Wall hung basins buying guide
A wall hung basin, also called a wall mounted basin or wall basin, is fixed directly to the wall with no vanity or pedestal under it. The floor stays clear, the room reads larger, and the height can be set to suit the people who use it. The trade-off is a wall that has to carry the basin and no storage below it. This page holds wall hung basins from Caroma, Clark, Fienza, Turner Hastings and ADP, and the guide below covers the advantages and drawbacks, how the wall is prepared, the tap hole and waste to check, and the sizes.
Is a wall hung basin a good choice
It is a good choice when floor space matters more than storage. A wall hung basin suits small bathrooms and powder rooms, and the open floor makes the room feel more spacious. There is no cabinet, plinth or kickboard, so no floor joins collect hair, dust or water and the floor is quicker to clean. The height is chosen by the household, which helps children's powder rooms, taller users and accessible bathrooms, and wall hung basins are often a good choice for wheelchair users. See assisted living basins for basins made for that purpose.
Know the limits before you commit. A wall hung basin has little or no built-in storage, so it is a poor fit for a family bathroom where cabinetry does the work. The wall needs support. Installation is more involved than for a basin that sits on a cabinet. And the height is hard to change after the wall is tiled, so it has to be right the first time. If storage is the limit, add wall mounted cabinets, open shelving or joinery nearby, and wall hung vanities give a floating look with a cabinet underneath.
Does a wall hung basin need a frame
It needs support in the wall, and there are two ways to give it. The first is a timber noggin or a steel bracket system fitted between the studs while the wall is open at rough-in. The second is an in-wall frame, which is sold as a frame on its own or as a complete kit with the basin and wall tapware. Plasterboard alone should not carry the weight, heavy ceramic and wide basins need the most attention, and a retrofit into a finished tiled bathroom can be complicated and sometimes impossible without opening the wall.
In trade terms, wall hung furniture and basins need fixing to a support beam fitted between the studs, with support noggins added before the wall is sheeted, and the total width of the noggin should exceed the width of the unit. The wall must also be plumb and straight, because a bowed wall can twist a cabinet when it is fixed. Each basin here has its own fixings: the Clark and Teorema basins include a fixing kit, and the Fienza Valentina concrete basin includes extra heavy duty mounting brackets and bolts. The ADP Eon has wall fixings not included, so check the box contents before you order.
Mounting height
The height is set on site. About 850mm from the finished floor to the top edge of the basin is a common figure, adjusted for comfort, and tradespeople work within about 800mm to 900mm for a wall hung basin. For a child, a seated user or a taller household, set the height to the person and mark a level line before you drill. Check the tap hole and the waste position before you drill, and leave about 700mm to 750mm clear in front so the basin is comfortable to stand at.
Tap holes and tapware
There are three arrangements. A basin with a tap landing and one tap hole takes a basin mixer on the bowl, which is how most of the Caroma hand basins here come. A hole-free basin takes a wall mixer. Some basins, such as the Turner Hastings Claremont, come with one or three tap holes, and the ADP Eon has a right-hand tap hole only. Check the tap hole count, then choose basin mixers or bathroom basin taps to suit it.
Waste and overflow
Wall hung basins come with and without an overflow, and the waste has to match. Caroma basins include a white plug and a chrome flush fitting waste, and several are non-overflow only. The ADP Eon is a reversible solid surface basin with an overflow and needs a 32mm waste with overflow. The Fienza Valentina concrete basin has no overflow and needs a 32mm non-overflow waste, which is not included. The Turner Hastings Claremont takes a 32mm waste with overflow, sold separately. The ADP Teorema is sold with the tapware, the bottle trap and the plug and waste separate. A bottle trap shows below a wall hung basin, so choose one to suit the tapware. See basin wastes for the matching fittings.
