'What I wish I had known before buying black bathroom taps', reveals an interior stylist

Black bathroom taps are the modern must-have for many a sleek bathroom scheme. And while they look contemporary and chic, I have found out the hard way that looks can be deceiving – because they are not as practical as I'd hoped.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on bathroom trends, you’ll have spotted many a black tap working its way onto the pages of glossy interior magazines. Japandi bathrooms were instrumental in making black taps a common fixture in family bathrooms, and there have been several trends that have popped up since.

But as I say, I've learned elements about owning black taps that I overlooked when installing them into my home. So before you go adding to the cart, here's the lowdown on what you need to know before buying black bathroom taps.

What you need to know before buying black bathroom taps

Wondering what to consider before buying and installing black bathroom taps? Just as we found previously when looking at what you need to consider before buying a hot water tap, there are lots of factors that new buyers might not automatically consider.

Here’s the lowdown on the key points to think about before making a purchase, especially if you are keen to make your bathroom look expensive as a result.

Black taps can fade

During my research into the issues associated with black taps, I came across lots of instances where people had experienced colour fade in lower-quality black taps. The reasons for the colour fading can include exposure to cleaning chemicals or UV light. The fading can be in spots or patches or all over.

Richard Ticehurst, Brand Expert at Britton, had this advice about protecting the finish of matt black bathroom taps, “It’s important to prevent the buildup of products such as soap and toothpaste. This can affect the look of the brassware and may wear away the coating. Rinse thoroughly and often with clean water to remove any soapy residue that could stain the fixtures.”

Richard Ticehurst

Richard is a brand expert passionate about design, quality and performance. An inspirational, creative sales and product trainer, his background in European manufacturing, projects and retail has led to him coming a product expert across Bathroom Brands Group portfolio – including Crosswater, Burlington and Britton. Richard is Group Head of Brand and Trade Marketing at Bathroom Brands Group.

Limited choice of black bathroom taps

Although more common than a few years back, there are still fewer style and design options for black taps compared to alternative finishes. This restricts your choices and can be a hindrance if you are shopping for replacements to fit existing baths or sinks and need a specific size.

Happily, many of the trusted brands like Grohe, Calypso Bathrooms and Britton Bathrooms are adding new ranges all the time.

We are spoilt for choice with most kitchen and bathroom fixtures and fittings these days, so the limited choice in black bathroom taps might come as a surprise.

A note about trends

Some people might argue that black taps, well, black accents of any description, are part of a passing trend and could therefore become outdated.

I’m playing devil’s advocate here as I actually don’t think black taps are a 'trendy' item and I honestly believe they will stand the test of time because black accents in an interior scheme can help to achieve a timeless feel. I’ll caveat that by adding that this is obviously dependent on what they are paired with in the scheme.

I always advise against decorating your home to align with the latest interior trends unless they are trends that really resonate with you and spark joy because items like taps are a long-term fixture and no one wants to be paying plumber call-out fees every few months as the trends change.

What I wish I had known before buying black bathroom taps

I’ve had black taps in my bathroom for a few years and feel they make a strong style statement, bringing lots of positive aspects to the table, or should that be sink?! However, black bathroom taps present challenges in terms of maintenance and durability.

This contemporary finish can be greatly affected by the hardness of your water and your willingness to increase your daily cleaning routine. These are the things I wish I’d known before installing black taps in my home...

1. Black taps can be easily marked

The extent to which this point is an issue will depend on the hardness of the water in your area. In Kent, we suffer from extremely hard water and limescale is a daily issue. Consequently, black taps are prone to water spots and mineral deposits and require more ongoing maintenance than chrome or stainless steel.

Fingerprints can be an issue on glossy black taps, where the oil from your skin can leave telltale marks after using the taps. I can’t personally attest to this issue being bad as I always opted for a matte finish, luckily, which holds up better against fingerprints.

2. Durability can be an issue

I must admit, for about two years, I was pretty smug about this point not being an issue for me, but the day did eventually come when the finish on my black taps started chipping and scratching to reveal unsightly patches of bare metal.

From speaking to people about this issue when it did finally occur, I understand that I was quite lucky to have escaped it for so long as there were many reports of relatively new black taps chipping and flaking, much to the distress of their owners.

The good news is that you can complete a DIY repair on your black taps' paint job in a few simple steps. Start by cleaning the tap, then lightly sand the affected area, remove any loose or flaky paint, dust off and apply a coat of paint primer to the whole tap. Once the primer is dry you are ready to spray paint the tap with enamel paint and restore it to its former glory.

I have a step-by-step tutorial on how to restore black taps with paint on my blog in case it's useful.

3. Frequent cleaning is required: but with a gentle approach

If you love cleaning, you might not consider this one to be an issue, but for those who find cleaning a chore the prospect of extra cleaning being required to keep black taps looking their best might be offputting.

As we have seen, black taps are prone to visible water spots and mineral deposits so they benefit from a daily wipe. Matte finishes are less problematic than gloss, but they can still appear dirty if not regularly cleaned.

I mentioned earlier that overuse or prolonged exposure to cleaning chemicals can result in colour fade so it pays to be mindful about the cleaning products you use on black taps. Bunmi Scott is a green cleaning expert and has this advice to keep black taps looking their best without risking damage from harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaning products.

"The easiest way to clean black taps in a non-abrasive way is to use lukewarm water with some eco-washing up liquid," Bummi explains. "Using a soft sponge, wash down the tap then rinse it with water and then dry it with a micro fibre cloth."

Bunmi Scott

Bunmi Scott is the founder of It's All About Eco, an e-commerce business specialising in eco-friendly lifestyle essentials and green cleaning products. Bunmi frequently shares her advice and easy-to-follow tutorials on how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle on her popular Instagram account.

4. Black taps can be more expensive

After even a quick trawl of the usual bathroom sites, it will become apparent that black taps often come at a higher price than other finishes.

This needs to be carefully considered before making a purchase because it will also be true for other fittings and fixtures on a black finish, so the cost of kitting out your whole bathroom or kitchen could add up fast. The last thing you want to do is risk making a common bathroom design mistake by misjudging the budget.

5. Black bathroom taps can vary in colour

This point might not be a huge issue if there is enough distance between the taps and other hardware in your kitchen or bathroom. However, it could become problematic if you have black items from different suppliers in close proximity, as any colour variation will be noticeable and could ruin the cohesiveness of the aesthetic you were hoping to achieve.

What are the main disadvantages of black bathroom taps?

The main disadvantages of black bathroom taps centre around their tendency to show marks and water stains if not cleaned very regularly with gentle cleaning products. As we discovered was the case with self-cleaning pyrolytic ovens, there are specific cleaning requirements.

The cleaning routine you adopt will need prior consideration as exposure to harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaning. You’ll likely need to clean more frequently, especially in hard water areas if your black bathroom taps have a gloss finish. The selection of black bathroom taps available to purchase might be more limited than for other finishes and they might be more expensive.