Black Wastes

Black wastes guide

This collection gathers the wastes and traps that come in black: basin and bath pop up and pop down wastes, bottle traps for wall hung basins, a flexible bath connector, tile insert floor wastes, V channels and grates, and a kitchen sink basket waste. Nearly all are matte black, a flat dark finish made to sit beside matte black tapware. A black waste is a small dark detail, so the first questions are the ordinary ones of size, overflow and fit. Colour comes after that. The sections below cover how the matte black finish is made, what it hides and shows, and what each family offers, so the part suits both the plumbing and the tap. The matching taps are on black taps.

How matte black is made

The process varies by product. Matte black is often powder-coated, a dry powder cured with heat over a brass or stainless steel base, applied with an electrostatic spray gun and baked to cure. Powder coating is durable. Some matte black tapware and accessories are electroplated instead. Electroplating deposits a corrosion-resistant coating by electric charge, and PVD forms a thin protective layer from vaporised metal. Check the finish process on the waste you choose.

The black wastes here follow the electroplated pattern. Most are electroplated, a couple are PVD, and one is a matte black finish without a named process. The Phoenix black wastes, for instance, have an electroplated finish to ensure the colour lasts, and the Caroma 80mm floor waste in matte black is brass with a matte electroplated finish. Check the finish process on the product you choose, because a colour name does not tell you the process.

What matte black hides and what it shows

Matte black is flat and non-reflective. It conceals water marks, stains, dirt and fingerprints, hides water spots and resists corrosion and rust. It has a flip side: light-coloured soap, splatters, dust and dirt may show more on black, and the finish may scratch or chip over time. Upkeep is a matter of habit more than product. A soft cloth after use keeps it even.

For a waste, the practical effect is simple. A black waste hides water spots better than chrome does. It will show white soap film and scale as pale marks, and in a rarely used bathroom, dust. The fix is a regular, gentle wipe, which the care section covers.

Black basin wastes

Several makers offer a black basin waste for a basin with a 32mm waste outlet that connects to 40mm pipework. The Phoenix universal pop-up waste and the flat-topped version work that way, with a pop up dome on one and a flat top on the other and a pull out plug for cleaning on both. The Otti mushroom waste is similar. The Nero Universal Project waste suits a 32mm outlet, the Nero universal waste has a G 1 1/2 inch thread and the Nero Project waste fits basin waste holes from 42mm to 58mm. The ADP universal mushroom waste in matte black with chrome suits 32mm and 40mm overflow and non-overflow wastes with a 40mm connection.

The Turner Hastings universal waste is an electroplated matte black two piece pop-up with a high flow rate for 32mm or 40mm outlets. The Fienza universal pull-out waste in matte black suits a 32mm or 40mm outlet, with an adaptor for the 40mm. The Eight Quarters wastes include a matte black ceramic top and a charcoal concrete top, both without an overflow. The ART Australia Basin Pop Down in matte black is the flush type, with a quick remove cartridge. The Clark 40mm waste is for wall hung, under counter, semi-recessed and semi-inset basins only, and the Caroma dome waste fits Liano II, Urbane II and Contura II basins only. For the sizing guide, see basin wastes.

Types and sizes

Basin wastes come in three types: the pop up, the pop down and the plug and waste. The pop up lets you drain the basin or push the plug down to seal it. The pop down sits recessed when sealed and flush while water drains. The plug and waste uses a separate plug and is the easy fallback.

On size there is no single standard. Basins are usually 32mm and baths 40mm, vanity basins usually take 32mm and larger fixtures take 40mm, with adaptors bridging a mismatch. Most Australian basins take 32 or 40mm, measured at the part inside the basin, and a 32mm waste can connect to 40mm pipe with an adapter. Measure the opening, not the cap.

Overflow

An unslotted waste is completely watertight when closed, while a slotted waste has a slot that carries overflow water away whether the waste is open or closed. A basin or bath with an overflow needs a slotted waste, and one without needs an unslotted waste. The wrong type can cause leaks or stop the overflow from working. Many black wastes here are universal and convert between the two, and the title or feature list says so. The Fienza overflow metal ring in matte black is a small matching part: a 28mm ring that replaces the standard chrome overflow ring on a basin with matte black tapware.

