ONTEAJournal
The FONTEA Journal.
Specification notes, finish guides and trade buying advice from FONTEA, importer of European stainless steel bathroom fittings.
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Procurement
Importing EU bathroom fittings into the UK post-Brexit: duty, VAT and lead times
Bathroom fittings that genuinely originate in the EU enter Great Britain at 0% customs duty, but import VAT at 20% still applies. Here is how classification, origin and VAT decide the real cost.
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Ordering and Delivery
International delivery and Incoterms: what worldwide buyers pay for a FONTEA order
Where responsibility for cost and risk passes on a worldwide FONTEA order, what each common Incoterm means for a buyer of bathroom fittings, and which costs are billed separately to the order price.
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Materials
Kitchen Sink Mixer Materials: Why Food-Grade AISI 304 Rather Than Brass
A kitchen mixer is handled all day and splashed with fat, detergent and food acids. Here is why solid AISI 304 stainless is the right default there, where brass is a fair choice, and when to step up to 316L.
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Finishes
Matching accessory finishes across a project: the extended accessory palette
How to hold one finish across every accessory in a scheme, which pieces must match exactly, which can vary, how to build a finish schedule, and what to do when a combination does not exist.
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Finishes
PVD Tap Finish Explained: How Black, Gold and Copper Are Applied
PVD bonds a thin metallic layer onto stainless steel in a vacuum, so the colour is part of the metal rather than a paint or electroplate. Here is what black, gold and copper PVD actually are and how long they last.
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Specification
A tap and fitting spec-sheet checklist for architects writing a schedule
A practical checklist for specifying taps and fittings: the fields a schedule must state, what to ask a supplier to confirm, what gets left out and causes site problems, and how to spot a complete submittal.
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Wellness
Specifying Stainless Steel Fittings for Spa and Wellness Wet Rooms
How to specify stainless steel shower fittings and accessories for spa and wellness wet rooms, where treated water, standing moisture and daily commercial cleaning make the domestic bathroom answer the wrong one.
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Specification
Specifying Taps for a Hotel Bathroom: Flow Rate, Thermostatic Safety and Finish Durability
What actually decides a hotel bathroom tap specification: flow rate for comfort and water duty, where thermostatic safety is required by regulation, and finishes that survive commercial cleaning.
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Technical Accessories
Stop valves and water inlets explained: what these technical accessories do and why they matter
What a stop valve and a water inlet do, where each is fitted, why isolating one fixture matters, and what a specifier should ask a supplier before ordering concealed fittings.
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Shower and Bath
Thermostatic vs manual shower mixers: what commercial and high-end residential specifiers choose
A thermostatic mixer holds the outlet temperature when flow or pressure changes; a manual mixer does not. Here is what each mechanism actually does, where UK rules require thermostatic control, and where a manual shower is the correct answer.