Fienza Kaya Taps

Fienza Kaya taps buying guide

Fienza Kaya is a large tapware range with a choice of round or rectangular plates, made in lead free brass and stainless steel. This page holds Kaya wall basin and bath mixer sets, three piece wall sets, basin mixers in standard, medium and tall heights, a floor mounted bath mixer with a hand shower, wall top assemblies, sink mixers, pull out and gooseneck mixers and pot fillers, wall, hob and floor mounted, in brushed nickel, bronze, black, brass, gold, chrome, gunmetal and white. The guide below explains how the range is arranged, which piece suits which job, how to choose the plate shape and the outlet reach, how to choose a finish, and how to look after the tap.

How the Kaya range is arranged

The Kaya range is built on a plain cylinder with a pin lever, and the part that sets the look is the plate. There are two plate shapes. The round plate is soft and suits a bathroom with curved fittings, and the rectangular plate, called the squareline, is longer and sharper, and suits square tiles and a rectangular vanity. Choose the plate shape once, and keep it through the room, so the mixer, the shower plate and the accessories match.

The range is large, and it covers the bathroom, the bath and the kitchen sink. That is the reason to choose it: the basin, the shower, the bath and the sink can all come from one range, in one finish. For the whole Fienza tapware, see Fienza taps and Fienza Kaya, and for the Kaya outlets on their own, see Fienza spouts.

Wall basin and bath mixer sets

The Kaya wall basin and bath mixer set puts the mixer and the outlet in the wall. The round plate set has a round pin lever and a curved outlet, and the rectangular plate set has a straight outlet. The outlet comes in several reaches, 130mm, 160mm and 200mm, so the set can serve a basin or a bath. The shorter reaches suit a basin, where the water should land near the drain, and the longer ones suit a bath, where the water should land near the middle of the tub.

The set is built in two parts. The body goes into the wall at the building stage, before the tiles go on, and the trim, which holds the lever, the plate and the outlet, goes on at the end. That lets the finish be chosen late. See wall basin and bath mixer sets for the wider group from every brand. Check the reach against the basin or the bath, and settle the pipe centres with the plumber before the wall is tiled, because the outlet is fixed in the wall and cannot be moved later.

Three piece wall sets and wall top assemblies

The Kaya three piece wall sets have a spout in the middle and a tap on each side, one for the hot and one for the cold, all on the wall. They suit a bathroom or a bath where separate hot and cold control is wanted, in a modern shape. The wall top assemblies are the working parts of a wall tap, the heads that sit on the wall pipes. See three piece bath sets and wall top assemblies for the wider groups.

Basin mixers in three heights

The Kaya basin mixer stands on the vanity or the basin through one hole, with one lever. It comes in a standard height, a medium height and a tall height. The standard suits a basin that is set into the vanity, where the rim is close to the bench. The medium suits a basin with a slightly raised rim, and the tall is made for a bowl that stands on top of the vanity, where the spout has to clear a higher rim.

Measure the height of the rim above the bench, and choose the mixer whose spout sits above it with room for a hand underneath. Check the hole size, the reach and the lever travel as well. See basin mixers and tall basin mixers for the wider groups.

The floor mounted bath mixer

The Kaya floor mounted bath mixer stands on the floor beside a freestanding bath, with a hand shower and a swivelling spout. The pipes come up through the floor beside the bath, so the position of the bath has to be settled before the floor is finished. That also answers a common question: the pipes for a freestanding bath go in the floor, close to where the filler will stand, and the plumber needs the bath position and the filler model before the floor is laid.

A freestanding bath can stand next to a wall, and then a wall mounted mixer is the other choice, with the outlet over the rim. Choose the floor mixer where the bath is away from the wall, and the wall set where the bath is against it. The hand shower, on a hose and a holder, helps with rinsing the bath and the wall. See bath fillers and freestanding bath mixers for the wider groups.

Kaya in the kitchen

The Kaya sink mixers carry the same lines to the kitchen. There are standard, pull out and gooseneck sink mixers, and there are pot fillers, which stand on the wall over the cooktop with a folding arm, so a pot can be filled in place. A pull out suits a deep sink and a lot of rinsing, and a gooseneck suits tall pots. Check the height of the spout against the window and any cabinet above. See pull out sink mixers, gooseneck sink mixers and pot filler taps.

A pot filler needs its pipe planned early, because it runs to the wall behind the cooktop. Many pot fillers take cold water only, so check the model, and agree the height and the pipe position with the plumber before the wall is finished.

Stainless steel and lead free brass

The Kaya range is made in two materials. A large group is stainless steel, which is the choice for places that are wet most of the time, for coastal homes and for anyone who wants a metal that resists corrosion. The other large group is lead free brass. A tap supplies water you wash with and cook with, so lead free brass is a sensible choice where it is offered. See stainless steel tapware and lead free taps for the wider groups. Check the material and the compliance marks on the model you choose.

Finishes

Brushed nickel and bronze are the largest finish groups, with black, brass, gold, chrome, gunmetal and white as well. Brushed nickel is a soft silver that hides water marks. Bronze and brushed copper are deep, warm metals, and urban brass and gold are brighter warm finishes that suit timber, stone and cream tiles. Black is bold against white tiles, and it needs a wipe from time to time. Chrome is the standard finish, bright and easy to match. Gunmetal is a dark grey, and white is a quiet, soft finish. See brushed nickel tapware, bronze taps, black taps, gold taps, chrome taps and gunmetal tapware.

Match the finish to the other metal in the room, and keep the whole set to one finish. See Fienza Kaya showers, Fienza Kaya bathroom accessories and Fienza Kaya heated towel rails for the matching pieces.

Water flow and installation

Taps sold in Australia carry a WELS rating for water efficiency, and it differs between models, so check the rating for the exact tap. An aerator mixes air into the stream, so it feels full and splashes less. Plumbing work has to be done by a licensed plumber. A hob mounted mixer is fixed through the hole with a nut under the surface and connected with flexible hoses. A wall mixer is fitted to pipes behind the wall at rough in, and a floor mixer to pipes in the floor. The installation sheet supplied with each product is the reference for the connection and the fixings. Give the plumber the model names and the plate shape before the work begins.

Care

Wipe the tap with a soft, damp cloth and mild soap, and dry it with a soft cloth to prevent water marks. Do not use abrasive pads, bleach or strong cleaners, because they can damage a brushed, black or coloured finish. Clean the aerator if the flow becomes uneven. A mixer that drips when it is shut, a lever that has become stiff or a temperature that is hard to control points to the cartridge, which a plumber can replace. Have the range name and the finish ready.

Questions to settle before you order

• Do you want round plates or rectangular plates?
• Which pieces do you need: basin, bath, shower, kitchen and pot filler?
• Which reach lands the water near the drain or the middle of the bath?
• Is the bath freestanding, and are the floor pipes in the right place?
• Do you want stainless steel or lead free brass?
• Which finish matches the rest of the metal in the room?

Related pages

For the rest of the Fienza range, see Fienza taps. For the taps from every brand, start at taps.