Buying from us
Do your prices include VAT?
Yes. Prices on the website are retail prices and include VAT. Delivery is added at checkout, and deliveries to the Scottish Highlands, islands and Northern Ireland are quoted separately. Trade customers are given their pricing when the account is opened.
Can I open a trade account?
Trade accounts are open to builders, developers, architects and interior designers. Send us your company details and a short description of your work, and we will confirm the account and its terms in writing. Each account has one contact here who handles schedules, samples and site deliveries. The trade page has the details.
Can I have samples of glazes and finishes?
Yes. Matt glazes and brassware finishes in chrome, gold and bronze are hard to judge on a screen, so we send samples to look at in the room, in its own light and next to the tiles. Tell us which collections you are considering and we will send what is relevant.
Can I visit the showroom?
The showroom is at Stonham Road, Mickfield, near Stowmarket in Suffolk, IP14 5LS. Please ring 01449 711782 or email before you come, so we can have the pieces and samples you want to see ready. Bring plans and photographs of the room if you have them. Directions are on the showroom page.
Design and installation
What does the bathroom design service include?
We survey the room and produce a measured drawing and layout options. We check pipe runs, waste falls, wall and floor construction and access, then produce a schedule of every item, down to the wastes and flush plate. The design fee, and how it is credited against an order, is explained when we quote. See the bathroom design service page.
Do you install bathrooms?
We supply only, or supply and fit with our own fitters. Ask about installation in your area. If your own builder is fitting the bathroom, we send them the drawing, schedule and specification sheets and answer their questions directly.
Can you make vanity units and cabinets to measure?
Yes. Our joinery workshop at Mickfield makes vanity units, cabinets, panelling and other bathroom joinery to measure. It is drawn with the ceramics, so the top is cut for the basin and the waste position is agreed before anything is made. Made-to-measure pieces cannot be cancelled once ordered, so we ask you to approve the drawing first.
Technical questions
Do you provide specification sheets?
Yes, for the pieces we sell. They give dimensions and technical details for drawings and for the plumber, and note where a piece needs a concealed frame, a particular waste or a minimum water pressure. Ask us and we will send the sheets for a whole schedule together.
Will taps and showers work on low water pressure?
Some will and some will not. On a gravity-fed system, pressure comes from the height of the cold water tank above the outlet, roughly 0.1 bar for every metre, so a tank in the loft above a first-floor bathroom gives little pressure. Many thermostatic mixers and showers need more than that to work properly. Each specification sheet gives the minimum working pressure; check it against your system, or tell us what you have and we will recommend brassware that suits it or explain what would need to change.
What is a concealed frame, and do I need one?
A concealed frame is a steel frame fixed to the floor and wall that carries the weight of a wall-hung toilet or bidet and houses the cistern. It is hidden inside a stud wall or behind a false wall, with a flush plate giving access to the cistern. A wall-hung WC needs one. A back-to-wall WC stands on the floor, with its cistern hidden in furniture or a boxed-in wall. Frames go in at first fix, so they need to be on the schedule early.
Will colours match across different collections?
Glazes are fired in a kiln and shade can vary slightly between firings, more so with matt and coloured glazes than with white. A glaze can also look different on a curved basin and on a flat-sided WC. If you are combining pieces from different collections, or adding to a room later, ask us for samples of each and order the pieces in one glaze together.
Will my floor take a freestanding bath?
A freestanding bath full of water, with someone in it, can weigh several hundred kilograms on a small area of floor. On an upper floor, especially in an older house, have the builder or a structural engineer check the joists. Check the route in as well: doorways and stair turns have to take the bath.
Delivery, returns and care
Where do you deliver?
Across UK mainland, with larger items on a pallet or by two-person delivery. The Scottish Highlands, islands and Northern Ireland are by quotation. Tell us about access when you order, and give us a site contact and any booking slot for deliveries to a building site. The delivery page has the detail.
What should I do if something arrives damaged?
Note any damaged or missing packages on the delivery note before you sign, or sign for the goods as unchecked. Unpack and inspect each item before it is fitted, and report damage to us promptly with photographs of the item and packaging. Do not fit a damaged piece; it is far easier to replace before it is plumbed in and tiled around.
Can I cancel an order?
If you bought online or by phone or email, you can cancel up to 14 days after you receive the goods, then return them within a further 14 days. Items made or altered to your specification, including made-to-measure furniture, cannot be cancelled. Your rights for faulty goods are separate. The returns page sets this out.
How should I clean matt glazes and brass finishes?
Use warm water, a little mild soap and a soft cloth, then dry. Do not use abrasive cleaners or pads on any finish, and keep acidic limescale removers off brassware, especially gold and bronze. The care guide covers each finish in more detail.