Black bath wastes and connectors

Bath wastes are 40mm. The Nero 40mm bath pop-up plug has no overflow, the Nero pop up bath waste has one, and the short version suits tight spaces. The Fienza pull-out bath wastes come with and without an overflow. The ART Australia Bath Pop Down in matte black is the flush type. The Turner Hastings safety pull-out bath waste has a pull-out feature that is quick for children's safety, with a mechanism strong enough to prevent accidental unplugging. The ART Bath Bend Pop Down and Connector in matte black adds a 600mm flexible connector and an elbow, a maximum offset of 650mm and a 77mm low body. For every bath waste type, see bath wastes.

Black bottle traps

A bottle trap replaces the plastic trap under a wall hung basin, and in a black bathroom it keeps the exposed pipe in the same finish. Black versions come from Phoenix, Caroma, Nero, Meir, Turner Hastings, ADP and Indigo. The Phoenix 40mm trap is vertically and horizontally adjustable with a removable cap. The Turner Hastings deluxe S trap and Aurora P trap come with a 32x40mm bush and a rubber key seal connector and adjust to suit a 32mm waste. The Meir round trap is made for a 32mm waste. A bottle trap suits exposed pipework and is not for floor-waste outlets or kitchen sinks, and connecting one to the wall pipe is licensed plumbing work. The full range is on bottle traps.

Black floor wastes, channels and grates

Black drains for the floor come from Meir, Caroma, Nero, Radiant, Phoenix and ART Australia. The Meir square grates in matte black suit 50, 80 and 100mm pipe, with a wide outer grate for tiling and sealing. The Caroma square floor wastes come with removable grates and as stainless steel tile inserts. The Nero tile inserts and V channels are 304 stainless steel with matte black finishes, and the V channels accommodate tiles up to 10mm thick with adhesive. The Radiant square tile insert is 316 stainless steel in matte black with a 12mm deep insert, and it is not recommended directly below unrestricted overhead rain showers. The Phoenix V channel drain with a heelguard grate is 316 stainless steel in matte black, with a base 30mm deep, and the installer must allow for its position as early as the concrete pour stage.

A tile insert takes a cut piece of the floor tile in a recessed tray, so the metal shows only as a slim border. The gap around the cut tile is usually 5 to 10mm, and the tray lifts out for access to the base and the trap. For the wider guide to outlets, falls and tile inserts, see floor wastes.

A black kitchen basket waste

The Nero kitchen sink basket waste in PVD black is the one kitchen product here. It is stainless steel for rust resistance, with a scratch-resistant surface, a removable basket for easy cleaning and suitability for sinks up to 30mm thick. The thread is G2 inch, the top diameter is 118.5mm and the overall depth is 68mm. Check the sink thickness against the 30mm limit before ordering. Unlike most of the wastes in this collection, this one has a PVD finish and not an electroplated one, so the cleaning advice for coatings applies with extra care.

Matching the tap

Stick to similar undertones when mixing finishes, and buy fixtures from one brand where you can to avoid mismatched finishes. Matching black fixtures can be difficult. That is the practical reason to buy the waste from the same maker as the tap: each maker mixes its own black, and two blacks side by side can read as slightly different. Matte black pairs well with white tiles and chrome accessories, so a black waste under a chrome tap can be a choice and not a mistake, as long as the room repeats the black elsewhere.

Care and cleaning

Clean black wastes regularly with mild detergent and warm water, rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth to prevent water spots and stains. Avoid abrasive or harsh chemicals, abrasive sponges and steel wool, and avoid acidic cleaners, which can damage the finish. The wrong sponge can scratch the coating. Avoid vinegar on PVD in particular, because vinegar and abrasive cleaners can damage it.

Lift out cartridges, plugs and grates to rinse off hair and soap. A trap collects debris at the bend, and hair, soap scum and poor slope are the usual causes of blockages.

How to choose

Work from the fixture. For a basin, confirm the outlet, the overflow and the fit statement. For a bath, confirm the outlet and the overflow, and whether a connector is needed. For a wall hung basin, add a bottle trap. For a floor, confirm the pipe size and the tile. Then match the black to the tap, ideally from the same maker, and read the Finish/coating line to know what the surface is. The parent page for every maker's wastes, traps and grates is wastes, traps and grates.