diff --git a/skfem/assembly/basis/abstract_basis.py b/skfem/assembly/basis/abstract_basis.py
index 46aeeb95..4827b5de 100644
--- a/skfem/assembly/basis/abstract_basis.py
+++ b/skfem/assembly/basis/abstract_basis.py
@@ -239,15 +239,13 @@ class AbstractBasis:
             raise ValueError
 
         if elements is not None:
-            elements = self._get_dofs_normalize_elements(elements)
-            return self.dofs.get_element_dofs(elements,
-                                              skip_dofnames=skip)
+            elements = self._normalize_elements(elements)
+            return self.dofs.get_element_dofs(elements, skip_dofnames=skip)
 
-        facets = self._get_dofs_normalize_facets(facets)
-        return self.dofs.get_facet_dofs(facets,
-                                        skip_dofnames=skip)
+        facets = self._normalize_facets(facets)
+        return self.dofs.get_facet_dofs(facets, skip_dofnames=skip)
 
-    def _get_dofs_normalize_facets(self, facets):
+    def _normalize_facets(self, facets):
         if isinstance(facets, ndarray):
             return facets
         if facets is None:
@@ -255,7 +253,7 @@ class AbstractBasis:
         elif isinstance(facets, (tuple, list, set)):
             return np.unique(
                 np.concatenate(
-                    [self._get_dofs_normalize_facets(f) for f in facets]
+                    [self._normalize_facets(f) for f in facets]
                 )
             )
         elif callable(facets):
@@ -268,7 +266,7 @@ class AbstractBasis:
                 raise ValueError("Boundary '{}' not found.".format(facets))
         raise NotImplementedError
 
-    def _get_dofs_normalize_elements(self, elements):
+    def _normalize_elements(self, elements):
         if isinstance(elements, ndarray):
             return elements
         if callable(elements):
@@ -276,7 +274,7 @@ class AbstractBasis:
         elif isinstance(elements, (tuple, list, set)):
             return np.unique(
                 np.concatenate(
-                    [self._get_dofs_normalize_elements(e) for e in elements]
+                    [self._normalize_elements(e) for e in elements]
                 )
             )
         elif isinstance(elements, str):
diff --git a/skfem/assembly/basis/boundary_facet_basis.py b/skfem/assembly/basis/boundary_facet_basis.py
index e7a961a6..6470983e 100644
--- a/skfem/assembly/basis/boundary_facet_basis.py
+++ b/skfem/assembly/basis/boundary_facet_basis.py
@@ -52,9 +52,10 @@ class BoundaryFacetBasis(AbstractBasis):
             Optional :class:`~skfem.assembly.Dofs` object.
 
         """
-        logger.info("Initializing {}({}, {})".format(type(self).__name__,
-                                                     type(mesh).__name__,
-                                                     type(elem).__name__))
+        typestr = ("{}({}, {})".format(type(self).__name__,
+                                       type(mesh).__name__,
+                                       type(elem).__name__))
+        logger.info("Initializing " + typestr)
         super(BoundaryFacetBasis, self).__init__(mesh,
                                                  elem,
                                                  mapping,
@@ -67,7 +68,11 @@ class BoundaryFacetBasis(AbstractBasis):
         if facets is None:
             self.find = np.nonzero(self.mesh.f2t[1] == -1)[0]
         else:
-            self.find = facets
+            self.find = self._normalize_facets(facets)
+
+        if len(self.find) == 0:
+            logger.warning("Initializing {} with zero facets.".format(typestr))
+
         self.tind = self.mesh.f2t[_side, self.find]
         self._side = _side  # for debugging
 
diff --git a/skfem/assembly/basis/cell_basis.py b/skfem/assembly/basis/cell_basis.py
index 23523d95..969426f3 100644
--- a/skfem/assembly/basis/cell_basis.py
+++ b/skfem/assembly/basis/cell_basis.py
@@ -82,9 +82,10 @@ class CellBasis(AbstractBasis):
 
         if elements is None:
             self.nelems = mesh.nelements
+            self.tind = None
         else:
             self.nelems = len(elements)
-        self.tind = elements
+            self.tind = self._normalize_elements(elements)
 
