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101: Many choices for a fixture that fills a basin
Faucets 101: Many choices for a fixture that fills a basin
 Today's
bathroom and kitchen sink faucets don't just bring water, they make
a statement about the person who buys them.
Do you like touches of the country? At the recent Kitchen and Bath
Industry Show, Price Pfister introduced a faucet that looks like
an old-fashioned water pump.
Choices abound in handle styles, finishes and spout profiles. But
think about function, too, when you buy. Here's a guide:
Need to know: What style will work best for your family, from young
children to elderly parents. Levers instead of twist knobs might
be advisable for the latter. Two-handle, center-set faucets (one
handle for hot water, one for cold) typically are used for bathroom
sinks. Single-handle faucets (handle position determines water temperature)
once were mostly found in kitchens, but these days they're used
in bathrooms too.
Be sure to ask: "If I want to, can I replace my two-handle
faucet with a single-handle unit?" Sink openings and faucet
dimensions are standardized now, so you usually can.
But there are exceptions (old-house owners, take note), so it's
a good idea to check sizes first. Many single- and two-handle faucets
in bathroom sinks are on 4-inch centers (the distance between the
centers of the hot and cold inlets or mounting bolts). Two-handle
faucets with spreads of 8 to 16 inches are available and feature
flexible hookups.
Kitchen changes depend on the number of holes in the sink. Most
two-handle faucets mount through three or four holes, while one-handle
faucets can be mounted through one hole or up to four. (If, after
a switch, you have unused holes, you can fill them with caps.)
The industry standard for the distance between hot- and cold-valve
connections for both single-handle and two-handle kitchen faucets
is 8 inches. Measure the distance between the connections on your
old faucet before purchasing a new one.
What will it cost? You can buy a faucet for $30, or you can buy
one for $800, but price dictates quality. Though manufacturers acknowledge
that the upper end of the market sets trends in design and finishes,
they say the typical American household buys somewhere in the $90-to-$250
range, with chrome the most popular finish.
Looks matter: You'll definitely pay more for high style. Moen has
just introduced a pewter finish, and Price Pfister has unveiled
distressed "rustic bronze" and "rustic pewter"
finishes designed to appear weathered with age. Another new trend
is toward the "architecturally inspired" faucet, something
that might have been in a Roman bath or a 19th-century farmyard.
Word to the wise: Some finishes aren't easy to maintain. If you
have neither the time nor the inclination to preserve a sheen or
patina, consider a dull finish over one you have to spend time polishing.
Stick your neck out: If you're remodeling your kitchen, one of
the smartest moves you can make is to combine a tall gooseneck faucet
with a deeper sink, so you can easily fill large pots with water,
then have maneuverability to scrub them later. Gooseneck faucets
are a good idea for the bathroom too, especially if you have a coffeemaker
in your master suite.
Good advice: Keep a copy of the installation instructions and parts
list, as well as the warranty information for your new faucet. The
more it cost, the more likely that a $3 to $15 part will fix a future
problem.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/home/orl-alfaucets06may21,0,249712.story?coll=orl-shoppinghg-headlinesforthe
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