Caroma Tribute basins buying guide
The Caroma Tribute range is a family of white ceramic basins with a thin rim, in shapes for three kinds of install: on top of the bench, set into the bench and hung from the wall. This page holds the 490mm rectangle and the 405mm round for the bench, the 530mm rectangle, the 400mm square and the 420mm basin for an inset fit, and a 500mm wall basin and a pair of 600mm shelf wall basins. The guide below covers the range and its second name, each model with the numbers the maker publishes, how the tap holes, overflow and waste differ, how each type is fixed and sealed, the heights to plan around, and how to clean the basins. Each fact below is attributed to a listing, a maker manual or a retailer page, and conflicts between sources are stated.
Tribute and Artisan: one range, two names
The listings on this page call the range Tribute, and some also use the older Artisan name in their text. A trade supplier lists a round 405mm basin as a Tribute Artisan basin and gives its specification style as Artisan, and a retailer page for the 600mm rectangle is titled Tribute while its address and description say Artisan. In practice the two names point at one family. The Caroma technical manuals use the Tribute name throughout, and describe the range as fresh and simple in Nordic style design, influenced by global trends in thinner rim design, suited to general purpose, domestic and commercial applications. See Caroma Artisan basins for the pages that carry the Artisan name, and Caroma basins for the brand.
The inset and wall listings say the basins are fine fire clay ceramic, and the manuals for the round and the rectangle call them vitreous china. Both are glazed ceramic, so the page treats the range as ceramic. A retailer page for the brand says the basins are easy to clean and resist staining and scratching with a glazed finish, which is a general claim and not a test of these models.
Above counter basins: the 405mm round and the 490mm rectangle
An above counter basin sits on top of the bench with the bowl fully visible. The Tribute Round 405 is 405mm in diameter and 140mm high, and the maker manual gives a bowl capacity of 8.3 litres, no overflow and no tap holes. A trade supplier lists its weight as 8.6kg and says a two-person lift may be required because the product is fragile. The listing says the round basin suits small bathrooms and powder rooms and frees the space under the bench.
The 490mm rectangle has softly rounded corners and a slim rim, and its listing gives no size other than the 490mm in the name. No published depth, height or capacity exists for it, so ask for the specification sheet if a dimension decides the choice. See above counter basins, round basins and rectangular basins.
Inset basins: 530mm, 400mm and 420mm
An inset basin drops into a cut-out in the bench, so only the rim shows above it. The Tribute Rectangle 530 is nominally 530mm by 340mm and holds 12.5 litres to the overflow position, with no overflow and no tap holes. The Tribute Square 400 is nominally 405mm by 405mm and holds 11 litres, again with no overflow and no tap holes. Both manuals describe them as without a tap landing, so the tap goes on the bench behind the basin or on the wall. The listings say both are in a gloss white finish, with quick and simple installation.
The Tribute Inset Basin 420 is listed as available with one tap hole and suited to a small bathroom or powder room, and its listing gives no other size. The manual for the 420 is an image file with no readable text, so the details of the tap hole position and capacity are for the supplier to confirm. See inset basins, square basins and small basins.
Wall hung basins: the 500mm wall basin and the 600mm shelf basins
The Tribute Wall Basin 500 is a wall hung basin available with one tap hole only. The listing says it is designed for the Caroma waste outlet suitable for a 40mm trap connection, and that a white plug and chrome flush fitting waste are included.
The two 600mm basins are the Rectangle Wall Basin with a right hand shelf and the Left Hand Shelf Wall Basin. The manual gives the nominal size as 600mm by 430mm. The bowl itself is small: 3.7 litres to the overflow. The manual lists a left hand shelf with one tap hole or three, and a right hand shelf with one tap hole or three, and the listings on this page carry the one tap hole versions. The overflow is available only, which means the basin always has one. The manual says it is designed for a maximum tap flow rate of 15 litres per minute. See wall hung basins and small hand basins.
