TOTO’s Faucet Buyer’s Guide:
What to Consider When Purchasing Your TOTO Lavatory Faucet
Whether your bathroom is your personal in-home spa retreat or a functional space used by your whole family, you can choose the right TOTO lavatory faucets to complement your style and needs. No matter what they are, there is a TOTO lavatory faucet that’s perfect for you. To help ensure that you are happy with your faucet purchase for years to come, we review the primary factors to consider when purchasing a TOTO faucet, such as the most popular ways to mount your bathroom lavatory faucet, handle options, water consumption, and other important faucet features to consider.
How to Measure for Your New Faucet
If you already have a lavatory faucet in place that you are replacing, use it as a guide to measure for your new faucet.
A single-hole faucet, as you can imagine, is a quicker installation than any other type. All its connections feed through a single hole, making the installation process simple.
To measure for a 4” spread (mini-spread) or an 8” spread (widespread) faucet, first, find your faucet centers. Your faucet center is the distance between the pre-drilled faucet holes in the lavatory or vanity from the center of the left hole to the center of the right hole. These center points must correspond to the center connections of the new faucets you want to install.
Second, measure the distance between the faucet holes and the wall. Be sure to take into consideration other bathroom elements that may pose an impediment, such as mirrors and cabinets.
Finally, ensure that your new faucet’s spout is long enough to reach the middle of the lavatory’s basin to ensure proper draining and prevent splashing.
Vessel and Semi-Vessel Lavatories
For vessel lavatories that sit atop the counter or semi-vessel lavatories that are designed to sit half above and half below the countertop, measure the lavatory height to determine the minimum height needed for your new vessel or semi-vessel faucet.
Small Lavatories
For small bathroom lavatories, measure the lavatory’s width from one side of the counter to the other to determine how wide your faucet can be. Remember, your toothbrush holder and other toiletries will take up additional space on the lavatory or the counter, so factor them into your calculations.
Faucet Construction
Ensure your faucets are solid brass construction. Brass is a strong and durable metal. The combination of zinc and copper contributes to the long-lasting strength of the material. Unlike aluminum and plated steel, a solid brass fixture won't need to be replaced because of rust or corrosion. All TOTO faucets are solid brass lead-free construction.
Faucet Configurations: One, Two, or Three-Holes
GE SINGLE HANDLE SEMI-VESSEL LAVATORY FAUCET
If you are replacing your existing faucet with one with the same number of holes, you are home free. However, be certain to examine your existing faucet carefully, there may be a baseplate that’s covering a hole(s) you can’t see. Moreover, you can also use a baseplate to hide holes you no longer want.
Single-Hole Faucet Configuration:
A single one-hole faucet configuration contains the spout, valve, and one or two handles in a single streamlined unit. In addition to its elegant modern aesthetic, a single-hole faucet is easy to clean around.
Two-Hole Faucet Configuration:
A two-hole faucet configuration has separate holes for the hot and cold valves. A bridge connecting the faucet and its valves enables the water’s mixing before it enters the spout. Separate controls for the hot and cold water enable you to adjust the water flow and temperature precisely.
Three-Hole Faucet Configurations
KEANE WIDESPREAD LAVATORY FAUCET
A three-hole faucet configuration has separate holes for the spout, hot-water valve, and cold-water valve. If the valves are 6 inches or more apart from faucet center to faucet center, you need a wide-spread faucet or an 8-inch-spread faucet. If they’re less than 6 inches apart, you need a center-set or mini-spread 4-inch-spread faucet.
Installation Types
Below are examples of the five most common types of faucet installation types:
- single hole,
- widespread,
- vessel,
- semi-vessel, and
- wall mount
TOTO Ceramic Disc Valves with COMFORT GLIDE® Technology
Every bathroom lavatory faucet has an internal valve, which controls water’s flow through the spout. The valve’s quality determines the reliability and durability of your new faucet. To ensure years of worry-free use, TOTO faucets offer COMFORT GLIDE® technology for precise flow control and ease of use. TOTO’s ceramic disc valves feature a special Diamond-Like Carbon coating, which ensures long-lasting quality, flow control, and comfort in use and exceeds the industry standard for longevity and superior performance throughout the products' lifetime.
TOTO'S ZN AUTOMATIC VESSEL FAUCET
WITH SOFT FLOW TECHNOLOGY
We all love bright and shiny new faucets, but if they add too much money to your water bill to use, then they’re not worth the beauty. TOTO faucets are high-efficiency and WaterSense labeled. They flow at a variety of water-conserving rates and comply with the majority states and municipalities' water conservation regulations: 0.35 gallons per minute (GPM), 0.5 GPM, 1.1 GPM, 1.2 GPM, and 1.5 GPM. Since drought is a real issue for many areas of the country, water conservation is an important factor to consider when choosing your TOTO faucet.
TOTO SOFTFLOW Technology
From TOTO comes the touch of water at its most gentle with our SOFTFLOW Technology. Available in our ZN Hands-Free Automatic Faucet, these precisely balanced individual streams of water gently caress the skin with virtually no splash. The skin sensation is soft, luxurious, and enriching. TOTO’s SOFTFLOW technology water streams are aesthetically pleasing and enhance the hand-washing experience.
Lavatory Faucet Handle Types
When considering faucet handles, most faucets have cross handles, knob handles, or lever handles, and some faucets offer hands-free operation. When selecting your faucet, ensure there’s enough room in front of the backsplash to easily operate the faucet handles.
Faucet Finishes
A beautiful, lustrous finish can elevate a lavatory faucet from utilitarian to jewel-like. TOTO offers a variety of beautiful finishes for our faucets:
- Polished Chrome,
- Polished Nickel, and
- Brushed Nickel
In addition to our elegant Polished Chrome, Brushed Nickel, and Polished Nickel finishes, TOTO faucets are available in two made-to-order finishes that add rich accents to the sophisticated design statements of any bath space.
- Polished French Gold, and
- Polished Bronze
Select faucet models may also be made-to-order with a split finish design that combines polished and brushed finishes.
Faucet Simulator
TOTO has designed a way for you to see how your TOTO faucet and lavatory selections will look together before you buy. Check out our Faucet - Lavatory Design Simulator.
A FAUCET SIMULATOR IMAGE OF TOTO's ZL
STANDARD HEIGHT FAUCET PAIRED WITH
THE LT1916 UNDERCOUNTER LAVATORY
Using the Faucet Simulator, you can select your faucet using a variety of methods – series, shape, or color. Once you’ve identified your faucet, the Faucet Simulator presents you with a range of lavatory options that pair well with the faucet you’ve chosen. When you select the lavatory you prefer, the Faucet Simulator provides you with an image of your faucet installed on the lavatory you selected, which you can download and use for planning or share with family, friends, or your design-build professional. It also provides the cost of the two products (without tax).
