These days, bathrooms faucets seem to be getting fancier and more expensive by the minute. With so many faucet models to choose from, it can be difficult for a homeowner to find the faucet that best suits his needs. As the owner of WT Mechanical, a plumbing, heating, and cooling company that has been serving Central New Jersey for the past 15 years, Walter Tulecki understands that the wide selection of bathroom faucets available today is enough to make an inexperienced homeowner’s head spin. Therefore, when it comes to purchasing a new faucet, Tulecki’s advice is to try to get the best value for your money without skimping on quality.
How much should a person expect to spend on a faucet? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for as far as materials and designer qualities are concerned. A regular bathroom sink faucet can cost you as little as 30 dollars and as much as $1,000. But that doesn’t mean that you should fork over either amount for a single unit. Plenty of faucets around the $100 mark are stylish and offer a high degree of quality. The key is to find a faucet that looks good and also has the ability to last.
For many people, the decorative details of a faucet are just as important as its functionality. Designer faucets are available in a variety of styles and finishes to match an array of design schemes. While some people like the look of a brighter stainless steel, others prefer a muted, brushed steel. The antique bronze look has also grown quite popular lately as far as faucet colors go.
Designer faucets can bring value to your home and are an easy way to add style and elegance to your bathroom without spending the amount of money it would take to upgrade items such as showers, tubs, and countertops. The question is: Are designer faucets as water-efficient and reliable as less fancy faucets? According to Walter, the answer is “yes.” While most designer faucets offer elegance as an added bonus, they are designed to perform just as well as ordinary-looking, high-quality faucets. Generally speaking, the more expensive a faucet is (up to a reasonable point), the better its materials are likely to be. However, keep in mind that when it comes to designer faucets, you will also pay a premium for style.
One thing that Tulecki likes to warn his customers about is spending money on lesser-known faucet brands. The downside of going that route is that many smaller companies tend to go out of business over time, which can make it difficult to find faucet replacement parts later on. For this reason, he suggests buying a faucet that comes from a “big name” brand; companies such as Koehler, American Standard, and Delta are probably not going out of business anytime soon.
Another thing to realize about faucets is that some types are only compatible with certain kinds of sinks. For example, some sinks are drilled for widespread faucets (faucets that appear above the countertop as separate pieces, as opposed to a single unit), whereas others are not. Before you purchase your new faucet, match its measurements with those of your sink’s holes. Of course, under-mount sinks have become a trendy option for homeowners, and with an under-mount sink comes the possibility of having holes drilled specifically to match the faucet of your choosing. However, even this option comes with its own limitations, as you’ll need to find a faucet that can handle the depth of your countertop. Countertops made out of heavy-duty materials such as marble and granite tend to be thicker than laminate countertops. As such, certain faucet parts might not be long enough to connect through the thick material into the plumbing system. While many faucet companies do make adaptor kits for this very purpose, in some cases, a faucet may be incompatible with the sink and countertop at hand.
Finding the right faucet can certainly be challenging. So the best way to go about the process is to visit local hardware stores to see your available options. Remember, you don’t need to fork over a fortune to get a quality faucet, and in some cases, your money might even be better spent on a more “obvious” household upgrade. By keeping your faucet-related needs in perspective, you can make purchasing a new faucet as simple and painless as possible.
