For your nearest branch

please enter your postcode below

Name*

Telephone*

Email*

Postcode*

Testimonials
Plumbers wanted please apply here

Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Get Adobe Flash player
Call Alliance Plumbing And Heating Now on 020 8845 6086

Bathroom Basins

Bathroom basins can be divided into three different basic types - basins with pedestals, wall-hung basins and vanity basins. The basin that you choose for your bathroom will depend upon several factors including cost, the amount of space you have, the look you are trying to achieve and physical hurdles such as pipe runs. See our bathroom section for more details.


A Basin and pedestal is the most common option in the UK and is normally the cheapest. The weight of the basin is taken by the pedestal so this is the ideal option if you have weak walls or a stud wall without a suitable brace where the basin is to be sited.
Glass basins have increased in popularity with customers looking to add an edge to their bathroom design. They tend to be more expensive to buy and are not always the most practical solution (they tend to show soap and toothpaste residue more than a china basin) but there can be no doubt the visual impact a glass basin can have.


Vanity basins are used in conjunction with a vanity unit and offer the customer much needed bathroom storage space. These are usually sunk into the countertop surface with all of the supply & waste pipework being hidden inside the cabinet, although this type of basin can also be used with a washstand which offers open shelf storage but can leave the pipework visible.


Most bathroom basins in the UK are available with a choice of either one or two tap holes. Two tap hole basins use conventional basin taps whereas one tap hole basins require the use of a monoblock basin mixer. Two taps hole basins also have a small hole for the chain and plug the monoblock mixer used on one tap hole basins usually have a built in pop-up waste with the plug incorporated. There are some three tap hole basins are available in the UK, but these are less common.

 

Bathroom Sinks

In the UK the most popular type of bathroom sink is the basin with pedestal.
The pedestal usually fits into a recess on the underside of the basin and is attached to the floor using hidden screw-holes on the inside at the bottom. The basin is fixed to the wall using screws underneath the basin or sometimes they are supplied with hidden brackets.
 
This type of bathroom sink can be installed on any wall, as most of the basin weight is supported by the pedestal. The pedestal also helps to hide the supply and waste pipes attached to the basin when viewed from the front.
You cannot usually mix and match bathroom basins and pedestals as each basin has a shaped recess underneath the bowl which corresponds to the shape of the pedestal. As pedestal shapes vary from make to make it means you cannot mix and match between makes and models (the pedestal is usually one of the cheapest items in a bathroom suite so there is very little reason the swap).
Bathroom sinks come in huge range of shapes, styles, colours, and sizes, and because they are the most popular type of sink used in UK bathrooms they are also usually the cheapest. Basin designs have included:

 

These days most basins and pedestals tend to be of a very clean, symmetrical design with one colour choice - white! Shell and rope designs are now less popular as customers opt for more aesthetically pleasing lines with no fiddly detail (many found shell, and especially rope, basins difficult to clean as well). Period style basin are still a popular choice for those looking to retain authentic detail in older properties but tend not to get used in modern houses any more.


There are some basins on sale that are used as focal point in a bathroom design. Rather than the more common china manufacturers have utilised glass, marble, copper, wood and stone to create stunning bathroom sinks that are a real conversation piece. Although some of these materials can be slightly less practical than china they are nonetheless visually stunning and achieve what they set out provide - visual impact. The glass bathroom sink has proven to be very popular but there are a few small drawbacks - see our glass basin page for more information.


Many of the bathroom sinks on display these days are similar in design as there are only so many geometrical based shapes that are suitable for use. Smooth flowing oval lines or crisp angular corner have resulted in sinks looking very similar to one another which partly explains the rise in popularity of the more adventurous materials listed above where people are looking for something a little different from the norm.

 

Wash Basin Sizes

There is no standard basin size but the most common in UK bathrooms is probably approx. 550 x 400mm. Some luxury basins are considerably bigger than this while most cloakroom and en-suite basins are smaller.
A small wash hand basin will tend to be wall-hung in design, while larger basin will usually require a pedestal to support the extra weight.
If you have a bathroom, en-suite and cloakroom and you are want to use the same style of bathroom in each room, it is possible to have several different sizes of the same wash basin with several manufacturers offering basins of the same overall style and design but available in different sizes.

 

Glass Bathroom Sink

The rise in popularity of contemporary bathroom design has meant many that cutting edge products are available in the UK market. The glass bathroom sink is one such product.


