The Bathroom Designer

Just a little tip to keeping you warm in your bathroom when thinking of which Heated towel rail to choose think taller, when there is little space to fit your bathroom heating in then choose the tallest towel rail as you can easily compromise on the height but not the width of area, buy selecting a tall rail you are much more likely to get the correct heating output to satisfy the bathroom or shower room with the desired temperature you require.

This Towel rail from Tapstore.com measures only 300mm wide but stands up 1800mm leaving more space for the towels and allows the heat to radiate at the same time.

Best Price Tapstore.com £204.00

The concept of a bath filler over flow is simple, using a control valve to turn on and off the water flow and mix the temperature which will then send a premixed flow of water into the overflow spout and therefore fill up the bath via either a pop up or click clack waste mechanism.

You will hear these described as many differing terms like Exa fill, Extra fill, overflow bath filler, there are two types click clack or clicker where the plug section is pushed once to close the plug and pushed again to open the plug, these tend to project into the bath less but are less reliable or Pop up Bath filler overflow where the plug is operated via a turning knob for opening and closing the waste plug.

The best value for money one I have seen on the market is Tapstore’s own brand one which is manufactured from chrome on brass and comes with a ten year guarantee for £72.00, they also have a click clack version for £72.00 the version that Bathstore sell is just crosswaters one re branded for them as Extra Fill that one is the XT bath filler pop up waste and the Exafill is a Hansgrohe version.

Roper Rhodes Storm bathroom taps are pound for pound the best value for money bathroom taps on the market today, I have been looking at the quality of many bathroom taps and testing the functionality as well as considering the price tag these are the reasons why my vote goes to the Storm Bathroom tap range.

The chroming quality is very good something to look out for in cheaper ranges, the flow rate on the low pressure items is better than most other low pressure models of single lever mixer taps, for a mass produced Chinese import product the consistency of brass casting is very good, and the valve technology is exceptional the ceramic disc cartridge mixing valve for the mono-bloc basin mixer has a flow limiter built in restricting the volume of water that can be used (especially required for higher pressure systems) the temperature on the hot side can also be restricted making hotter stored water safer to use.

Products in the Storm bathroom tap range: * Note the basin mixers come both with and without pop up wastes.

Storm mini basin mixers.

The G - Type Bathroom taps from Bristan are engineered to perfection with a slide control operation on the range for hot and cold flow and temperatures. This is an original way of operating the mixers and it works a treat as the temperature controls are exacting to say the least.

In the Bristan G-Type range is a monobloc basin mixer as shown on the left, a three hole basin mixer for the larger basin, the most stunning wall mounted bath filler, a conventional wall mounted bath shower mixer, and a thermostatic bath shower mixer with the style and functionality as well of being able to have a fully thermostatic shower over your bathing area, and just to top off the range if thats not enough for you there is the stand out in a crowd freestanding bath shower mixer to satisfy the larger bathrooms.

RRP £293.00 G-Type Monobloc Basin Mixer

Best Buy Tapstore.com £205.00

Mini Basin Mixers have become all the rage now with manufacturers they are launching more models all the time, I have been looking into this phenomenon and it is based around the common use of smaller cloakroom basins being squeezed into WC’s to create a cloakroom out of a toilet.

I remember when we used to use short reach basin taps for cloakroom basins, but they were very traditional in style now with the modern clean minimalist style being the main stay of the bathroom market smaller monobloc basin mixers are the solution, so I thought I should introduce a few to you.

Firstly the Logic mini monobloc basin mixer from Crosswater (pictured above right) RRP £169.00 with its cubist design is minimal and simple.

Next is the Java mini basin mixer from Bristan (Pictured left). Delicately arched, the understated design this Java basin tap borrows from nature, imitating the gentle flow of water flowing leisurely downstream RRP £116.00.

Then we have the Storm Mini monobloc basin mixer the cheapest of the three taps featured, The Storm basin mixer tap will provide you with the ultimate in clean lines and with it’s single lever handle at an amazing price. The design of this basin tap will not only meet all the design criteria for the modern, minimalist bathroom it is also fitted with an Eco water saving device that can be adjusted to limit your water flow rate and your water temperature. RRP £83.00.

Save up to 30% off of buying a mini basin mixer from Tapstore.com

The concept is simple the Bristan Prism Twinline ceiling fed shower is the easy retro fit shower valve option its neat and tidy and can easily be installed after the tiling is complete or where you have not had a shower previously fitted.

