In The Design Studio: All the Things You Never Knew About Kitchen Faucets

This is a sponsored post by Anna Gibson, owner of AKG Design Studio and an award-winning, certified kitchen and bathroom designer. AKG Design Studio is a boutique design firm specializing in kitchen, bathroom designs and cabinetry sales. Contact Anna at 571-989-2541 or [email protected], and follow her work on Houzz; Pinterest; Facebook and Twitter.

Faucets always seems to be the neglected child of the kitchen design.

We spend hours selecting our cabinets, countertops, backsplash and even hardware, touching and feeling and making sure it’s just right. However, when it comes to faucets, the budget has been blown and everyone is exhausted making selections, yet there are so many of them to choose from.

Style: There are 8 basic styles of faucet that we are all familiar with.

Pull-down: Those are the larger goose neck type that has a sprayer that pulls down.
Pull-out: A bit more of a traditional faucet, lower to the sink with the spray pulling toward you, the clearance to the sink tends to be lower.
Commercial: Look of the large industrial faucets with a flexible hose for a sprayer. Those fit in a professional looking kitchen with modern touches. Pay attention to the size as they are big and can over power a small kitchen and a small sink.
Single handle: Some sort of a gooseneck with the spray on the side
Two handles: Can be on the sides of the gooseneck of a very traditional bridge faucet. Those pair nicely with a farm sink to complete the look.
Motion sensors: Gaining popularity, as people do not want to touch the faucet with dirty hands, those come in handy as well when you have people with limited mobility at the house.
Pot filler: Normally installed above the stove for ease of use of filling large pot for pasta and soup without needing to move the pot across the kitchen.
Bar: Those are usually a smaller version of the pull down, but without the pull down. We use then often in the prep sink area and not just in a bar setting. Beware that they are smaller, so maybe too small for the kitchen sink.

Where to buy your faucet and why: Make sure you buy from a reputable plumbing distributor.

There is nothing more annoying than a faucet that leaks after a few months of use, or a pull-down sprayer that no longer pushes back into place and now just hangs there, making the faucet look broken and ugly. Look for brand names you know, with warranty, and parts that can be easily replaced if needed. Look for metal parts and not plastic — those will break easily and the finish will fade fast. Make sure the internal cartridge is metal or ceramic; unfortunately, most faucets at the big box store and some outlets are plastic and those will break very fast.

Finish: So many amazing finishes are available now, so there’s no need to just stick to brushed nickel or brass. Mix and match the finish for a unique look!

Go with bold black for a modern look or a brushed brass for a classy traditional look. The quality of the finish improves tremendously and most manufacturers offer lifetime warranty on the finish.

Care: Single-handle tends to be the easiest, as you just have one big spout to wipe and done. The commercial style will be a bit of a pain because of the coil around the top, which makes it hard to clean under it. Material-wise, most are well made these days and should last a long while. Most manufacturers will warranty the finish for a lifetime.

When you are done with your dishes, give the sink and the faucet a quick wipe and you are done. Do not use materials that will scratch the finish. If there is grime or a limestone buildup, use baking soda or white vinegar on a toothbrush to clean it out. A daily clean will help avoid those. Always use ammonia, bleach and acid-free cleaners — this is a good rule for all our kitchen surfaces.

For oil-rubbed bronze, use Windex only with a soft microfiber cloth. Please remember to always check with the manufacturer to see what they recommend based on the finish.

Ready to rock your faucet? Which style and finish is your favorite?