Freestanding Baths Guide

Freestanding baths are perfect for creating a truly stunning statment feature in any bathroom, whether it be traditional or contemporary you're guaranteed to find a freestanding bath to suit your needs.

Baths never go out of style and can be the centrepiece of your bathroom design. One design above all others that fits this description is the freestanding bath thanks to its luxurious profile.

But just what are freestanding baths? In this guide, we'll talk about the types of design, how to measure for a freestanding bath, and the taps you’ll need - depending on the style of bath you choose.

Read on to discover more about freestanding baths…

What is a freestanding bath?

Though freestanding baths come in many different styles, their basic design remains the same. A freestanding bath stands alone within your bathroom, either as a straight-to-floor style or mounted on a set of traditional ball or dragon feet.

With the ability to catch your eye at a mere glimpse, a freestanding bath can help to define your bathroom while enhancing the space around it.

What are the types of freestanding baths?

Freestanding baths come in a variety of designs and shapes. You may well have the image of a freestanding bath as a vintage fixture - gold-plated taps and claw feet - straight out of a period TV drama. But not any more. 

Traditional designs are still popular, but freestanding baths are also available in more sleek and contemporary designs. These baths feature clean minimalist lines without traditional feet.

Keep reading to learn about the different styles of freestanding bath...

Traditional & Roll Top Freestanding Baths

As the classic freestanding bath design, traditional baths are designed with elegance in mind. Available in either single or double-ended versions, there's a design to suit all. If you're looking for a glamourous period design then look no further than a traditional roll-top bath with dragon or ball feet.

A roll-top freestanding bath differs from the classic traditional design with a curved edge along the top rim. This provides an even more traditional or vintage style that is often desired by those looking for a more luxurious bath.

Slipper Baths 

These are a specific type of traditional freestanding bath that feature a raised side or in some cases both ends of the bath are raised, allowing for a much deeper soak. Named due to their shape - they look like slippers, these baths allow users to relax with their back and neck supported.

Being more designed around depth than length, thanks to the raised side, slipper baths are a good choice for smaller bathrooms as they don't take up less room than most standard baths. What's more, they come in both traditional and contemporary designs.

Contemporary Freestanding Baths

If you're looking for a freestanding bath to fit a more contemporary bathroom then worry not, you can also find stylish, modern freestanding baths. Unlike traditional designs, contemporary freestanding baths are straight-to-floor i.e. they aren’t mounted on legs and feet.

With these modern designs, you can choose from a curved style or ones based on straight lines, depending on your bathroom decor.

Painted Baths

When choosing a freestanding bath you no longer have to go for the classic white or traditional copper, there is a wonderful range of painted freestanding baths on offer. From pale pinks and greys to the more out there reds and yellows there's a colour to suit all.

A painted freestanding bath is a wonderful way to not only add a splash of colour to your bathroom but to create a truly outstanding statement feature, sure to catch everyone's eye.

Freestanding Bath Sizes

At Plumbworld, you’ll find our freestanding baths come in a range of sizes to suit your needs. However, if you're bathroom is on the smaller side then simply switching a standard bath to a freestanding one might not be straightforward.

While standard UK bath sizes are often 1700mm x 700mm, freestanding baths are usually much larger and more luxurious, so they will need a bigger space in your bathroom. When you’re measuring for a freestanding bath, especially a traditional design, you need to take the legs and feet into account.

The majority of freestanding baths should be placed as close to the centre of the room as possible so you can get around it. This makes it much easier to get in and out of the bath but also to clean. Placing the bath near a wall might mean that there are spots that are difficult to reach, leading to a build-up of dirt and lime-scale over time.

Advice: If you’re opting for a bath that’s on the heavy side, it's advisable to contact your fitter. They will check that your floor is strong enough to support the weight, especially if it’s an upstairs bathroom.

Freestanding Bath Taps

There is a wide variety of bath taps for freestanding baths to suit different bathroom decor and bathtub styles. We’ve come up with some points to consider before buying your taps - we’ll get onto the types in a moment - below:

• Not all freestanding baths cater for taps, for example, deck-mounted taps because of their design aren't always suitable.
• The choice of bath tap can impact the look of your bathroom, so check the quality and how it looks with your new freestanding bath.
• Check the water pressure of your bathroom and choose taps that are powerful enough to efficiently fill your bath. This will include bath shower mixer taps.
• Check the plumbing costs that may come with installing a bath in the middle of your bathroom. The same can be said for installing freestanding taps in your floor. Moving a dedicated place for bath drainage and plumbing may bring high costs.
• Ensure your floor can take the weight of the bath especially when filled with water.

Freestanding Taps

We’re talking about freestanding baths, so there are bound to be freestanding taps. These taps complement your bath beautifully and come in traditional or modern designs.

They work in tandem with freestanding baths, so you can place them almost anywhere. Freestanding bath taps give you much more flexibility when choosing where to position your bath as well as the location of your taps because they stand free from the bath.

With the option of a simple freestanding tap to the highly practical freestanding bath shower mixers you're guaranteed to find the right fit for your needs.

A bath shower mixer comes with a standard tap and a handset, perfect for targeting one area, making it a perfect choice for washing your hair or even for giving the bath a quick swill.

How much space do you need for freestanding bath taps?

There isn’t a hard and fast rule for the amount of space you need for freestanding bath taps. When choosing the position for your taps, make sure it won’t inconvenience you or anyone else using the bathroom. Make sure it is out of the way of items such as your sink or toilet as well as your bathroom door.

Wall-Mounted Taps

If you’ve positioned your freestanding bath by a wall or gone for a back-to-wall freestanding bath, these are the taps you’ll likely need. 

As the name suggests, these taps are mounted to the wall and have the spout positioned over the bath. Wall-mounted taps are perfect for hiding piping as this is cleverly tucked away within the wall.

Deck-Mounted Taps

A slightly fancier or industry name, these taps are simply fitted to the edge of the bath itself - like normal taps would be - keeping things practical.

If your freestanding bath has pre-drilled tap holes, these are the taps you’ll need. They are available in numerous designs from bath shower mixers to separate taps in modern or traditional designs. Lever handle designs will suit freestanding baths best.

Where to place taps on a freestanding bath

In most cases, you have two locations to place taps on your freestanding bath, in the middle or at the end. If you have a double-ended bath, then your taps if deck-mounted or wall-mounted should be positioned at the middle of your bath.

For slipper baths, where one end is raised, you are best served by placing your taps at the shallow end of the bathtub. This encourages you to use the deeper end designed to provide lounging support and comfort.

Freestanding, floor-mounted taps stand alone from the bath, so you can place them almost anywhere. Installed right beside the bath, you should have these positioned for water to flow into the middle of the bath, or at one end.

If you're looking for further inspiration take a look at the following posts - Corner Baths Buying Guide - Shower Baths Buying Guide - Four natural cleaning methods for a sparkling bathroom.

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