Best Kitchen Faucets

Kitchen faucets are without a doubt the champion of the most popular room in a home. Whether for cleaning up messes or preparing food, faucets reliably give us water, in the temperature and flow pressure we demand, with just a simple adjustment of the handle. Because kitchen sink faucets do so much for the family, it is only fitting that homeowners put a lot of consideration into selecting the best kitchen faucets for their home. 

Although a stylish design is important, the biggest factor should be whether or not the faucet will do the work necessary for your kitchen. Look to the different types of kitchen faucets to determine which handles, faucets, and sprayers and other kitchen faucet parts work best for your household’s daily tasks. Even consider the kitchen faucet installation types and narrow down if it’s a task you’re comfortable replacing yourself, or if you would rather a contractor install for you.

Before deciding which kitchen faucet ideas are the best fit for the kitchen, know your options. Be certain you choose the right faucet, because the right one will be working for your kitchen for years. So, without further ado, here are the different types of kitchen faucets explained.

Kitchen Faucet Installation Types

There are really only two different types of faucet installations. The faucet can either be installed against the wall to hang out over the sink, or it can be a deck-mount faucet, which installs into the sink edge or countertop. When looking to replace kitchen faucets, it’s important to factor in the type of installation your kitchen already has.

While wall-mount faucets can save some space and allow a narrower sink footprint, updating an existing deck-mounted kitchen countertop to a wall-mount faucet can be a very involved project. Expect to remove the kitchen cabinetry and open up the wall in order to relocate the plumbing to the correct height. (On the bright side, at the end of the project, you have the opportunity to finish off the new look with a tile backsplash.)

When considering a new deck-mount faucet for your kitchen, keep in mind the number of holes already crafted into the sink base. It can depend on the sink material, but if you choose a deck-mount faucet, any extra holes must be professionally drilled into the sink’s edge to prevent damage to the sink.

If you would prefer a single handle faucet and are replacing a faucet in a three-hole sink, look for an escutcheon plate to cover the extra holes and seal off the sink or countertop holes to prevent leaking. Take note of the installation types and other kitchen faucet parts that may influence whether or not you could comfortably repair or replace the faucet yourself.

Kitchen Faucet Ideas

The design of the kitchen faucet has as much to do with how you use it as it does with how it looks. It’s a good idea to consider both elements as you look for the best kitchen faucet for your home. Choose a height, handle, and spout type that are all comfortable and easy to use for everyone in the household, and a style that works with the room.

Single handle

A single-hole faucet, or a single handle faucet, is more about the installation functionality than anything else. It is exactly as the name suggests: only one hole in the sink or countertop is needed to install the entire fixture, with no extra supports, water outlets, or sprays. 

The single handle faucet consists simply of an arching spout, where the water comes out, and a control handle. However, don’t be fooled by the simple concept. There are plenty of variations in design for single handle faucets that add helpful features, such as a pull-down head, different aerator settings, or even water filtration.

Basin Taps

If your kitchen relies on a more trendy, retro-look, old-school basin taps are a great option. With basin taps, there is no center spout at all. There are two separate, small spouts that only dispense hot or cold water. In the past, this was called “unmixed” water. Basin taps only provide one temperature at a time; if you want warm water, it will have to be mixed in the sink basin.

Bridge Faucets

Bridge faucets have separate handles to control the flow of the hot and cold water. The water inlets are connected by a bridge piece between the handles, securing the handles to the spout. The bridge style requires at least two faucet holes be installed in the deck or wall, though it can go up to four with some expanded designs.

Turning the handles moves water through to the faucet, and the hot and cold water is mixed in the spout to create a warm water temperature. Turning only one handle at a time provides the ability to use either the hot or cold water only. Look for additional features, such as a pullout spray wand, or a pre-rinse equipped faucet.

Dual-handle, single-hole

Some faucets have separate temperature control handles that are attached directly to the spout. The upside is that installation only requires a single hole, and the designs can be cool and modern.

The downside is that the working parts for two water sources are entirely self-contained in the small space of a single spout. The dual water inlets means that if something breaks, the whole fixture has to be replaced rather than just fixing the troublesome part.

