Since wall-mounted faucets take more abuse than deck-mounted faucets, consultant Julius Ballanco recommends using a drop-ear elbow behind the wall that you can screw to a stud. "It lends support to the faucet," he says. He says some faucet manufacturers offer hangers, but he prefers to put blocking between two existing studs and attach the faucet to that.
On one project (pictured at right), remodeler Tim Joyce remembers, the faucet came with everything the plumber needed. It had a metal plate with several perforations and a mounting bracket the plumber could secure soundly to the 2x8 blocking he installed.
Ballanco says contractors should choose a faucet with an aerator. He says older faucets have threaded outlets that by today's codes require an additional backflow preventer. KWC Faucets' Tim Mullally suggests installing service stops in the cabinet below the faucet or above, in the ceiling.
