Do you know what faucet is best for your kitchen? Today there are more options available than ever. Color, style and function will all have an impact on how your beautiful new faucet works in your home. You will need to consider more than a few details including the coolest new tech-y upgrades. Here are a few things to think about before making a decision:

  • Are you working with pre-existing faucet holes?
  • How deep is your kitchen sink?
  • What type of function and flexibility do you need?

Let’s dive into how to find the perfect faucet for your kitchen below!

1. Finish 

Chrome pull-down kitchen faucet on a stainless steel farm sinkChrome pull-down kitchen faucet on a stainless steel farm sink
ZLINE Dali kitchen faucet

Faucet finishes are abundant when it comes to matching other hardware. This is a great time to decide if you want everything to match or if you want to go the designer route and use more than one finish. No matter what faucet you choose, keep in mind every brand’s finishes will vary. If Delta faucets match your hardware, switching to Kohler might give a completely different look.

You will find a variety of colors in the market like brass, brushed gold, stainless steel, chrome, matte black, oil-rubbed bronze, champagne bronze and more. Some of the more durable finishes include matte black, brass and brushed nickel. However, if you’re concerned about water spots and fingerprints, go for the brushed and matte finishes for a cleaner look. Make sure you are thinking about the overall style of your kitchen and other finishes when making this decision. 

2. Style 

Matte black contemporary pull-down kitchen faucetMatte black contemporary pull-down kitchen faucet
ZLINE Gemini kitchen faucet

At this stage of the remodel, you should have a well-defined design style. Choosing your faucet style should only be a matter of looking through the options in your preferred finish. For traditional and eclectic kitchens, the faucet style should be more decorative. Look for faucets with extra lines and curved details to match your style. Modern kitchens will need something simpler. Go for faucets with smooth lines and minimalist features for the perfect match.

3. Function

Traditional brushed nickel lever faucet with side sprayerTraditional brushed nickel lever faucet with side sprayer
ZLINE Rembrandt kitchen faucet

When looking at the functional performance of a faucet, there are a few things to consider. Before you decide on the type of faucet, whether gooseneck, stationary or bridge, look at your sink depth. If your kitchen sink is shallow, taller gooseneck faucets may cause too much splashing. In this case, you will want to go with a smaller faucet that works better for your sink depth or vice versa.

Next on the list is sprayer reach. Think about how you like to use your faucet and the flexibility needed. Some pull-down faucets come with a 20-inch reach and 360-degree rotation making it easy to wash dishes and clean the sink.

Finally, are you working with pre-existing faucet holes or are you buying a new countertop that can be customized to your new faucet? With pre-existing, it can be as simple as purchasing a faucet with a deck plate to cover up any unused faucet holes. However, this might limit your ability to choose certain styles like bridge faucets that provide a more decorative look.

4. Extras

Two-tone brushed nickel and matte black pull-down kitchen faucetTwo-tone brushed nickel and matte black pull-down kitchen faucet
ZLINE Da Vinci kitchen faucet

Believe it or not, shopping for faucets now involves decisions about technology. Many of today’s models come with options like touchless control, voice activated controls, magnetic docking and water filtration. Outside of these features, you still have standard choices like whether you want a soap dispenser or separate sprayer.

Most of these tech-y upgrades will come with an obvious increase in price. Create your budget ahead of time and decide what features you need most. This will help you eliminate options that are too expensive and prioritize your biggest needs. Keep in mind that most of today’s faucets come with excellent warranty protection so it’s okay to splurge on a few upgrades.

Why Choose ZLINE Faucets? 

The market for faucets is large with many impressive well-known name brands. So why choose ZLINE? When you want lasting luxury at a reasonable price, ZLINE is the brand to go with. They offer durable elegant faucets in any design style and finish made with high-quality European materials. For those who want more, some of their faucets offer high-pressure anti-splash systems, motion sensing technology and more.

Shop various styles from pot fillers and drinking faucets to standard kitchen faucets now! 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the depth and scale of my kitchen sink affect the type of faucet I should buy?

The depth and physical size of your sink basin are critical indicators of how your water will flow and behave. If you pair a very shallow sink with a tall, high-arc gooseneck faucet, the distance the water travels before hitting the bottom creates a high-velocity impact, which invariably results in heavy splashing all over your countertops and clothing.

Conversely, putting a small, low-profile faucet over a massive, deep farmhouse sink looks completely out of scale and will make it incredibly difficult to maneuver water to the edges of the basin. You want to aim for a balanced scale where the height of the faucet neck matches the depth of the basin comfortably.

Will a specific finish name like "champagne bronze" look identical across different manufacturing brands?

Unfortunately, names like champagne bronze, brushed gold, or oil-rubbed bronze are not standardized across the plumbing and design industry.

A shade of gold from one brand might have warm, reddish undertones, while the exact same finish name from a competitor could look much cooler, leaning toward a yellow or pale metallic hue. This creates a massive design headache if you buy a faucet from one company expecting it to flawlessly match the cabinet handles or light fixtures you bought from another.

Whenever possible, it is highly recommended to acquire physical finish samples or look at them side-by-side in a showroom to confirm they visually align before making a final purchase.

Which faucet finishes are best for keeping a clean look, and which require constant maintenance?

The ease of maintenance comes down entirely to how the metal surface reflects light and repels moisture. Shiny, highly reflective options like polished chrome or polished brass are notorious for showing every single drop of water, chemical smudge, and oily fingerprint the moment they are touched, requiring you to constantly wipe them down to keep them looking pristine.

Hard water can make this even more noticeable. When water droplets dry, they can leave behind mineral deposits that appear as white spots, cloudy marks, or buildup around the faucet base and handle. These marks are most visible on polished and high-shine finishes, while matte, brushed, and spot-resistant finishes tend to hide them better between cleanings.

If you want a low-maintenance kitchen, you should look toward matte or brushed finishes such as matte black, brushed nickel, or specialty spot-resistant stainless steel. These texturized surfaces diffuse light and naturally camouflage smudges, giving your kitchen a much cleaner look between deep cleanings.

What are the practical differences when choosing between a pull-down and a pull-out faucet design?

The choice between these two structural styles depends heavily on your kitchen's spatial limits and your daily cooking habits.

Pull-down faucets use a distinctively tall, high-arc spout where the spray head pulls directly downward into the sink. This design gives you maximum clearance to scrub massive baking sheets or fill up deep stockpots, but it requires a lot of overhead space, meaning it might hit upper cabinetry if your sink sits underneath low shelves.

Pull-out faucets have a much lower profile; the spout is shorter and the spray head pulls straight out toward you on a longer, more flexible hose. This makes pull-out designs the absolute best choice for space-conscious kitchens or smaller sinks where vertical space is tightly restricted.

How do I handle a situation where my existing countertop has more holes than my new faucet requires?

When replacing an old faucet, you are bound to whatever configuration is already drilled into your countertop or sink deck, usually ranging from one to four holes. If you fall in love with a sleek, single-hole modern faucet but your counter currently has three holes left over from an old setup, you do not have to abandon your choice.

Most single-hole models can be mounted directly on top of an optional deck plate often called an escutcheon plate which spreads across the base of the faucet to neatly and securely mask the extra, unused holes underneath. This creates a clean, intentional design look while saving you from the nearly impossible and risky task of altering solid stone countertops.