How do I know which kitchen faucet to buy?
If you have been wondering how to pick the right kitchen faucet or know which one to buy, this article is for you!
The main factors influencing the decision about which kitchen faucet to buy are:
- Your budget
- Kitchen style: classic vs modern.
- Sink type: under-mount vs top-mount
- Design framework: is your sink or a faucet a focal point?
- Material choices of the kitchen, especially the sink, countertop, and hardware
- Mechanism: single handle adjustable, two handles for hot and cold water, without handles – mechanical vs smart technologies: sensors or voice technology.
- with or without a pull-down or pull-out sprayer
- Finish
- the manufacturer determines the durability and reliability of the product. Do not save money on faucets especially if you live in a city where the water pressure can be high. Installing a durable faucet from the get-go will save you money in the long run.
- how deep is your sink
- The sink dimensions
- distance between the backsplash and a faucet: as it might affect how far the faucet head will extend in the sink. You might not want to touch the sink while washing your hands because the faucet head is too close to the back side of the sink.
If you are looking for a faucet for a new kitchen, then you will have more options. However, if you’re willing just to change a faucet in your old kitchen, then you might have some other restrictions, such as, how many holes your existing countertop/sink have for a faucet.
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Are kitchen faucets universal size?
There is no universal size for faucets. There are many different brands, sizes, shapes, and material options. While choosing a kitchen faucet, it’s important to keep in mind several factors that will influence your decision:
- Is your sink top-mounted or under-mounted?
- How far are the holes located in the sink?
- The available space between the sink and the upper cabinets
- Depth of the sink: if the sink is already deep, don’t go for a high curved faucet, as the water will be splashing all around.
- Distance between the backsplash and a faucet
The number of holes dedicated to the faucet as well as the distance between those holes will affect your decision. If there is just one hole, you might need to go for a faucet with an adjustable handle for water temperature.
If there are several holes, you can incorporate accessories such as a soap dispenser. However, it is not always necessary: you can go for a single-hole faucet even if you have three available holes in your sink. The unused holes can be covered with a plate or a base called an escutcheon.
Available space between the countertop and cabinet above the sink is also an important factor. If you are going for a tall curved faucet, you need to make sure it does not look out of place when you install it. Dramatic tall faucets are great when the sink is located in front of a window.
Do all kitchen faucets fit all sinks?
Not all kitchen faucets fit all sinks. There are several important parameters to keep in mind while choosing the right size faucet for your sink:
- What type of sink are you going for under-mounted or top-mounted? In the case of a top-mounted sink, the holes for the faucet are already there and they will determine your choice of the faucet to some extent. However, if your sink is under-mounted (meaning, the countertop goes above the sink), you can drill as many holes as you fancy in the countertop itself.
- How deep is the sink? if the sink itself is already quite deep, don’t go for a dramatic tall faucet. The splashes it will produce won’t be comfortable.
- The dimensions of the sink and the distance of the sink from a backsplash: this is important because you need to make sure the head of the faucet is around 17-20cm from the back of the sink.
- You need to make sure that the faucet does not extend beyond half of the sink.
- The space between the backsplash and the faucet: if you are using a faucet with handles, you need to make sure there is enough space to turn them around.
What is the trend on kitchen faucets?
Making sure your kitchen faucet is elegant and timeless is more important than following the “trend” when it comes to kitchen faucets. Why? The faucets are a functional element of the kitchen that needs to be stylish. However, it is not a practical idea to change faucets every year based on the yearly trends.
The style is pretty much determined by the overall look of your kitchen: traditional vs modern and high-tech. In each category, you can mix and match and find faucets that provide different features.
As technology evolves, our requirements for what features need to be included also grow. You can have a farm-house style kitchen but it does not mean that you won’t enjoy 3 different spray functions, strong magnetic docking, and lifetime durability.
In each category – traditional and modern here are several trendy options you can choose from.
What faucet finish is in Style in 2022?
In addition to timeless classics: Nickel, stainless steel, and chrome, we see the raise of two trends in 2022: A brushed gold finish and matte black. When combined with the right style option, these materials create a timeless elegance that will look posh, chic, and cool through the years to come.
Both brushed gold and matte black finishes are durable and corrosion-resistant. However, some models, such as Oletto Tall Modern Pull-Down Single Handle Kitchen Faucet in Brushed Gold offer spot-free finishes as well.
Another trendy, yet timeless faucet material is Brass which remains by far the favorite choice of interior designers in addition to bronze. You can choose several options for both of the metal options: Satin, brushed, polished, or Antique. The material choice is very much determined by the overall style of your kitchen and what metals you are already using for the hardware, or lighting.