         self.dx = (np.abs(self.mapping.detDF(self.X, tind=elements))
                    * np.tile(self.W, (self.nelems, 1)))
diff --git a/skfem/mapping/mapping_mortar.py b/skfem/mapping/mapping_mortar.py
index fcea0900..99c6a653 100644
--- a/skfem/mapping/mapping_mortar.py
+++ b/skfem/mapping/mapping_mortar.py
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ class MappingMortar(Mapping):
         # find unique supermesh facets by combining nodes from both sides
         param_p1 = param(p1)
         param_p2 = param(p2)
-        _, ix = np.unique(np.concatenate((param_p1, param_p2)),
+        _, ix = np.unique(np.concatenate((param_p1.round(decimals=10),
+                                          param_p2.round(decimals=10))),
                           return_index=True)
         ixorig = np.concatenate((p1_ix, p2_ix + mesh1.p.shape[1]))[ix]
         p = np.array([np.hstack((param(mesh1.p), param(mesh2.p)))])
diff --git a/skfem/visuals/matplotlib.py b/skfem/visuals/matplotlib.py
index 5eb3c835..304bc8b9 100644
--- a/skfem/visuals/matplotlib.py
+++ b/skfem/visuals/matplotlib.py
@@ -99,7 +99,10 @@ def draw_mesh2d(m: Mesh2D, **kwargs) -> Axes:
         ys.append(t)
         ys.append(v)
         ys.append(None)
-    ax.plot(xs, ys, 'k', linewidth='0.5')
+    ax.plot(xs,
+            ys,
+            kwargs['color'] if 'color' in kwargs else 'k',
+            linewidth=kwargs['linewidth'] if 'linewidth' in kwargs else .5)
 
     if "node_numbering" in kwargs:
         for itr in range(m.p.shape[1]):

diff --git a/tests/test_basis.py b/tests/test_basis.py
index 60eefcd2..414dfa09 100644
--- a/tests/test_basis.py
+++ b/tests/test_basis.py
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ class TestCompositeFacetAssembly(TestCase):
         fbasis1 = FacetBasis(m, ElementTriP1() * ElementTriP1(),
                              facets=m.facets_satisfying(lambda x: x[0] == 0))
         fbasis2 = FacetBasis(m, ElementTriP1(),
-                             facets=m.facets_satisfying(lambda x: x[0] == 0))
+                             facets=lambda x: x[0] == 0)
+        fbasis3 = FacetBasis(m, ElementTriP1(), facets='left')
 
         @BilinearForm
         def uv1(u, p, v, q, w):
@@ -97,10 +98,14 @@ class TestCompositeFacetAssembly(TestCase):
 
         A = asm(uv1, fbasis1)
         B = asm(uv2, fbasis2)
+        C = asm(uv2, fbasis2)
 
         assert_allclose(A[0].todense()[0, ::2],
                         B[0].todense()[0])
 
+        assert_allclose(A[0].todense()[0, ::2],
+                        C[0].todense()[0])
+
 
 class TestFacetExpansion(TestCase):
 

FacetBasis(..., facets=) raises IndexError
```python
def is_outer_boundary(x):
    return np.logical_or(
        np.isclose(abs(x[0]-.5), .5),
        np.isclose(abs(x[1]-.5), .5),
    )

mesh = skfem.MeshTri().refined(1)
basis_p1 = skfem.Basis(mesh, skfem.ElementTriP1())
basis_p1.get_dofs(facets=is_outer_boundary)  # no exception here
fbasis_p1 = skfem.FacetBasis(mesh, basis_p1.elem, facets=is_outer_boundary)
```

```
\scikit-fem\skfem\assembly\basis\boundary_facet_basis.py in __init__(self, mesh, elem, mapping, intorder, quadrature, facets, _side, dofs)
     69         else:
     70             self.find = facets
---> 71         self.tind = self.mesh.f2t[_side, self.find]
     72         self._side = _side  # for debugging
     73 

IndexError: only integers, slices (`:`), ellipsis (`...`), numpy.newaxis (`None`) and integer or boolean arrays are valid indices
```
tests/test_basis.py::TestCompositeFacetAssembly::runTest
tests/test_basis.py::TestCompositeSplitting::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestFacetExpansion::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestFacetExpansionHexS2::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestFacetExpansionHex2::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorTet::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorTet2::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorTri::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorQuad::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorHex::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorLine::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestInterpolatorLine2::runTest tests/test_basis.py::TestIncompatibleMeshElement::runTest tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTri1-e0-0-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTri1-e1-1-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTri1-e2-5-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTri1-e3-1-300000.0] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTet1-e4-1-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTet1-e5-4-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshTet1-e6-1-30000.0] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshQuad1-e7-1-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshQuad1-e8-1-300000.0] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshHex1-e9-1-100000.0] tests/test_basis.py::test_interpolator_probes[MeshWedge1-e10-0-10] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e10-e20-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e11-e21-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e12-e22-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e13-e23-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e14-e24-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e15-e25-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e16-e26-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e17-e27-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e18-None-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTri1-e19-None-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e110-e210-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e111-e211-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e112-e212-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e113-e213-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e114-e214-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshQuad1-e115-e215-True] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTet1-e116-e216-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshTet1-e117-e217-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshHex1-e118-e218-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshHex1-e119-e219-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_trace[MeshHex1-e120-e220-False] tests/test_basis.py::test_point_source[ElementLineP1] tests/test_basis.py::test_point_source[ElementLineP2] tests/test_basis.py::test_point_source[ElementLineMini] tests/test_basis.py::test_pickling