious impediment, in my book, and not in theirs either when it came down to it.

When vanities have legs on the floor, they love it. When you remind them that you have been talking about a vanity that has no legs, since it is surrounded by three walls, and that for the last two years of planning, buying, demo-ing, and building, everyone has said it is easy and do-able, suddenly they all get a bit different. Sullen or evasive or negative or whatever. And this feeds into your subconscious and you end up giving in after a matter of time. Works especially well when they say things your wife can hear, and she begins having concerns, and even small nightmares. After that, anything they say that is incoherent and unquotable will work. They have her on a string. She is the vactor that transmits their desire for ease-of-work into a need for standard installation. This is what happened in my house.

When plumbing fixtures are deck-mount, they love it. When you remind them that your empty space in the wall is where you have always said you wanted your tub filler valves, the reactions start all over again. Because it's wall-mount.

Same thing for countertops. A faucet on a countertop is like a deck-mount tub filler valve. A faucet with its bolts going horizontal into a wall makes them 'worried'. Even though they all agreed it was feasible.

If you are ready to be meticulous you are ready to put up a wall-mount faucet. Any and all talk about plumbing in a wall (?) is ridiculous and spurious. There is a lot of plumbing in a lot of walls, worldwide. Your faucet is no worse and no better and no different.

If I were a contractor, I would develop the same habits. I would love flat surfaces that rely on gravity to do a lot of the work. Floors, countertops, decks. Bolt it down. Screw it down.

Maybe I would ask to be paid an extra, hourly wage, just for the extra attention a wall-mount fixture would require. Maybe you should.

**Robco** · 06-13-2006, 08:15 PM

thanks... I think for the replies and the very long winded answer that I think is directed to me and my question....?

I am however still looking for a good-ole fashioned answer that tells me just the facts.

Are in-wall faucets hooked directly to the water lines with no valves? If yes, then great. Further, then how do you manage the flow from splashing all over the sink and vanity without a valve? Is that something imbedded in the faucet valve itself?

If no, then please detail the way in-wall faucets are connected or better yet, point me to a site that explains the situation in English, with pictures and details on how a connects to b and then to c.

thanks very much in advance for your patience with a good, overall handy person that is having a bit of trouble with installing an in-wall faucet.