What is the best faucet brand?
There are many different brands that produce kitchen faucets. The materials not only outside of the faucets but also inside them make the difference in terms of durability, reliability, and price. The brands offer products in different price ranges, therefore the question of which is the best faucet brand is not clear enough.
The goal is to choose a durable luxe piece that will last for ages.
If I were about to buy a faucet, I would ask, what the best faucet brand is in my budget. and I’m here to give you the answer to your questions.
The best brand for kitchen faucets for a relatively low price point is WEWE Faucet. They offer quite a normal quality durable elegant-looking faucets in a variety of finishes for just under 70 dollars.
For the 100-150USD price range, you can choose a pretty decent kitchen faucet from Kingston Brass in classic or modern looks available in many different finish options. Here is my favorite:
200-500 dollars price range Kraus is the way to go. They offer high-quality decent looking faucets for that price range. According to the reviews, they are easy to install and very durable.
Moen vs Delta Faucets compete with each other when it comes to faucets in higher price ranges. Both of them have advantages and disadvantages when you compare their same-style products. Please, see this detailed very honest review to make a choice between them.
You can buy a quality faucet from Delta or Moen if you are willing to invest 300-500 dollars into a durable faucet. They both offer a wide variety of kitchen faucets in classic and modern styles with many different finish options, including nickel, stainless steel, a variety of bronze finishes, and chrome or matte black.
Having a high-quality reliable faucet in your kitchen is essential. Faucets are not only functional items, but they also can make or break the overall look of your kitchen. Choose the faucet wisely and don’t let it make your kitchen look cheap.
What color should the kitchen faucet be?
The color of the kitchen faucet is determined by several different factors. The decisions you made while designing the kitchen will ultimately dictate which faucet you ideally want to buy. Here are the factors that matter while choosing the kitchen faucet:
- the style of the kitchen
- Whether or not your sink area is designed to be a focal point of the kitchen
- Other material combinations in your kitchen: cabinets, countertop, sink and backsplash
- metals that you chose for your hardware, lighting, or accessories: mixing metals is welcomed and desired, however, there are several “rules” to keep in mind.
If the kitchen space is small, it is not recommended to mix more than two metal types. For average size space, the maximum number of metals you might want to mix is three. don’t go beyond that.
While mixing the metals in the kitchen design, choose one dominant feature and complement that with 1-2 metal accents. For example, if the dominant feature in your kitchen is the lighting, then you might want to choose metals for your faucet and hardware that contrast it.
Here are two examples from Studio McGee. In both of them, the designers chose the lighting as a main feature of the space and contrast it with the material of the faucets.
Choosing material variations of the same color is not a good idea as it does not provide enough contrast. A wrong combination of metals might look like picking a stainless steel faucet right next to polished chrome or brushed chrome hardware or lights.
What is the most popular color for kitchen faucets?
Colors that tend to be more neutral are usually the most popular ones for kitchen faucets: chrome, stainless steel, and nickel. However, it is wrong to say that brass or black kitchen faucets are less popular.
The faucet color and material choice are dependent on three factors:
- other material choices in the kitchen
- the kitchen style
- Whether or not the faucet and/or sink is a focal point
In modern kitchen designs black and silver faucet colors are more widely used. In traditional ones – gold and silver colors are achieved with various materials. However, if the faucet is chosen to serve as a focal point, the designer might choose a gold color even in a modern kitchen, if it achieves a bigger contrast with the modern interior color scheme.
Mixing the metals is highly desirable, but it is not a good idea to have the same color but different metals in the same space for the same functional items (for example, different metals for handles). In the small kitchen, mix 2 different metals for hardware, lights, and faucet. If the kitchen is relatively large, mix three different metals. Same function – same metal. For example, in a small kitchen if you are choosing brass hardware, go for a brass faucet and chrome lights.
Should the faucet match hardware or sink?
If you are using a white sink, you can match the faucet and hardware or choose a different type. The only rule here is that you should mix maximum of two types of metals in a small kitchen space, and three – in a bigger kitchen. If you are already using two different metals in a small space, let’s say, one for lighting and one for hardware, then the faucet should match either the hardware or the lighting.
Another important consideration is whether or not the faucet is a focal point of the kitchen. The more contrast the faucet creates with the countertop and the sink, the more it draws attention. Therefore, go for a black or gold color if the sink is white, and go for gold if the sink is black for maximizing the contrast. Choose the same color for the faucet as for the sink if you would like them to be perceived as a unified element: for example, stainless steel sink with stainless steel faucet.
