Faucet Styles
Different faucets can perform different tasks around your kitchen sink. Make sure to find the one that fits your needs as well as your style.
Pull Down Faucets - Pull-down faucets have a high, arched neck known as a gooseneck, and the spout points directly down into the sink basin, making them excellent for filling pots and washing cookware. The faucet head is connected to a short spray hose that can be drawn down and slanted in different directions, allowing the faucet head to function as a sprayer head.
Pull Out Faucets - Pull-out faucets have a more progressive inclination to the base and a shorter spout that points upward instead of into the sink. The faucet head is connected to a larger hose that pushes outward for a wider range of motion, making it easier to cover all areas of the kitchen sink.
Bar Faucets - Bar faucets (also known as prep faucets) feature a smaller body size and a narrower valve configuration, making them ideal for use with smaller, narrower sinks. They usually have a long gooseneck for filling or rinsing glasses or vases, among other things.
Pot Fillers - Pot filler faucets are often located above the stove on the wall. They include a hinged, flexible neck that allows the faucet to extend wider over the sink for usage before folding back against the wall to be stored out of the way. They have a higher flow rate than a standard kitchen faucet.
Water Dispensers - Water dispensers are small, single-hole set faucets that dispense purified cold or hot water using water filters. They're built specifically for filling drinking glasses one at a time.
Pre-Rinse Kitchen Faucets - A high-arched, high-pressure spray nozzle is attached to a coil-guided spray hose and fastened to the spout by a support bar on pre-rinse faucets. They're also known as restaurant or commercial faucets, and they're essential for removing food waste from plates before washing them.
Bridge Faucets - A high-arched, high-pressure spray nozzle is attached to a coil-guided spray hose and fastened to the spout by a support bar on pre-rinse faucets. They're also known as restaurant or commercial faucets, and they're essential for removing food waste from plates before washing them.
Single Handle Faucets - A single handle faucet's basic, single-hole form allows for quick and straightforward operation in a variety of styles and functions.
Faucet Features to Look For
New technologies for the kitchen faucet have come from modern improvements in kitchen design, while some existing features have been around for years. They're made for your convenience, so choose the ones you think will be the most useful for your household and budget.
Touch/Touchless Kitchen Faucets - Touch or touchless faucets use sensors rather than handles or levers attached to the spout body to turn the water on and off based on hand movements, bringing hands-free technology into the kitchen.
Kitchen Faucets with Sidespray - Some faucets come with matching side sprays that match the style and design of the faucet.
Magnetic docking - Magnetic docking allows the faucet head to magnetically mount to the spout on pull down or pull out faucets, making one-handed operation easier and faster.
Flow Rate/GPM - The flow rate is the amount of water released by the faucets per minute in gallons. The normal faucet has a flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute (or GPM), and many contemporary faucets incorporate water-saving technologies that help save water without compromising the faucet's functionality.
Includes escutcheon - An escutcheon is a beautiful plate that complements the faucet's aesthetic while also concealing any unused holes in the deck. For example, if a single hole faucet is installed in a sink with three holes, an escutcheon can be used to conceal the previously unused holes and sealed to prevent water damage beneath the sink.