Bathroom fixtures, fittings and custom radiators: the guide for anyone designing or renovating

Anyone specifying bathroom fittings, fixtures or radiators for a project almost always has a precise constraint to work around — an existing pipe centre out of standard range, an irregular space, or a room with a defined aesthetic character. This guide brings together the technical information worth having before choosing a product, organised by category: it starts with custom radiators, the area where we currently have the most in-depth material, and will expand progressively to cover fixtures and fittings.

It's written for architects and general contractors who need to specify a solution for a project, for retailers and installers supporting the end client, and for anyone renovating a home who has run into a constraint that the standard catalogue can't solve.

Custom radiators

PRO-SER works with qualified craft partners to produce radiators and heating systems that are fully customisable in shape, size, colour and finish — a process that starts by listening to the project's requirements, moves through technical CAD design with thermal calculations checked by qualified engineers, and ends in craft production with quality control at every stage. It's a process built as much for an architectural project that calls for a made-to-drawing element as for a residential renovation, a hospitality venue, or a constrained setting where every intervention on a wall needs care.

The survey comes before the product

The most common mistake isn't about the radiator chosen, but the connections: a few centimetres' difference from the existing system can turn a straightforward replacement into a job involving wall work. Before opening a catalogue, take these measurements on site: pipe centres, connection height, available width, height and depth, connector type, and system configuration (two-pipe or single-pipe).

The full detail on the seven measurements to take and the most frequent survey mistakes is in this article: Replacing a Radiator Without Opening the Wall: The 7 Measurements That Decide Everything.

Why the declared output isn't the output you'll get

Radiators declare their output to the EN 442 standard, measured at a reference temperature difference (ΔT) between water and room. Anyone switching to a heat pump or a condensing boiler runs at lower flow temperatures: real output drops, and not in a straight line. That's why a radiator sized for a traditional system can fall short once the heat generator changes — and it's often the reason a taller, deeper unit, or one with more exchange surface, becomes necessary. In many cases, that means made to measure.

Standard or made to measure?

Not every job calls for a custom solution. As a general guide:

• standard is the right choice when the existing pipe centres match a catalogue size, the space is regular, the system stays at high temperature, and there are no particular aesthetic constraints;
• made to measure becomes the more efficient choice when the pipe centres are out of standard range, the space is narrow, tall or irregular, more exchange surface is needed to compensate for a low flow temperature, the radiator stays in view in a designed space, or the work involves a listed or historic building.

The cost difference between the two options is often smaller than it looks, especially set against opening the wall, making good the plaster, and the extra days on site that forcing a standard fit can involve.

The types available

Solutions range from classically styled, horizontally proportioned lines to vertical, contemporary profiles designed as an interior design element, from mixed hydraulic-electric versions for spaces not served by the central system to made-to-measure solutions for constrained settings, where every wall intervention needs specific design attention. Material (steel, aluminium, composite options), finish (gloss, matt, textured, painted) and connection points (bottom, side or custom) adapt to the project, not the other way round.

The most frequent settings: architectural projects where the radiator is treated as an interior design element, residential renovations that need to sit well in a historic or modern space, commercial and hospitality venues, healthcare settings where hygiene and aesthetic integration matter, and museum or cultural spaces where the heating needs to stay unobtrusive.

Individual models, with finishes, codes and detailed technical sheets, are reserved for those with a project underway: tell us your requirements using the form below and we'll point you to the most suitable options.

Fittings

Section in progress — will be populated with in-depth articles as soon as content on fittings becomes available.

Fixtures

Section in progress — will be populated with in-depth articles as soon as content on fixtures becomes available.

In-depth articles

• Replacing a Radiator Without Opening the Wall: The 7 Measurements That Decide Everything — published
• Two-pipe or single-pipe: how output (and size) changes — in progress
• Hydraulic, electric or mixed radiators: how to choose without redoing the system — in progress
• Made-to-measure radiators in a historic or listed building: what to know before you start — in progress
• How to read a radiator datasheet: declared output, ΔT and real output — in progress

Already have your project's measurements?

Present your project: tell us the type of job, the measurements you've taken, and the system's conditions. We'll tell you whether a catalogue solution already meets your needs or whether a made-to-measure element makes more sense, and put you in touch with the right partner for the product and your area.