The hot and cold water supplies can be connected above the ceiling in the loft space and the shower is simply mounted on top of the tiling, This Bristan Prism Twinline thermostatic shower is suitable for use with both high and low pressure water systems with a  minimum pressure of 0.1 bar.

With its accurate temperature control, and a separate flow control the performance is outstanding, the cold water flow travels around the outside with the hot water running through the center of the pole making sure that safety to the touch giving a family friendly product.

RRP £446.00 best buy Tapstore.com £312.00

Introducing the QL2 Shower Valve and rectangular shower head from Tapstore.com this product was shown to me by tapstore recently and I loved it, the quality of the thermostatically operated shower valve was evident immediately, the front plate is made from 6mm solid brass chrome plated the handles are also solid brass chrome plated, the valve cartridge is temperature sensitive to 1°c and is as smooth as a baby’s bum in control.

To compliment the shower valve they have put this together with their QL2 shower head (200mm x 145mm) also made from solid brass with chrome plating and rub clean jet nozzles to aide the cleaning of limescale build up, the head measures 200mm x 145mm and is only 10mm think.

The square shower arm is 400mm long.

This QL2 shower valve and QL2 Head pack is suitable for both high and low pressure water systems and requires a minimum operating pressure of 0.2 bar.

Guaranteed for 10 Years, RRP £670.00, Tapstore’s current autumn sale price £489.00.

*There is a special extra 5% discount on the whole QL2 range if you mention The Bathroom Designer website on any orders before Christmas.

The Cubix Bath from Claygate Distribution Ltd is a stunning new bath with contemporary looks and eco-friendly credentials to add to their Artisan range of luxury bathroom products. The Baths are manufactured using a technically advanced laminating process called Corincast, which makes a solid, super-strong acrylic product. Extra layers of fiberglass and reinforced polyester resin are added during production, giving the bath superior torsional rigidity. The last layer seals the shell and makes the underside of the bath smoother and easier to handle.

This cutting edge design combined with the newly developed Corincast technology means that the baths use 25% less water than comparable baths while the extra layers of fiberglass gives greater insulation, resulting in the bath water keeping its temperature for longer.

The Cubix bath is available in two styles with a choice of double-ended baths that come in five sizes and single-ended baths that come in three sizes. All baths can be drilled on site to suit your chosen tap configuration.

Available sizes are 1700 x 700, 750 or 800mm or 1800 x 800 or 1000mm.

RRP £280.00 (1700 x 700mm) up to £480.00 (800 x 1000mm).

The Prism shower pole with fixed shower head, handset and body jets an all in one showering sensation, With a thermostatic shower valve a 200mm shower head, two adjustable body jets and a slimline shower handset it has all you will needs for your showering area.

With this Prism shower you can use the powerful overhead shower or use the shower head and body jets together or if you do not want to get your hair wet then just simply use the rub clean shower handset  - the choice is yours. And with the separate controls it means you can select your temperature and flow levels to suit you.

It is an easy to install unit with a just add water style fit, the concept is that you will save a lot of installation time and money but get the function of a seperate shower valve, head, body jets and rinse handset and if there are any future parts in need of replacing its all surface mounted so another task to deal with.

RRP £1568.00 Best Buy Tapstore.com £1064.00

Claygate Distribution Ltd are proud to introduce the stunning new Ecocube Shower Bath with Contemporary looks and eco-friendly credentials to their Artisan range of luxury bathroom products.

The Baths are manufactured using a technically advanced laminating process called Corincast, which makes a solid, super-strong acrylic product. Extra layers of fibreglass and reinforced polyester resin are added during production, giving the bath superior torsional rigidity. The last layer seals the shell and makes the underside of the bath smoother and easier to handle.

This cutting edge design combined with the newly developed Corincast technology means that the baths use 25% less water than comparable baths while the extra layers of fibreglass give greater insulation, resulting in the bath water keeping its temperature for longer.

The Ecocube Shower Bath has a huge 850 x 850mm showering area that comes with a choice of two 6mm glass screens; a fixed screen with L-shaped return for water retention and wall-fixed chrome support rail for complete rigidity or a straight screen with chrome barrel hinges that are universally handed. The bath is supplied undrilled and are available in left or right-hand versions (the left-hand version is shown here).

The bath is supplied with no tap holes and can be drilled if required to suit.

RRP £929.00 complete with bath front panel and straight screen and barrel hinges.

RRP £1085 as above with fixed screen as seen in the above image.

Guaranteed for Five Years.

For more information on this product Call Claygate distribution on 01622 833633