The faucet is like a jewel of the room, especially for the bathroom. A great faucet enhances the aristocracy of the bathroom 10 times. But many of you may not know that how to choose faucet for bathroom sink.
I am here to guide you with my faucet buying guide. We are gonna discuss the type of faucet which will suit your bathroom, the parameters you should take care of before buying the faucet for the bathroom.
How To Choose Faucet For Bathroom Sink?
People should know that there should be a shower or just a spout to pour water. There are so many parameters to take care of while choosing the right faucet for the bathroom but the most important parameters are:
- bathroom faucet types
- faucet features
- material
- coating
Bathroom Faucet Types
Before buying bathroom faucet, you should be knowing the type of faucet you want. The look may differ for different faucets visually and in the type of assembly.
1. Single Handle
According to my observation, the single handle faucet is the most used faucet till now. It is a single-piece body where switching on and setting the water temperature done by the small rotation of the single handle.
Advantages Of Single Faucets:
- Durability: There are not many rotating parts in the single handle faucet body and that’s why there is a very little risk of stop working very soon.
- Easy to use: You don’t need to turn the valves of the hot and cold water to set the temperature of the water. Moving the handle in the advised direction is enough to do that.
They can be set on the side of the bathtub or on the wall panel. The shape and location will differ because of the different installation methods of the main part.
2. Dual Handle Faucets
These types of faucets are usually used to decorate the bathroom. As the dual-handle faucets give old look, they help to decorate the bathroom in retro style.
The stems for switching on and setting the temperature of the faucet make a huge difference. These stems are fixed inside the spouts and they come in multiple shapes.
Advantages of dual handle faucets
- Slight twisting: Water temperature may be regulated within 1 degree by slightly twisting one valve.
- Lower Price: The dual-handle faucets actually cost lesser than the other faucets(except the designer models)
The main drawback of this type of faucet is, the handle or the valves may break soon(like within 2-3 years or even lesser) because of the frequent movement of the stem.
3. Thermostatic
Thermostatic is the new generation faucet. They have the automatic technology to regulate the temperature of the water by intermixing the required amount of cold and hot water at a time.
Advantages
- Safety features: Thermostatic faucets stop working if the supply of the cold water gets cut off suddenly. It is such a great feature to keep children and yourself safe from the hot waters.
- Body stays always cool: The faucet from outside is always cool irrespective of water temperature flowing.
- Resume from the same temperature: If you pause the faucet for applying shampoo or anything, it will resume from the same temperature of the water.
4. Contactless
From the name you can understand that this faucet works without touching it. This means there is no moving valve or handle.
Contactless faucets have infrared sensors to make them operate. You just need to bring the hand close to it, It will start pouring the water out of it.
There is a separate tap down this faucet to regulate the temperature. Once you set the temperature, it will be continuously flowing at that temperature only.
Advantages
- Retains Original Look: These faucets retain their look for a long time because you don’t touch them very frequently.
- Looks: Looks prestigious and modern which emphasizes the look of the bathroom.
- Saves water: As it pours water only if there is a hand before it, that means it will not waste water when no one is there.
Material
The material is the next thing to take care of while buying bathroom faucet. Most of the companies make the faucet with brass(an alloy of zinc and copper) or bronze.
Silumin Alloy:
The low-cost faucets are made up of a silumin alloy that visually resembles light chrome-plated plastic. Sometimes they don’t last for 2 years also.
| Bronze | Brass |
| If you are going for the bronze faucet, you must know that with time its surface will acquire a greenish tint. They need good maintenance and regular washing from limescale. | The faucets made up of brass are more resistant to corrosion and stains. They are easier to use and their chrome plating can add some cold gloss to their surfaces. |
Even if you want to buy the shower faucet for hard water, I must suggest going with the brass faucets.
Coating
The type of coating on the faucet can play a great role in the look, shiny surface, and durability. Let’s see what type of coating will work for you.
| Coating with | Use |
| Chrome | They add a cold glossy look on the surface and looks beautiful on any kitchen decor. |
| Chromium | Protects against rusts, germs, and tap water disposits can be removed very easily by use of detergent |
| Nickel | Another glossy material but with deeper color. They are sometimes not good for allergic people so they should purchase with caution. |
| Enamel | They can be of multi shades and colors. They have the ability to make your faucet look like marble, gold, etc. |
Enamel is fragile and cracks from mechanical impact. The handles and valves of these faucets can be decorated with stones, like onyx and malachite, also with plastic and glasses.
Costs
The costs of the faucets depend mostly on the materials they are made up of and the coating type.
That means these parameters should be chosen according to the estimated budget of buying a bathroom faucet.
The average cost of a good quality faucet is around $150. If you need a normal faucet(not pull down or anything) then it can come under $50-$100.
Yeah, if you want to buy the sink and faucet combo then, I must suggest spending at least $400 on the product.
Types Of Attachment & Installation Of Faucet
When it comes to the attachment and installation of the faucet, according to the technique of fastening, there are two types of faucets. One is mortise another one is wall mounted.
| Mortise | Wall mounted |
| They are directly installed on the bath or sink. You can see the special holes where the water supply pipes are attached. | As the name says, they can be mounted on the wall panels. The pipes can be kept out or hidden under the plastic or tiles. |
In the small-sized bathrooms, the faucets can be placed under the boiler.
Installation of the faucets:
The installation technique of the faucets can differ from bathroom to bathroom. If you want to install the faucet for both bathtub and sink then I must suggest not exceeding 1m height from the ground.
Generally, the shower faucets are mounted at a height of 1.2m.
The sleeves and nuts shouldn’t overtighten to prevent the parts from bursting. If any need arises then it is better to tighten the tread a little in the process of using.
How much space should be left behind bathroom sink for faucet?
Many faucets come with a handle that moves or opens towards the wall direction. In this case, if the handle size is big like 4-6 inches then it will be tough to adjust. Most of the best faucet brands make the handle that opens opposite the wall, you must buy them. And in the initial stage of installing a bathroom sink, you should leave up to 4 inches of space between the edge of the sink and wall. It will be a safe measurement.
How to fix a leaky bathroom faucet?
If the bathroom faucet of the kitchen faucet is leaky, it is not an easy job to solve. You must need a professional to fix that. In case you want to fix the leaky bathroom faucet, I must refer you to this video. Watch this and learn that how to fix a leaky bathroom faucet.
FAQs On How To Choose A Bathroom Faucet
How do I know what bathroom faucet to buy?
The simplest answer is according to your need you should buy the bathroom faucet. If you are gonna use the faucet very often then I must suggest staying away from dual handle faucets and go for the single or contactless faucets.
And if the faucet is not gonna be used very frequently then you can go with the single handle or dual handle faucets. Dual handles help to decorate the bathroom in retro style.
Do bathroom sink and tub faucets have to match?
As a bathroom decor, the bathroom sink and tub faucets should complement each other. I think the best option is to match the sink and tub faucets.
What is the most popular faucet finish?
Mostly nowadays, brands are using chrome and chromium to give a cold glossy look to the faucet and they last also a long time.
You can check out the enamel coating also. They give the look like marbles or golds, etc.
Last Words On How To Choose Faucet For Bathroom Sink
I hope you got to understand how to buy bathroom faucets according to your need. I always prefer going with single-handle faucets while buying bathroom faucets.
Because they look very good and lasts long even after over-usage. And for the retro style, I prefer the dual-handle faucets.
As I said above, the brass material is the best one to go with for the long run but you can choose the best material according to your need.
If still, any doubt is there regarding how to choose a faucet for bathroom sink, comment them down. Every feedback is appreciated.
