Beautiful Kitchen Faucets for Less Money

As one of the centerpieces of your kitchen or bathroom, a faucet can make or break the design and functionality of the rooms your family uses the most often. Because of this, it's important to take all aspects of a faucet's design into consideration before you buy. Many modern faucets can get expensive, especially if they come with all the bells and whistles like a built-in filtration system.

Have no fear! It is completely possible to find a beautiful faucet on a low budget, so long as you take the necessary steps in your research process.

Based on your budget, there are a few things to consider before you buy:

What do you really need in a kitchen faucet Design?

Elegant and refined, hip and colorful, minimalist and chic — the designs of a faucet can vary as much as its functionality. In general, a faucet's design has an impact on its price. A kitchen faucet with a two-foot arch, corrosion-resistant stainless steel build, and spot-resistant chrome finish is probably going to have a much higher price tag than a simple bronze arch. Luckily, you don't have to pay the full price to get the polished look of steel or marble. If you're looking for an inexpensive build and finish, faucets made of composite and finished with imitation chrome, bronze, or any matte color will help lower the cost.

How to pick the right kitchen faucet Height, Size & Placement

The dimensions of your faucet definitely play a role. Before you buy, consider how large your sink is, and whether the bowl or plumbing will need to be modified to hold it. Height, width, and depth all matter, as does the distance the spout reaches and the amount of space you want to put between the stream and the backsplash. Taking measurements of your sink before you shop for a faucet will guarantee you buy something that fits, and avoid costly adjustment projects or strict refund policies.

How to understand kitchen faucet Construction & Flow Rate

Like the dimensions of your faucet, you also need to consider its construction and flow rate. For this step, pay attention to things like certifications, valve quality, and water flow rate. You could buy the prettiest faucet on Earth, but if the faucet constantly drips, and its water flow is little more than a trickle that tastes strongly of added chemicals, you're not going to be happy with the price you paid. Most faucets advertise as lead-free or sulfate-free, and these certifications are worth the cost. You can also look for faucets that are "spot resistant," resisting spots and fingerprints in the same way as high-quality dishwasher detergents. Quality construction may be more expensive than a cheap big box store equivalent, but you'll save more money over time if you don't have to pay for extra filtration, replacements due to sediment buildup, drippy valves, or other faucet maintenance snafus.

what Extra Features should a kitchen faucet have?

Commercial kitchen sinks often come with impressive add-ons, like dramatic spray guns and ten different spray modes. If you're planning for a kitchen or bathroom sink in your home, you probably don't need all of those features. Ask yourself a few qualifying questions: Does my bathroom sink really need a built-in water filtration system, or can I get by with the Brita filter in my fridge? Are all these different spray settings good for more than pranking my wife, or does it really matter that I wash my dishes in "gentle rain" versus "ocean wave"? You can cut down on costs by simplifying your expectations.

Kitchen Faucet Installation & Compatibility

Compatibility is one of the most important things to check before buying a faucet, but it's also something DIY-ers don't always think of. Is the faucet you're planning on buying compatible with the sink? Most kitchen faucets are "surface" or "deck" mounted, which means that they sit on top of your counter, aligning with pre-built holes that bring water from your pipes into your faucet. These pipes may also serve the rest of your kitchen and home, so you need to make sure your faucet isn't going to take excessive water flow away from kitchen appliances, like your dishwasher. Fancier faucets -- like the ones that come with a secondary spray nozzle — may require four or five sink outlets to work properly. If your sink doesn't already have those built in, it can be incredibly costly to hire an expert or fix the problem yourself.

what to look for in a kitchen faucet Warranty

Most kitchen faucets come with some type of warranty. This guarantees that you won't have to pay to replace a faulty product, depending on the circumstances. However, like all appliance sales, it's likely that the salesperson may try to "upsell" a more expensive warranty. You can cut down on costs by refusing any extra warranties, but buyer beware — if you run into any of the compatibility issues we've mentioned above, you'll have to pay the cost of fixing them out of pocket.

When it comes down to it, a gorgeous faucet can shine as the centerpiece of your kitchen or bathroom, but it doesn't have to break the bank to do so. By taking measurements, doing your research, and sticking to a plan, you can buy a beautiful faucet on a budget that will last for years and years to come.

Resources— Helpful Habitat, Consumer Reports, Lowe's, Jo Cox Loneliness

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