Last week we covered the kitchen sink, and this week we’re going to talk about the faucet to go in that sink. Again, you need to consider your needs and your design aesthetic.
Regardless of what faucet you choose, the guts are definitely something to get right.
The body of the faucet – not the exterior finish, but the inside part – is what I would call the guts. It is ideally solid brass as it stands up to corrosion better than other metals. The exterior finish can be whatever you prefer of course.
The cheap faucet versions are made with zinc-alloy or worse a plastic body, and obviously don’t stand the test of time. I often see this type of product at a big box home store and while the exterior look, make, and model may match with a more expensive version at a distributor, the quality is just not the same. The reason that they can make it less expensive than if you were to go to a reputable distributor is that they change out some of the guts of the faucet and sell it as the same thing.
The other part of the guts has to do with the valve.
There are 4 types of valves:
- Compression valve
- Ball valve
- Cartridge valve
- Ceramic disc valve
The cartridge style is the most common and it’s pretty good value for the money. While the ceramic disc valve is more expensive, is highly reliable, will remain drip free, and rarely be in need of repair. Personally I wouldn’t buy something that has a compression or a ball valve because I’m a light sleeper and the dripping of water would drive me nuts as I’m trying to fall back asleep in the middle of the night.
On to the pretty stuff….
Exterior considerations when choosing a faucet:
Overall Size – Proportionally, does it fit? Will it fit with your sink/space?
Style: Traditional, Modern, Commercial
Type:
- Single hole – basically one stem and an arched look.
- Wide Spread – there are 2 handles, set on either side of the stem.
- Pull down – more of a commercial style.
- High or low arc – meaning how high up the neck of the faucet goes.
Also, is it:
- Deck/countertop-mounted or wall mounted?
- How many handles – single or dual handles (one for hot water, one for cold water)?
Pro-tip: If you are thinking about a high arc style make sure it won’t hit the windowsill above your sink.
Fancy-pants Features
- Touch sensor
- Motion sensor
I personally have a touch sensor style faucet and love it as I cook from scratch a lot and like not having to touch the handle with my hands after touching raw chicken or mixing something with my hands.
Common Finishes:
- Polished Chrome/Chrome
- Stainless Steel/Brushed Stainless Steel
- Nickel/Brushed Nickel
- Polished Brass/Brushed Brass
- Copper
- Oil Rubbed Bronze
- Satin Black
I recently saw a Rose Gold being offered but I don’t think it’s something that will become overly popular or stay around for the long term.
I would recommend looking for something that helps to minimize water spots and fingerprints and I often suggest that clients look for a brushed finish over a polished one. Save the polished chrome for a powder room.
Pot Fillers
For an average kitchen and cook I think that a pot filler isn’t really worth the extra expense to put in or to add onto your fixture budget. Especially as it is a one way solution. Yes, you don’t have to fill-up a big pasta pot full of water and *cough cough* lug it over 4-5 steps to your range but you DO have to lug it back full of boiling water to the sink to drain it!
For me, it doesn’t provide enough functional value for cost and don’t promote them, but we have had clients ask for them now and then. It’s a personal choice.
Sprayers
I can get behind and recommend sprayers though. With a commercial style pull down faucet you may not need a sprayer. But you can have a sprayer that pulls out of your faucet or you can have a side spray, and all of those options that do the job.
The pull-out options often are only a friction fit so after a period of use you may find the head won’t stay in place very well. Newer versions of this style can also have a magnetic feature in lieu of or in conjunction with the friction fit which helps solve that issue.
The side sprayers are simply mounted to the side of the faucet and can make the sink area look a bit cluttered to some people’s point of view but is still a good option. Either way I highly recommend that you have a sprayer option.
For more information, check out our podcast All Things Renovation at www.AllThingsRenovation.com or click on the Podcast page at www.woodbeart.com. The second series of episodes focuses on kitchen renovations.
For photos of our work click on https://woodbeart.com/our-work