If you are using a black sink in a modern kitchen design, match the faucet with the sink color. In traditional designs, you can choose any other color, even if the sink is black. We see this tendency again and again in high-end interiors – traditional or modern.
Should the faucet match appliances?
If the appliances are exposed in the design, their metal surfaces count when planning the mix of metals in the design. You should use a maximum of two types of metals in a small space, and a maximum of three – in a big one. If you already using a different metal for your hardware and lights, the appliances are considered the third type of metal used in the design. You can match the faucet with the metal color of the appliances, or match it with any other metal already used in the design.
The decision depends on other variables:
- If the sink is white, and you don’t want the faucet to be a focal point – choose silver color metals: stainless steel, chrome, or nickel. Otherwise – choose a contrasting color, but match it with other metals already used in the design.
- if you are using a black sink, you can match the faucet with the sink or go for silver colors if it’s a modern kitchen design, and you can match the faucet with any other metal – if it’s a traditional kitchen design.
- if you are using a stainless steel sink, and you want the sink and the faucet to be perceived together, go for the same color for the faucet as for the sink, otherwise – match the faucet with the appliances, hardware, or any other metal already used in the design.
what faucet goes with stainless steel sink?
If you would like the faucet and the sink to be perceived as a unified design element, then go for stainless steel faucet for stainless steel sink. However, if you want the faucet itself to become a focal point of the design, go for gold or black colors. The higher the contrast between the faucet and the nearest elements, the more it draws attention. Undermount stainless steel sinks offer more choices than top-mount sinks in terms of faucet choice: if the sink is under-mount, you can choose the faucet to be a different color, and whole top-mounted sink designs somehow dictate the faucet to match (not always, though).
what color faucet goes with a black sink?
In modern kitchen designs, it is a widely used practice to match the faucet color with the sink if the sink is black. However, you can also go for chrome or stainless steel faucet. The decision is based on three variables: sink type (top-mounted vs under-mount sink), the countertop color, and the design intent. If, according to your design intent, the faucet is supposed to become a focal point of the kitchen, choose the color which contrasts the nearest adjacent element: the countertop in case of the under-mount sink, and the sink itself in case of a top-mounted sink.
Having said that, it is important to keep in mind that in modern style kitchen designs if you are going for a top-mounted sink, it is a common practice to match the sink and the faucet.
In traditional designs, the same rules apply: if you want the faucet to be a focal point itself, contrast the black sink with gold color faucets, if not – go for chrome or black faucets, depending on the countertop color.
what color faucet goes with a white sink?
The white sink is the most tolerant among all the others: It can go with any faucet, depending on other variables in the design: countertop color, kitchen style, and whether or not the faucet is meant to be a focal point of the kitchen design. If the faucet is meant to be a focal point, go for a gold color faucet in case of light or dark countertops, or a black faucet in case of white countertops. If the faucet is not meant to be a focal point, then go for stainless steel, chrome, or altogether white faucets that will contrast less with white.
The idea is that, if you want to draw attention to an object, i.e. make it a focal point, you should make it stand out. The easiest way to achieve it is a color. Put darker or pop-up colors on a light background, or light and bright colors on a dark background, and you’re done.
what color faucet goes with a copper sink?
Go for a faucet with the copper outer surface, or choose the one that matches the sink the most. The reason is simple: usually, when we use copper in a design, it becomes the main focal point of the space. It is a bad idea to contrast it further with another element that is located nearby. Copper sinks usually is designed with copper backsplash or countertops to create a unified luxurious high-end look. In rare cases, the gold/copper/brass faucet can be switched with black material, especially if it matches the cabinet color.
what color faucet goes with a grey sink?
The faucet color for the grey sink depends on the following factors:
- should the faucet be the focal point?
- should the sink with the faucet be a focal point?
- is the kitchen more traditional of modern style?
If the faucet itself is designed to be a focal point, go for a color that contrasts the sink and the countertops: black or gold. If the kitchen design is a more modern style, go for the black faucet. If it’s traditional – gold might do wonders.
If the faucet is not designed to be a focal point, go for a color that does not stand out from the nearby elements – the sink and the countertop. It matters if the sink is top-mounted or under-mount because the most adjacent element to the faucet is the sink in the first case and the countertop – in the second case. You want to match or contrast the faucet with the element that creates a direct background for it.
How much should I spend on a kitchen faucet?
Kitchen faucets are not only important functional but also design elements of any kitchen. They need to be durable, comfortable to use and look elegant. This is why it is a good idea to purchase a quality faucet that can last for years. On average, count to spend 75-150 USD on a faucet. You can get a pretty decent one for this price. Obviously, if you are designing a high-end luxe kitchen, you can purchase a more expensive one.
