Wall mount faucets are MY JAM! I’ve grown to adore them so much that I recommend to all our clients!🥰
Why? What’s so fantastic about wall faucets?
Today we’re sharing the 3 simplest and most impactful reasons with you below!
PS: I’ll also answer popular questions like
- “Are wall-mount faucets harder to install?”
- “Are wall mounted faucets more expensive to install?” (a.k.a. “Can my plumber legitimately charge me more for wall faucets?”)
- “Are wall mounted faucets a good idea?”
- “What if there’s a leak?”
- “What are the disadvantages of a wall mount faucet?”
- “What are the advantages of wall mounted taps?”
WALL MOUNT FAUCET
Reason #3: Space-Saving!
Wall-mounted faucets don’t require any countertop space, making them ideal for smaller bathrooms or kitchens!
Design bonus: they create a clean, uncluttered look by eliminating the need for a traditional countertop-mount faucet.
WALL FAUCET
Reason #2: Prevents Damage!
By keeping the faucet away from your sink edge, wall-mount faucets reduce the risk of water damage to your countertop or vanity!
Win-win!
WALL FAUCET BATHROOM
Reason #1: Easy Cleaning!
My favorite one of all! Regardless of whether you have hard water staining or not, the fact is that “stuff” just builds up around traditional countertop-mounted faucets…
…and you totally eliminate that issue with wall mount faucets!
Less time cleaning is usually my #1! 🙂
Let’s just make sure you have the
- Height and
- Depth
correct, so I’ll share more about that below!
BATHROOM
WALL FAUCET
Why We Did a Bathroom Wall Faucet (Or Two 😉 )
I share full details about our bathroom renovation HERE…
…but you can see how stunning these wall faucets turned out in our primary bathroom!
PS: Isn’t that pink tinge in the above photo interesting? It was around the time of a California wildfire and our house was covered by pink hazy mist while I took this photo so…welcome to reality! 🙂
We share all about the magic of our vanity (with special hidden drawers!) HERE if you’re wanting to maximize every inch of your space!
Next, I do want to talk about kitchen wall faucets since they’re not just for bathrooms!
NOTE: If you’re one of the people asking, “But what if it needs a repair?” then read on! (Our short answer is: That’s a common misconception but it’s really no problem!) We’re here to educate the masses!🤣
BATHROOM WALL FAUCETS
“What are the disadvantages of a wall faucet for my bathroom vanity?”
The biggest disadvantage of designing your bathroom vanity with a wall faucet is that you may not be able to use certain pre-built vanities with the countertop holes already cut out.
However, many of these being sold by big-name retailers often come with a “with countertop” or “without countertop” option, so you’d just need to choose the option to do your own countertop! (We share all about how we got some of our bathroom countertops for free HERE!)
WALL FAUCET KITCHEN
Why We Didn’t Do a Kitchen Wall Faucet!
While in our next renovation, I’d love to be able to do a wall faucet for the main kitchen sink, there are times when that just cannot work in some kitchens!
In ours, for example, I prioritized as much natural light as possible! (I outline in this post how to maximize your light and choose your interior colors!)
With the ginormous window I wanted looking out to our backyard, and the way our unique countertop height came up, a kitchen wall faucet wasn’t in the cards this time.
But if you have the height (more about that later!), it’s absolutely an option for you!
You’ll have to do some searching for the right kitchen wall faucet because as of this writing, people looking for “kitchen wall faucets” are usually looking for pot fillers for over their stove! (Something I’m not discussing in this post.)
However, two examples are here and here (like a commercial kitchen, if that’s your need and/or style for your kitchen project!). There’s also this one I like! (But you may have to search for it in a different finish if they don’t have yours—I teach about how to mix metals in my “timeless design” guide!)
WALL MOUNT FAUCET INSTALLATION
“Can the plumber charge me more for a wall mount faucet?”
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: both Matt and I used to think it was valid for a plumber to charge more for a wall mount faucet. This was a deterrent to my wall faucet dreams decades ago in previous homes!
HOWEVER, we are here to save you (and your wallet!) from this highly incorrect belief.
After witnessing in-depth the installation of our bathroom wall faucets above the vanity, both Matt and I looked at each other and said, “Well, if that’s it…no problemo!”
A small increase above “the norm” is fine, but there’s no way a plumber should be doubling or tripling his fee to adjust the pipes in your wall to come in a bit higher than they normally would for a countertop-mount faucet in the bathroom.
Here you can see how things came together in our space once the vanity went in! The pipes are simply on the wall instead of through the vanity.
PS: Here’s an idea of how yours will look after countertops and finishes go in! (Make sure you have your projects scheduled correctly! So your wall mount faucets are one of the last “finishes” to be added at the end. Plumbing…that was earlier.)
And yes, there I am…a pregnant designer ready to have her master bath done! 😉
PS: If a plumber tries that with you, you have our backup and strong encouragement to stand firm! 💪
Cost should never be a determining factor in whether you do a wall mount faucet or not!
BATHROOM SINK FOR WALL MOUNT FAUCET
Don’t Forget Figuring Out Your Wall Faucet DEPTH!