Depending on the design, a glass sink can be wall mounted, pedestal mounted or used in conjunction with a bathroom vanity unit.
Most glass bathroom sinks are designed to be used in conjunction with a specific basin tap mixer, basin waste and basin trap, and are consequently sold as a "package". If you decide to buy these items separately it is essential that you are told which types of taps, waste and trap are suitable to with your choice of glass sink. Try and buy the glass sink, mixer tapbasin and waste from the same source, to avoid any problems.

 

The mixer taps needs to be the correct height to enable it to reach over the lip of the sink. You should also note that most glass sinks do not have an overflow so the pop-up waste needs to be "unslotted" or it will not be suitable (where there is an overflow on a sink it enters the waste through a slot in the waste body)


If the glass basinis to be wall mounted then several factors need to be taken into consideration. The main issue will be the suitability of the wall chosen to site the sink. This needs to sturdy enough to support the weight. If you are fitting to a hollow stud wall the brackets will usually need to be screwed into the studs as you will not get a secure enough fixing into the plasterboard alone. The plus point of this type of wall is that the pipework can be run inside the cavity so it does not have to be exposed. On a masonry bathroom wall it is sometimes possible to chase out the wall in which you can sink the supply pipes to the glass sink. The waste can then be run out horizontally through the wall. Exposed supply and waste pipes running up the wall will spoil the appearance, which defeats the object of installing a glass sink in the first place as their main advantage is that of visual impact.

 

Wall Hung Hand Basin

Wall hung basins, as the name implies, are hung directly on the wall.
Small cloakroom basins (which are also suitable for an en-suite bathroom) are attached using special brackets. Larger wall hung basins rest on a special semi-pedestal that holds up the basin and covers the basin waste pipe.
When installing a wall hung basin it is important to ensure that that the wall on which it is mounted is structurally sound, as it will take all of the load.


Wall hung basins have no pedestal touching the floor so they can make the room feel more "open". This should be taken into consideration when establishing a design for a small bathroom.
Positioning this type of hand basin is also important as the waste pipe needs to exit through the wall directly behind the basin. To avoid the supply pipes being visible they should feed the basin from behind the wall.

 

Vanity Basin

Vanity basins are used in conjunction with a stand alone bathroom vanity unit, a wash stand or with built in bathroom furniture.
Standard vanity basins are fitted into the top of a wash stand or freestanding bathroom vanity unit. These full depth storage units can hold a large amount of bathroom clutter but can eat up floor space and appear to "fill" a small bathroom.


A wash stand is an open design so it is not as imposing in a small bathroom, but it does take up the same amount of floor space as a vanity unit. Being open also means that a wash stand will not hide all of the clutter that tends to accumulate in a bathroom.
Semi-recessed vanity basins are designed to protrude from built-in bathroom furniture. The units are slimmer and neater, but as a result they have reduced storage capacity.

 

Cloakroom Basin

Cloakroom basins are generally quite small and neat and are usually wall hung. When installing a cloakroom basin you should try to ensure that the supply and waste pipes can be fed from behind, because there is no pedestal to hide any pipes.
If you have are very small bathroom and are struggling to fit all of the components into your bathroom design, then it is sometimes possible to use a cloakroom basin in place of a standard bathroom sink. Most of the qualities cloakroom basins can be used in conjunction with a pedestal if space is at a premium and you need a very small bathroom sink.

 

Corner Sink

A corner sink is ideal for installing in rooms where space is at a premium such as a cloakroom or en-suite. Corner sinks are very compact and are usually wall hung on brackets that come supplied with the sink that are designed to be fitted into a masonry wall. If this is the case then you must ensure that the wall that it is going to be attached to is suitable - stud walls might require extra support where the sink is to be sited. 


There are some sinks that come with their own pedestal or semi pedestal making them particularly suitable for incorporating into a small bathroom design as the make very efficient use of space. Some glass sinks can also be mounted in the corner of a room.

If the corner sink is wall hung then you should try to ensure that the supply and waste pipes can be fed from behind, because there is no pedestal to hide any pipes

 

Back to Resources

Our staff are ready to help 020 8226 6556 Why not call us now!

Why Alliance?

  • We can visit you today.
  • All parts and labour guaranteed.
  • Written estimate within 24hrs.
  • Reliable Engineers!
  • Great Customer Feedback!

  • Peace Of Mind As Standard

Testimonials

  • It is heartening to come across a company that takes its responsibility for quality and customer service as seriously as you do

  • Mrs. Lamb

  • Click to view more testimonials.

Plumber West London

Plumber North London

Plumber Northwest London

Plumber East London

Plumber Southeast London

Plumber Southwest London

Plumber Greater London

Plumber Middlesex

Usefull Links