Eenie, meenie, miney, mo , which to choose, I don’t know! I am finding it very difficult to decide which faucet style is my preference.
First my eye goes to the Classic British Telephone Faucet. There are some awesome details about it that have nothing to do with appearance. Number one, it has a nifty name; British Telephone. It stirs up images of the Queen’s Guard, the red telephone box, and James Bond (the young Sean Connery). Another detail that makes this faucet so appealing to owners of clawfoot soaking tubs is the fast-flowing water. When turned on, ten gallons of water per minute flows into the tub. At this rate, even a deep soaking tub will fill in just a few minutes. If the faucet is one of high quality, the hot and cold water can be fully turned on with just a 1/4 turn of the cross-handle knobs. This feature is much nicer and safer than faucets which require turning and turning to switch the water on and off.
On to the appearance of the British Telephone Faucet. In my opinion, there must be a hand-held shower with this faucet style. Without the cradle on top of the faucet which holds the hand shower the faucet looks incomplete. Of course, this is only my opinion, and everyone must come to their own conclusion about this. The cradle and hand-held shower actually looks like a telephone receiver. An additional feature which is very pleasing with this faucet is the option of 2 inch or 6-inch risers which lift the entire faucet up for a more elegant and dramatic appearance.
The second style of faucet which is popular for clawfoot tubs is the English Telephone. This faucet gets its name from the cradle and hand-held shower which rests behind the curvature of the gooseneck faucet. There are three porcelain levers which are used to turn the water on and off and the middle lever is to divert the water from water spout to the hand-held shower. A hand shower is a convenience for those who wish to rinse their hair without submerging the head into the water or rinse the body after the bath. The gooseneck faucet is available without the hand-held shower and it still looks good. The gooseneck extends up beyond the handles by several inches, so it still looks complete. Often there are options regarding the type of handles such as porcelain or metal levers or metal cross handles. The better choice is always going to be one of the levers. The cross handles seem to cut off the aesthetic balance.
Lastly, choosing the finish for the faucet is huge. Purchasing “good” plumbing is not cheap (do not buy cheap faucets) so once the purchase is made the “look” will be there for quite a long time.
Polished Chrome has been a popular finish since plumbing came inside. It is very easy to match one company’s chrome to another. It is silvery and shiny. The one downfall that some identify with it is that fingerprints and water spots are easily seen on chrome fixtures.
A newer finish which is available is brushed nickel. The brushed look masks the appearance of fingerprints and water spots, making it very popular for homes across the nation. A downfall is the different shades of fixtures company to company. Some have an obvious yellow tinge to them while others do not. When purchasing faucets and fixtures in brushed nickel it is wise to purchase all from the same manufacturer.
Oil Rubbed Bronze is the newest, boldest finish. It may also be the most varied. Some ORB (oil rubbed bronze) is very dark with a mix of deep bronze which has been coated with dark oil, some is nearly black, some is black with obvious bronze highlights. Again, it is prudent to purchase all plumbing from the same manufacturer since the finishes by the same name can be so different.
There are benefits to each style and finish as well as downfalls. Weigh them carefully and make an informed decision. Something I have yet to do!
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