What Size Faucet for A Kitchen Sink? (We Have The Answer)

Your kitchen sink is one of the most used features in your home and selecting the right faucet is a decision that should not be taken lightly. If you’re remodeling your kitchen, want to give your home a much needed refresh, or are designing your home’s interior, your kitchen faucet is one of my things to consider. Faucets are often a focal point in the kitchen, and there are a wide range of attractive models and designs to choose from.

However, before you even consider the style of your kitchen faucet, you need to think about the appropriate size. A kitchen faucet that is the wrong size can look out of place and will typically be challenging and awkward to operate. Our comprehensive guide will help answer the question on many homeowners’ minds: what size faucet should I choose for a kitchen sink?

The key to choosing the right size kitchen faucet is related it to functionality. In other words, a kitchen faucet that is the proper size will be easy and convenient to use, and function as expected. If you need to choose a new faucet for your kitchen, we’ll guide you through all the considerations to ensure that you make the right purchase for your sink and needs.

Before we examine the proper way to measure and choose kitchen faucet size, let’s explore why it’s so important to get it right. Also, why you should avoid purchasing a faucet solely based on appearance and style. The first significant reason that size matters has to do with practicality. If the faucet in your kitchen sink is too small, it can be incredibly difficult to wash larger dishes, pots, and pans. These items simply will not comfortably fit underneath a faucet that is too small.

Conversely, if your kitchen faucet is too big, you may end up splashing yourself and your surroundings each time you use the sink. Additionally, if the faucet is too large to accommodate the space behind it, your backsplash will get in the way of the handle and prevent you from opening it completely. The placement of the faucet head can also prove issues, especially if it is positioned too far back or too far forward. This can make your sink very uncomfortable to operate and lead to a significant displacement of water.

The other major reason that kitchen faucet size matters relates to aesthetics. Put simply, a faucet that is too large or too small for your sink will look strange and out of place. Too small faucets can appear stunted while too large faucets can be overpowering and make your kitchen feel cluttered.

When it comes to faucets, is generally characterized as deck to the top of the faucet and/or deck to aerator. Regardless, you want to ensure that you’re selecting a faucet with acceptable height to accommodate the items you will be washing or filling while in the basin.

The higher the faucet spout, the easier it will be to fit tall pots underneath for cleaning or filling. However, if you have a shelf, cabinet, or window ledge above your sink, a tall faucet may not be realistic.

Although often overlooking, this important measurement denotes the horizontal distance from the faucet spout to the point it connects with the sink or countertop. In other words, the reach is how far the faucet spreads into the sink. This measurement must be coordinated with the size of your sink in order to ensure that the stream of water doesn’t hit too far forward or too far back into the basin. Although a pull-out or pull-down spout can help reduce mismatch, you still want your faucet to aim in the right spot when the spout is in place.

Additionally, if you have a sink with two or three basins, you want to make sure that your faucet’s reach is sufficient enough for each of the bowls. As a general rule of thumb, when the faucet is on, the water flow should hit the drain and not another area of the sink. To obtain the proper distance for reach, measure the distance from the middle of the drain to the center of the faucet.

When shopping around for kitchen faucets you may notice terms like “8-inch center spread.” This is an important term to understand when trying to find the right faucet model. Spread is used to describe the distance from the center of one faucet hole to the center of the farthest hole on the opposite side. In other words, it refers to how wide the stream of water that comes out of the faucet will be.

Many widespread kitchen faucets are outfitted with flexible water line hoses that offer more of a variance in spread. With these, you can easily adjust the spread to your liking and based on what you’re using the sink for.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you choose a faucet because you love its single handle that allows you to control the temperature simply by rotating it back in forth. However, when you get home and install it the handle hits the backsplash before it can be fully extended. For unique designs like this, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough clearance.

Refer to the product specifications to find out if there is a minimum recommended clearance to backsplash measurement. Then, make sure that the space you have behind your sink will accommodate a handle that will need to extend that far. Conversely, you can look for faucets that only have a forward operating motion. This will avoid any possible interference with your backsplash.

Many kitchen sinks on the market already come outfitted with holes for the faucet. If you are simply replacing an old faucet or already have a sink with holes predrilled, you’ll know what you have to work with.

However, if you are remodeling or building your kitchen, you have more flexibility since you haven’t purchased a sink yet. Or, maybe you are installing entirely new countertops with an undermount sink, so you won’t have to worry about the number of holes. However, if you’re unsure of how many holes your faucet requires, these are the general guidelines to follow:

Related Questions

Can I add holes to my kitchen sink?

Some sinks that are made of lighter materials are outfitted with stamps on them that let you drill the necessary number of holes. Though, it’s important to be cautious of drilling extra holes in sinks that are not specially designed for them.For deck mounted faucets, you should also be careful when drilling new holes in existing countertops. It’s always best to have the holes drilled into the countertop before it’s installed.

What if my kitchen sink has too many holes?

Consider this: You purchased a two-hole sink that was intended for a single handle faucet and a side sprayer but you’ve decided to opt for a pull-down faucet instead and no longer need the sprayer. Fortunately, some faucets can be installed with a decorative plate, called an escutcheon, to cover up the unused holes.The faucet you order may come with one but you can always order it separately. You can also purchase covers for the additional holes, but this look isn’t as appealing.