Fixing a wall hung shelf basin
The shelf basin manual names the fixing: a D.200 basin fixing kit, supplied with the basin, which bolts directly to the finished wall. The drawing shows a recommended height of 865mm above the finished floor and fixing centres of about 815mm. It gives trap options: a 40mm Caroma plastic short P-trap, a 40mm Modina bottle trap or a 40mm Eco bottle trap, with the outlet centre positions marked. The trap and the bottle traps are not supplied with the basin.
Because the kit bolts to the finished wall, the wall behind needs reinforcement. Maker guides for wall basins say to place noggins and studs behind the wall sheeting to suit the fasteners in a timber stud wall, and to check the actual product dimensions before drilling. The manual says all dimensions are subject to normal manufacturing variations, so mark the wall from the basin in your hands. Plan the pipework before the wall is closed. The listings say the basins are designed for a 40mm trap connection, so the trap and waste need to match.
Why the tap hole count matters
The round, the 530 inset and the 400 inset have no tap hole. The 500 wall basin, the 420 inset and the shelf basins have one. A single hole takes a mixer. The manual notes that three-hole versions of the shelf basin exist, with a spout in the middle and controls either side, but the pages here carry the one-hole versions.
For a basin with no tap hole, the tap goes on the wall or on the bench. A maker installation note for a counter basin gives two rules. If wall-mounted tapware is used, consider the length of the outlet and the position of the basin on the bench top. If tapware is bench-mounted, allow enough top width for fitting it. The retailer pages for the range suggest pairing with Caroma Luna tapware, which is not included. See basin mixers.
Tap height and reach for an above counter basin
For the round 405, which stands 140mm above the bench, a tall mixer is the usual choice. A tap guide says the spout should clear the rim by about 100 to 150mm, that the reach should match the distance from the tap fixing to the centre of the drain, and that a tall basin mixer is often 250 to 300mm tall. Two tall mixers on the store give figures. The Kaya Tall has a spout height of 216mm and a reach of 170mm, and the Empire Slim Tall has a spout height of 244mm and a reach of 180mm.
On a 405mm round basin the centre is about 202mm from the edge if the drain is central. A 170mm reach from a tap at the very edge falls about 32mm short of the centre. The tap has to stand back from the rim or the reach has to be longer, and a wall tap that can be placed to suit is the simpler answer. The listings do not give the drain position, so measure on the basin you receive.
Overflow and waste
The bench basins have no overflow, and the manuals say overflow is not available. The shelf basin has an overflow only, designed for a maximum flow of 15 litres a minute. A basin with no overflow has no slot to drain it if the plug is in and the tap is running, so turn the tap off before the bowl fills.
The manuals say each basin is designed for the Caroma waste outlet suitable for a 40mm trap connection, with a chrome flush fitting waste and white plug supplied. They list alternatives: a plug with an anti-vandal flush fitting chrome waste, a plug with a chrome grate waste, and for the inset basins a chrome pop-up plug and waste. A different waste means a different part, so check it fits before you buy. See basin wastes.
Cutting the bench and sealing the basin
For the round and the inset basins, the manuals give the same fixing rule. An acetic cured silicone sealant is to be used, and epoxy type glues must not be used. For the inset basins the underside of the rim must be sealed to the counter top, and for the round the sealant secures the basin to the counter top. Each basin is supplied with a template, and the manuals say the template must be used for the counter top cut-out. The drawings show the basin outlines and the cut-out shapes, and give the manufacturing tolerance as normal variation.
Other makers differ. One maker's guide for above counter basins says to use 20mm silicone dots at no more than three fixing points so the basin can be removed later, and not a full bed of silicone, and names non-acidic silicone for other types. A third maker names neutral cure silicone. These are for other basins. For the Tribute basins, follow the Caroma manual: acetic cured silicone, no epoxy, and the supplied template. The counter basin installation guides also say to fit the waste first with silicone around the rim, press the basin down firmly and wipe away the surplus sealant straight away.