Basin sizes
Wall hung basins range from compact hand basins to long basins with a shelf. The ADP Halo is 450mm wide, 160mm deep and 100mm high, with a 160mm projection and a contour designed to clear swinging doors in a tight room. The ADP Eon is 450mm wide, 150mm deep and 100mm high, with a 150mm projection and a weight of 4.5kg. The Caroma Luna hand basin is 450mm long with a 3 litre bowl, the Urbane II hand basin is 460mm long with a 5.9 litre bowl and the Liano II hand basin is 530mm by 280mm. The Caroma Tribute rectangle basin is 600mm with a shelf, left or right hand, and the ADP Teorema comes in lengths from 600mm to 1400mm with offset, centre and double bowl layouts. For the smallest sizes, see small hand basins.
Materials, shapes and finish
Most wall hung basins here are ceramic or fine fire clay, with some in concrete and solid surface. The Turner Hastings Claremont is double glazed fine fireclay, and some Claremont versions include a matching pedestal, and the Fienza Valentina fluted arch basin is concrete finished with a food-grade nano sealant. For a look beyond white, concrete basins, black basins and traditional basins have wall hung models. Gloss white is the classic finish, while matte green, pink, clay and speckled tones work as a feature. Shapes run rectangular, oval, square and arch.
Wall types and what each needs
How a wall carries a wall hung basin depends on what the wall is made of. Solid brick suits masonry fixings with no extra reinforcement. Concrete block suits fixings that reach dense sections. A stud wall needs timber noggins or a metal frame to spread the load across the studs. A metal basin support frame anchors to the floor and the wall, so it allows a non-load-bearing wall. Plasterboard on its own does not support a wall hung basin without reinforcement, and a tiled wall is suitable only if the substrate beneath it meets the load. Keep insulation and void fillers out of the fixing zones.
Heavy basins ask more of the fixings. Brackets should have a load-bearing capacity of at least twice the weight of the basin. Solid walls take metal expansion bolts of 10mm or more in diameter and 80mm or more in length, and lightweight walls need hollow wall anchors or 2cm thick solid wood plates covering the installation area. A stone resin basin should use at least four fixing points. These numbers show what a heavy basin asks of a wall, and the fixing kit that comes with your basin is the reference for your basin.
How much a wall hung basin weighs
Weights run from about 4.5kg for a small ceramic basin to 30kg for a heavy stone resin basin that takes two or three people to move. The weights on this page sit at the lighter end. The ADP Eon weighs 4.5kg, and the Fienza Valentina concrete basin weighs 12kg with a capacity of 10.5 litres, which puts about 22kg on its brackets when full. A rating of twice the weight would call for brackets that carry about 45kg for the Valentina. No rated load is published for the fixing kits on this page, so ask the installer to confirm the brackets before the wall is closed.
Rim height and fixing height
A standard rim height is 800 to 850mm, measured from the final floor finish and not the subfloor, and accessible bathrooms in Australia use a rim height of 800 to 830mm. The Caroma drawings give a recommended 865mm, which is higher than those rim figures, because the drawing height is a fixing height and the rim height depends on the basin. Set the height from the person who uses the basin, and check the figure against the basin's own drawing before the wall is drilled. See assisted living basins for the accessible case.
Fixing and finishing
The steps that apply to a ceramic basin are simple. Tighten the fixings gradually and evenly on each side without overtightening. Use the rubber or plastic washers supplied and put masking tape over each drill point on a tiled wall. Seal the waste flange with a little silicone or plumber's putty, and run a bead of sanitary silicone along the back edge where the basin meets the wall. A ceramic basin's waste is tightened by hand only. Run the water, check every joint for leaks and confirm the basin does not rock. For care, use mild cleaners and a soft cloth, avoid abrasive products that dull the glaze, and check the silicone and fixings from time to time.
How to choose
- Decide whether the room can give up storage. If it cannot, consider a semi-recessed basin on a shallow vanity or an above counter basin.
- Confirm the wall can be supported, with noggins or brackets at rough-in or an in-wall frame, before you pick a size.
- Choose the tap arrangement first: one tap hole for a basin mixer, none for a wall mixer.
- Check the overflow, waste and fixings, because they differ between basins.
- Match the length and projection to the room, including the door swing.
Browse by brand at Caroma basins, Clark basins, Fienza basins, Turner Hastings basins and ADP basins. The bathroom basins page sets wall hung basins beside the other types.
