How to Buy a New Kitchen Faucet
Buying the right kitchen faucet depends largely on the existing plumbing. Choosing a new kitchen faucet can be easier than you think once you consider three important details before you begin shopping.
Start With the Sink’s Faucet Holes
There are many different kitchen faucet and sink designs available, but they’re not always compatible. Start by taking a look at your kitchen sink to determine how many pre-drilled faucet mounting holes are available. This applies if you’re installing a new faucet in an existing sink or buying a completely new faucet and sink.
The location of the sink mounting holes is another thing to keep in mind. Often, the faucet is located close to the center of the sink, but this is not always the case. If the faucet will be mounted on one side of the sink, the spout needs to be long enough to reach the opposite basin for it to be of use. A tall spout with a pull-down spray nozzle is another option for a sink with corner mounting holes.
Where’s the Mount?
There are top-mount and bottom-mount faucets. Top-mount faucets attach from underneath the counter. The screws are screwed in through the bottom of the faucet. Bottom-mount faucets attach from the top of the counter. The screws are installed through the top of the faucet piece.
Check the Water Lines
Make sure the new kitchen faucet you want is compatible with the water supply lines. Look under your sink towards the bottom of the cabinet and note the size of the existing water line and the shutoff valves
Kitchen Faucet Buying Guide
Faucet Types: Deck-Mount or Wall-Mount Faucets
Deck-mount faucets attach to the countertop or rest on the sink. Wall-mount faucets attach through the wall and hang over the sink.
Faucet Handles
Typically, kitchen faucets have either one handle rotating directionally to change water temperature or two handles for mixing hot and cold water. These include a sprayer that sits to the side or a pull-out or pull-down sprayer with spray and stream options.
Sink Use
Before you choose your faucet, think about the ways you use your sink. Do you wash a lot of bulky pots and pans? Are you bathing a baby? A high-arc faucet might make your tasks more comfortable.
Faucet Finishes
If you prefer a unified look in your kitchen, select a faucet with a finish that matches the cabinet hardware. Bronze, chrome and nickel/stainless steel are available at every price point.
Faucet Features
In-faucet filters are great for filtering tap water. Keep volume and maintenance in mind to decide if this is the right filtering option for your family.
How to Choose the Right Faucet for your Kitchen
Designing and remodeling kitchens can be one of the most rewarding and trying home projects you’ll take on. From paint colors to countertops and cabinetry, there are choices to be made at every turn. Finding the right faucet for your kitchen is no different, and with so many styles to choose from, we’ve created an easy guide to help you narrow down the best faucet for your design. Read on for tips to find the best faucet for your style, budget, and performance needs.
Deck-Mounted Faucets (faucets mounted on the sink) are a popular choice for those who love options and lower costs. These mounts are generally easier to install and offer more features and styles. Many sinks come with 1-4 pre-drilled mounting holes, and most deck-mounted faucets come with decorative deck plates (escutcheon plates) that will cover any hole you don’t need, allowing you the option for double-handled or single-handled sinks with or without built-in soap dispensers and sprayers. Before you begin choosing the right faucet, it’s important to check the plumbing on your current sink and count the pre-drilled holes it has.
Single-Hole Installation: For those who appreciate clean lines and spacious countertops, single-hole installations offer the convenience of a faucet that takes up the least amount of space. These fixtures are an all-in-one faucet that come with a single handle for water adjustment and the option of an attached, pull-out sprayer.
Three-Hole Installation: Three-hole faucet mounts come with two primary options: a single-handled faucet with accompanying side sprayer, or a two-handled faucet. Both of these options make a more prominent design statement with a larger fixture to catch the eye. These faucet styles have maintained their popularity over the decades, and when keeping costs in check, many homeowners choose to upgrade their faucet with a fixture that uses the already-existing holes.
Four-Hole Installation: A four-hole installation is a luxury when it comes to design choices, allowing you the high-end options of a double-handled sink and separate side sprayer or built-in soap dispenser. For those who love built-in accessories, the four-hole installation allows a variety of options for your space.
Faucet Buying Guide
If you’re remodeling or upgrading your kitchen, the latest in top-notch hardware and tough finishes have made corroded, leaking, and dripping faucets a thing of the past. Most faucets also come with lifetime warranties (for the original buyer) that cover defects and even finishes.
Faucet Findings & Shopping Tips
In the graphic below we highlight single-handle pullout faucets, a very popular style that combines a spray head and spout for convenience and flexibility. But our findings are applicable to other faucet styles too. Here’s what else to consider when shopping for a new faucet.
Match the Faucet With the Number of Mounting Holes
Most sinks come with mounting holes pre-drilled for faucets and accessories such as side sprays or soap dispensers. If you’re keeping your original sink, you’ll need to match what you have or get a base plate to cover any extra holes. The base plate sold with your new faucet can be used to cover holes in your countertop, but don’t buy a faucet that requires more sink holes than your sink has; it’s not a good idea to try to drill additional holes in an existing sink or countertop.
Spout Styles and Shapes
Straight spout faucets are compact and often inexpensive, but you might need to move the faucet to fit a big pot under it. Gooseneck models have higher clearances, but can cause splashing if your sink is shallow. Whatever style you pick, make sure the faucet head swings enough to reach the entire sink, especially if you have a wide or double bowl sink. Also keep the faucet proportional; a large sink can look odd with a small faucet.
Installation and Repair
Replacing a faucet and a sink at the same time is easier because the faucet can be installed in the sink, or in the countertop before the sink is put in place. Fittings that can be tightened with a screwdriver also streamline installation. Long water-supply hoses allow you to make connections lower in the sink cabinet where tools are easier to use. Though most faucets are guaranteed not to leak, if yours does, the manufacturer will give you only the replacement part—it’s up to you to install it.
Ways of choosing the best kitchen faucet
Your kitchen is always an important place that everyone must concentrate on. This is because everyone spends more time in their kitchen than any other place although no one notices that. Due to that, everyone would want to make their kitchen is a better place. For your kitchen to be your joy, there are so many factors that you should consider before selecting your kitchen faucet. Choosing is not easy at all and this is why you should be extra vigilant when choosing your best kitchen faucet.
Most of the time, people choose their best kitchen faucets depending on the looks of the faucet. This might deceive you because not everything that glitters is gold. When choosing your kitchen faucet, make sure that you select one that is durable enough. After you have known that it is long lasting, you can now go ahead on selecting the looks.
Spending is also what you should consider when selecting your kitchen faucet. By this I mean, you can spend enough for a faucet that is worth spending but you should not spend in excess. You might spend low on your kitchen faucet but it’s possible that the faucet will be of low quality. Spending more will be a plus on you getting extra features more than just durability and reliability.
Watch the reach and sprout of the faucet that you are choosing. Sometimes looks may intrigue you but if at all your kitchen shelves are above your sink, choosing a tall sprout might not help. This is because it might not fit at all. Also, when your kitchen sink is the three bowled type, a short sprout might not be able to cover all the corners or the bowls. Therefore, it is important to choose your kitchen faucet according to how your kitchen is designed.
Kitchen faucets can sometimes be really annoying. Some can drip which is not a very good experience. Therefore, it is really tricky to choose a kitchen faucet. To avoid leaking and dripping frustrations, consider choosing a kitchen faucet with ceramic valves. This one won’t fail you at any point. Other valves can be good for a period of time but after some time, they will eventually start leaking. Apart from the leaking character, ceramic kitchen faucets are durable and reliable than any other kind of faucets. You do not have to worry about the cost because the ceramic faucets cost the same as any other kind of faucet. You just have to go for what is the best.