Now, most people aren’t thinking about depth when they’re planning for wall mount faucets…but I was!😉
See, we chose a wall mount faucet that was a certain depth itself, and so I wanted to make sure the spray would hit on the spot in the sink that I wanted.
HINT: You should too!
So while your choices of wall faucets will be near-endless, I want you to keep in mind
- The depth of the wall faucet you choose,
- The depth of the countertop you’re working with, and
- The size and shape of the sink you’re envisioning!
You need to make sure all of these work together!
Speaking of wall faucet height…
WALL FAUCET HEIGHT
“What’s the best wall faucet height above sink?”
Instead of giving you a floor-to-faucet measurement, I’d like you to focus on your sink-floor-to-faucet measurement.
For one, you may have chosen to customize your countertop height like we did.
For another thing, your sink may be extra-shallow or extra-deep. That’s a factor you need to pay attention to if you care at all about how little (or how much) you get sprayed every time you try to use your sink. 😉
In general, Matt and I would recommend a height of at least 6″ and all the way up to 15″ max for your spray. (Again, this depends on the above factors and how your faucet sprays!)
For the best results, actually test your faucet before you make these final decisions and work begins! Whether it’s in the showroom or jimmy-rigged up to something in your home, test it out!
A little extra work now will save you hours of annoyance later! (That could be one of my taglines. 🙂 haha)
BATHROOM SINK FOR WALL MOUNT FAUCET
“Do I Need a Special Sink for a Wall Mount Faucet?”
The quick-n-easy answer is NOPE! 🙂
Regular sinks work just fine as long as they’re installed properly (and with the correct height/depths discussed above).
THESE are the sinks we used for our double vanity with the wall mount bathroom faucets.
So, what if there’s a “leak” in your wall mount faucet?
Most people are used to the standard shut off valves under their bathroom sink, so they’re visibly concerned about “What if this goes away?”
3 things:
#1) Doing a wall faucet is actually quite similar to having your shower plumbed into your wall. (Usually you can’t see the pipes there either, right?) If you’re comfortable having your shower and your showerhead directly in your wall, you should be fine with having a wall faucet directly on your wall as well.
#2) Behind your wall mount faucet, it’s simply pipe in the wall. So any “leaks” or issues you might potentially have (and you shouldn’t, if you hired a good plumber or DIYed it well!) will be an issue with your faucet, not an issue with something inside your wall. So you can simply shut off the water to your house and fix the leak.
#3) If you’re still concerned about not having a water shutoff under your countertop, we understand. So we’d tell you: Yes, you can still have a wall faucet and install it just like you would a countermount with the shut off valves underneath your sink. Easy breezy!
WALL MOUNT FAUCET VANITY
“But What If I Can’t Find a Pre-made One?”
I’ve written THIS POST on how I actually believe it’s just as easy to create your own vanity as it is “easy” to search the internet or your local stores near-endlessly, looking for the right vanity measurements, style you want, function, etc. as will fit perfectly into your space!
However, if you’re still asking me, “Jess, I just want to find something pre-made,” I’ve still got you.
Here are several pre-made vanity options that you can use automatically for your life-changing wall faucets! 🙂
#1 is the smallest and comes in several different colors:
#2 is larger and I love the clean lines!
Plus, if you’d prefer a double sink vanity, just put two of the above together! (They have a pic on their site of this as well.)
#3: My other creative recommendation to you would be, if you find a pre-made vanity base you like, don’t include the pre-drilled countertop. (Sometimes you can buy them with an optional countertop, so just leave that option off your online cart–or find one that doesn’t come with a top at all, like this.)
For example, here’s something similar to the above but even less expensive! (I found both a version with feet and one floating! Easier to clean under but not as much storage…you’ll have to analyze your priorities to find what’s 100% right for you!)
The one with feet is here…
…and the alternative floating is below:
Instead, go to your local stoneyard and get an inexpensive cast-off piece you like, and have them cut your sink hole but no faucet holes and voilà! You’re ready for your own wall-mount faucet(s) to make your life easier and better!
Whatever you decide, and however you decide to do it with our direction and recommendations above…
…trust us when we tell you “It’s worth it!” 🙂
Next…
- HERE you can see inside our vanity, how we organized it and maximized every inch (and learn how you can too!)! Includes the dimensions and measurements of our vanity in detail!
- All our bathroom remodel posts are HERE!
- My guide on creating Timeless Designs (along with how to successfully mix metals in your kitchen or bathroom) is in this and this bundle!
***If you’re new here, I 100% recommend starting with THIS we created to help you immediately! (Faster & less expensive than if you were to book a video consult with us.)
PS: The full, deliciously organized smorgasbord of all our home projects is on this page.😍
I’ve been considering a wall-mount faucet, but I’m concerned about future repairs. How would a plumber access behind the wall for a repair?
Hello! The likelihood of a repair in the wall is minimal as the pipes are solid all the way to the faucet and there aren’t shut off valves under the sink.
(You don’t need shut off valves unless local code requires it as they are similar to tub/shower valves that don’t have shutoffs either. The only option would be to still come out under the sink and then back in or to place valves in the wall with a cover plate.)
Jess & Matt