Types of Basins
A basin may be set into joinery; wall hung or be self-set on a pedestal. The basin set into joinery may be recessed or semi recessed.
All these types of installation have their practical uses and vary in size and cost.
Other constraints or attributes that a designer should be aware of when specifying a basin are the type of tap and spout fitting to be used.
Are they separate or integral?
Is an over flow feature required?
Is there space for soap, brushes, towels etc. or are they held elsewhere?
Never forget the color and the style (modern or traditional), as this is not only paramount to your scheme but also will hide or show dirt.
There are many sizes of basins and their use is of course the determining factor.
The sizes displayed here should be remembered when planning.
For example a basin inside the room in which the toilet is housed may only be required to wash hands and the room may be very small, so the size is very constrained.
An average size may be only 250 mm deep and 450 mm wide.
An overflow in the basin is a great feature to stop the risk of flooding your room.
A vitreous china vessel inset into a timber top, with wall mounted taps and spout.
A slim basin fits into this tiny recess, the WC is to the right (not shown)
A Freestanding Pedestal Basin – is a much larger unit and being free standing and for general use. It is not incorporated into a joinery unit, it will have space to the sides of it for cleaning utensils and products. The space around the unit should also be taken into consideration when choosing the basin. It is no use if it looks stylish but is impractical. Always remember that form and function go hand in hand. An average size for the pedestal basin is 550mm wide and 450 mm deep.
The Wall Mounted Corner Basin – is another space saving fitting and if using it in planning one should remember that a door offset from the center of a narrow room such as that for a lavatory or toilet will allow the additional space for such a fitting.
A Recessed Basin– is what you will find set into a bathroom vanity or joinery unit. The basins size will usually be about 550-600 mm wide and 450mm deep.This means that the size of the unit that it fits into will normally be 600 mm deep, in the space planning this should be taken into consideration.Semi recessed basins will still be about 400-450 mm deep but don’t require the surrounding joinery to the front of the unit and so will save 100-150 mm off the total depth of the unit.
In space planning this is often the difference between being able to stand back from the unit to bend down without crouching and not being able to do so. This is relevant for washing your face in comfort or finding it too awkward to do so.
There are various types of basins and they are made in a number of materials.
Often the basin will be incorporated into a joinery unit that contains drawers and or cupboards and is known as a vanity unit.
Types of Basin Materials
Vitreous China
This is a clay product that is glazed and hard fired to make a very strong and nonporous surface.
It has the advantage that it is very strong and hard to scratch.
Plastic or Acrylic
There are a number of different plastics that the basin may be made of and while they are often an economic fitting and may come in a large variety of colours they are usually always softer than the china types and therefore scratch easier, consequently they will collect dirt more quickly than a porcelain surface as the surface tends to be more easily pitted or grooved at a microscopic level allowing dirt to grip and collect.
Vitreous China – It has the advantage that it is very strong and hard to scratch.
Porcelain on Steel
Another very hard surface and lighter than vitreous china. The porcelain is baked on giving a very hard surface as impervious to dirt as a china system.