Rim height and bench depth
A basin on the bench adds its height. A vanity guide gives a floor-mounted vanity at 850 to 900mm and a wall-hung vanity at 800 to 900mm, with a vanity depth of 460 to 550mm and an accessible rim at 800 to 830mm. A UK guide offers 800 to 850mm to the rim as a starting point. A 140mm round basin on an 850mm bench puts its rim at 990mm. An inset basin shows only its rim, so it sits lower. For the wall basins, the rim height is where you fix the brackets, and the shelf basin drawing shows a recommended 865mm above the finished floor.
The 530mm inset is 340mm front to back, which against a 460 to 550mm vanity leaves 120 to 210mm behind it. The 400 square leaves 55 to 145mm. The range is not marked as accessible on the pages: the oval and curved rectangle pages say not AS1428.1 compliant, and the round trade page says not suited to assisted living, so do not assume it for the others.
What each mounting type asks of the room
Retailer guides describe the trade-offs between the types, and none of them gives a source, so treat them as directions to check. They say an inset basin is simple to install and easy to clean, though its rim can catch debris, and that an above counter basin leaves the bench free of a large cut-out. They say a wall hung basin frees the floor and needs a wall that can carry it and pipework planned before the wall is closed. The Tribute range covers all three, so the choice comes from the room: the bench you have, the wall you can reinforce and the floor space you want to keep.
The listings point two of the models at small rooms. The round 405 is described as suiting small bathrooms and powder rooms, and the 420 inset is described as suited to a small bathroom or powder room. For a tighter wall, the shelf basins project 430mm from the wall on the drawing, which is a figure to check against the door swing and the toilet position before the brackets are fixed.
Where the sources disagree
Two points differ between pages. The country of origin: the Caroma page for the curved rectangle says designed and built in Australia, and a trade supplier's page for the round 405 lists the country of origin and manufacture as China. These pages do not say which applies to which model, so ask the supplier for a specific product. And the 480mm curved rectangle page has manual and installation filenames that say 500, which does not match the 480mm in its title. That model is not on this page, but it shows that file names can lag behind product names, so check the sheet matches the model before you cut.
Cleaning a white ceramic basin
A trade supplier's page for the round basin says to clean with a mild household detergent or warm soapy water on a soft cloth. A counter basin installation guide says to use soapy water or approved cleaners and not abrasive materials. A care sheet for vitreous china says that day-to-day care needs only water and a damp cloth. It says a proprietary bathroom cleaner removes water marks, grease and soap scum. It says household vinegar removes limescale, with a vinegar-soaked piece of kitchen paper left on stubborn deposits for 30 minutes.
The same sheet warns about substances containing fluoride, such as rust removers and toothpaste, and says cream cleaners can dull the surface if overused. It gives bicarbonate of soda with white vinegar as a greener option, rinsed well so the rubber seals in the waste are not damaged. It says not to use harsh chemicals such as Domestos, which can destroy chrome and the rubber seals in wastes, and never to mix cleaning products. See ceramic basins and white basins.
Choosing between the types
Choose an above counter basin, the round 405 or the 490 rectangle, if you want the bowl on show and the bench cut kept to a waste hole. Choose an inset basin, the 530, the 400 or the 420, if you want the rim to sit lower and a bench cut to the template. Choose a shelf wall basin if the floor and the bench need to stay clear and the wall can be reinforced. Choose the 500 wall basin for a wall hung basin without a shelf.
Then settle the tap, because several of the basins have none. Choose the waste only if you want something other than the chrome one in the box. Last, test-fit the basin before the bench is cut. That order puts the easy decisions first and the cut and the plumbing last. For a vanity to carry an inset or an above counter basin, see bathroom vanities, and for other basin types, bathroom basins.
What the sources do not say
The sources leave some gaps. The listings give sizes only in the product names, and only four of the eight models have a manual with readable text. The 490 rectangle, the 420 inset and the 500 wall basin have image-only sheets, so their depths, heights and capacities are not stated here. Some retailer pages gave no dimensions at all. The country of origin lines conflict. The manuals date from 2019 and one is revision 1, so check the current sheet with the supplier. No independent review of this range turned up.
