Contemporary Kitchen Faucets – Know Your Options And Make The Right Choice
According to kitchen designers, when it comes to choosing your faucet, the selection of style should be secondary as more emphasis should be placed on functionality.
To help you understand what you need to understand about contemporary kitchen faucet basics, let’s look at 4 key factors before selecting your faucet.
1. Faucet setup
When choosing your faucet, you need to decide if you want a single-lever or a two-handle configuration. In general, two-handle faucets have a more traditional look and provide one handle to operate cold water and one handle for hot water. On the other hand, a single-lever configuration combines hot and cold water operation at the same time.
2. The style
Styling features to think about include things like spout design (gooseneck or conventional), handle locations (behind or to the side) of single-handle faucets, faucet handle size and shape (minimalist, soft or multi-lobed), as well as pattern design (contemporary, traditional or business style).
3. Type of valve and construction of the faucet
The construction of a faucet covers the material it is made of, the way it is made, and the type of valve used to control the flow of water. All style and beauty of the faucet aside, these are the two aspects that determine how well your faucet will perform and its durability.
Kitchen faucets are usually made of brass, stainless steel, and even plastic. Although plastic is available in many non-metallic colors, its long-term durability can’t compete with a good steel or brass faucet.
4. The finish of the faucet
Faucet finish is used in reference to the visible surface coating on the handles and spout. Gives a decorative appeal and a protective layer to the faucet. Various types of faucet finishes are available on the market today.
These include:
- stainless steel
- Chrome
- polished nickel
- Bronze
- Hand-rubbed bronze, and others.
Consideration before buying:
Now that the details of contemporary kitchen faucets are clearer, let’s look at some essential considerations to keep in mind when choosing a kitchen faucet.
- Select sink and faucet together
Choosing the sink and faucet together can avoid many issues that could arise when the two are purchased independently. First of all, the sink must have enough holes to accommodate the chosen faucet configuration. The bottom line is that you need to choose a sink and faucet combination that works well together if you want to avoid later headaches and potential product returns.
- Choose a faucet size that complements the sink
Ideally, the size of your kitchen faucet should be proportional to the size of the sink. The chosen faucet should sufficiently cover the kitchen sink such that it can easily rotate in a wide, sweeping arc to dispense water to most parts of the sink.
- Choose Faucets over Countertops
Custom countertops will typically require knowledge of the number of holes required for your chosen faucet configuration. While this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t drill additional holes after the countertops are installed, it could mean more cost and hassle than when the countertop is pre-drilled and pre-installed.
Last word
The faucets are a combination of functionality and aesthetics. You want something in your kitchen that not only looks good, but also works well. Before making that final decision, kitchen design experts recommend taking a trip to a hardware and plumbing showroom to get a real feel for how a faucet will perform.