Pot Fillers

Particularly popular for gourmet kitchens, pot filler faucets usually mount to the wall to allow an extremely high, fold-away spout to make room for large, deep pots to fit under them. Pasta- and soup-loving families might be particularly interested in this style, as a higher flow rate fills even a large pot quickly and easily. The spouts are usually thin and elegant, making them a strong design choice as well.

Pullout

Pullout faucets are all about the spout. With the pullout faucets style, the head of the spout can be detached from the main stem and used freely to twist and bend and reach all corners of the sink, thanks to the attached hose. The hose can range up to two feet or more, allowing users to move the water source to the position where it is needed. If you’re used to a separate sprayer for attacking food stuck on dishes, you’ll appreciate the pullout style.

Pull-down

Pull-down faucets are similar to the pullout faucet, though more limited in range. A pull-down kitchen faucet has a detachable head that moves directly down from the spout or anchored hose. The faucet can swivel to provide those extra few inches of movement around the sink, but the hose is kept aimed low by the faucet spout body.

Because of the high arch neck, a pull-down faucet hose is limited to directly below the faucet dock. Pull-down faucets tend to have a high arch, or gooseneck, spout to accommodate the downward extension of the head.

Pre-Rinse

Pre-rinse kitchen faucets remove the limitation of other pull-down faucet types by doing away with the high arch spout neck in exchange for a shorter faucet body and the connecting bridge piece that serves as the faucet dock. The spout of a pre-rinse faucet is attached instead to the longer hose, so users run less risk of making a large water mess with the increased range of movement. 

The hose length on a pre-rinse kitchen faucet can be longer and more customized in colors or textures because it is exposed rather than hidden in the faucet spout body. In addition to the extra functionality of allowing the sometimes awkward sizes of large pots, this leads to unique, eye-catching designs, with a number of different finishes.

Side Sprayer

If the design of a detachable spout head is not the look you’re after, the side sprayer is a classic option that has been popular for years. Faucets with sidesprayer wands give users the option to move water around, attack tough food particles up close, and keep the side sprayer free of grime using a faucet separate from the spout itself. It can be part of a single-hole or multi-hole configuration, depending on the style you want.

Touchless Kitchen Faucets

For those kitchen visits that involve messy hands, or when you’ve got both hands otherwise occupied holding a strainer of salad to be rinsed, touchless kitchen faucets save a little work and a lot of clean up. These faucets turn on or off by utilizing sensors built into the faucet body, rather than rely on the use of a handle or lever. 

Wave a hand in front of the sensor, or touch the back of a hand to the correct spot, and the faucet does the work for you. Some futuristic faucets can be controlled by voice command, like a phone app. They can be found in all the durable, stylish finishes, including stainless finishes that help resist water spots, and help make keeping a shining faucet a breeze.

Widespread

A widespread kitchen faucet is almost exactly the same as the bridge faucet except that each element – two handles, spout, or even a sidespray – is installed separately into the sink or countertop, requiring more holes in the deck. 

There is a lot of versatility when replacing widespread faucets because the extra holes in the countertop mean you can add as many accoutrements as you’d like. Always wanted a side spray and an in-sink soap dispenser? Now is your chance.

A Word About Faucet Mechanics

Another useful tip on selecting a faucet is knowing the terminology that will sometimes pop up when browsing the plumbing selection. It’s not all about the color and finish, or the look of the fixture. Consider how the best kitchen faucets work, what mixes the water and where, because that will determine things like the flow rate, or the types of kitchen faucet parts or repairs that may be needed over the long term.

The operation of a faucet depends on the valve that controls it. These are the four main types of valves, including the first three “washerless” valves:

• Ball valve - The temperature- and flow-control handle pivots on a ball near the base of the spout.
• Disk valve - The water-control handle is part of the faucet, over a cylindrical body.
• Cartridges - The faucet likely operates using a cartridge setup when water flow is dictated by an up-down movement of the handle, rather than by pushing the handle back in order to start the flow (such as in the ball or disk configuration.)
• Compression valve - In older fixtures, users have to manipulate separate hot and cold handles that must be “screwed” to turn off the flow.

There can be a lot to consider when choosing the best kitchen faucets for a repair or remodel. Take the time to make the right choice between types of kitchen faucets at the planning stage and reward yourself with a reliable and enjoyable design that complements the look of your entire kitchen for years to come.