Choosing a faucet can be tricky. The variety available in the market depends on styles, materials, finishing, and prices. This all can be overwhelming. There are few factors to consider when buying a faucet. Buying the best kitchen faucet changes the experience in your kitchen. It does not only ensure that there is a perfect floor of water but also you use the clean water.
Looks Are Not Everything
Most people buy a faucet for their kitchen because of its looks. That is a big mistake. You cannot buy a faucet compromising the convenience and long-term durability over the looks.
Spend Enough but Not Too Much
You can plan to spend approx. $65 on the bath faucet and $100 on the kitchen faucet. You might buy a great faucet for less price but there might be a drawback of a low-quality faucet at that price. If you want to spend extra, for more features or style, then you are spending money for more than a basic or durable faucet.
Spout Height and Reach
Some of the faucet spouts vary in height and reach. You just choose the best look for the faucet. In real if you are having a shelf above the sink, the tall faucet spout might not fit. If you are having a three-bowl kitchen sink, the faucet with a short reach might not extend to all of the bowls. When you buy a short reach faucet for bath, you might slop the water behind the spout when you wash your hands.
Finishes
If you are buying a faucet for your kitchen, then you should match it with your cabinet hardware, towel bars, etc. The mismatch of the faucet with other hardware looks bad. Chrome finishes are the most durable and easy to clean finish. It ensures heavy use with a long-term toughness.
Nickel finishes faucets are labeled as stainless steel, satin or brushed. They have a dull shine. They are harder to keep clean because they are vulnerable to fingerprints and water spots. Some of the nickel finishes come with a coating to reduce stains and smudges. This coating might wear off after some time.
Bronze finishes faucets come with a brownish tone and are often called oiled or rubbed. There is a coating above it is known as epoxy. It can wear off or be scratched off easily than metal.
The Holes in Your Sink
Before switching from a two-handle to a single-handle faucet, count the number of holes in the sink. Most of the sinks have three holes.
- One for the hot handle
- One for the cold hand
- One under the spout
Some of the single-handle faucets cover the extra holes using the cover plate. If you are having a widespread bathroom faucet with two-handles far from the spout, you simply cannot switch to the single-handle faucet.
Single-Handle or Two-Handle Faucets
If you want to buy a single-handle faucet, then check the distance to the backsplash or window ledge. The rotation of the handle might hit whatever there is behind it. You can buy a separate spray nozzle or soap dispenser if you have an additional sinkhole.
Single-handle faucets are easy to use and install. They take less space than two-handle faucets it might not provide a precise temperature adjustment as two-handle faucets provide it.
Two-handle faucets come with a separate hot and cold handle. The left handle is for hot water and the right one is for cold water. The two-handle faucets have handles that can be a part of the baseplate or separately mounted.
Two-handle faucets allow more precise temperature adjustments than a single-handle faucet. A two-handle faucet is harder to install because needs both hands to adjust the temperature.
Pull-Down Sprayers
If you are already having a pull-down sprayer, then you might have a problem with dribbles or leaks. But not all of the pull-down sprayers have these problems. Some people consider it more reliable than conventional ones.
A pull-down or pull-out spout is useful when rinsing the vegetables or rinsing the sink itself. The hose of the spout should be long enough to reach out the corners of the sink.
Hands-free Faucets
The new faucets come with a hands-free feature. There is an activator on the front of the faucet. You can also cover the sensor of the faucet by using a movable panel. It is convenient and provides cleanliness. If your hands are dirty, you don’t need to touch the fixture. As you move your hand in front of the faucet, water is activated by a movement sensor. There is one drawback of hands-free faucets.
Some of the hands-free faucets have an activator in the bottom or back of the faucet. It makes it difficult to use. some of them require a touch on the faucet for water activation. After that, you have to wash the touch spots.
Pot-Filler Faucets
Pot-filler faucets are common in restaurant kitchens but they are being used in homes now. Deck or wall-mounted pot fillers are installed near the stove. You can fold them away when not needed using the articulated arms of the pot-filler faucet.
They are easy and convenient. You can easily fill the oversized pot directly on the stove, where you are going to cook something. Now you don’t need to carry the heavy pots across the kitchen. If you are a serious cook, you need it to be installed right above your stove.
Bar Faucets
There is a small, secondary sink in the high-end kitchen design that helps you to free up space in the main sink. If there is more than one cook in the kitchen, then one can wash or rinse the vegetables. You can connect the bar faucet with an instant hot water dispenser or a cold filtered water dispenser. In any design, space is always a consideration. Bar faucets help you to save and utilize a small space in your kitchen.
Verdict
In this article, we have mentioned the main things you should consider when buying a faucet. Along with this, we have mentioned the types of faucets available on market, so that you can get an idea and choose wisely!