Upgrade The Kitchen With A New Faucet

By: Marcus Perchowski Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Is it time to renew the look of your kitchen? A spanking new kitchen faucet could be just the touch to produce an totally new look to the area! A new faucet is just what the doctor ordered! As the faucet is the 'crown' of the sink, it certainly stands out.

If your home is plagued with hard water, it's most likely it's been recking chaos with the inner workings of your kitchen faucet. And you might be going crazy over the ceaseless drip-drip-drip. Plus hard water deposits most likely tainted your fixture leaving it an unsightly mess. TIme for a new faucet!

But what do you actually get when paying for top dollar towards a shiny new kitchen faucet? In all likelihood, all you’re truly receiving is less money to invest on the rest of your kitchen improvement. A top consumer reports association performed in-depth testing on kitchen faucets to get the unvarnished truth. In a surprising turn of events, their testing revealed that despite the marketing advertisement, faucet prices have little to do with performance. In this situation, you don’t always receive what you paid for!

When speaking of faucets for the kitchen, it’s the external veneer - not the trade name - that ultimately provides long-lasting resilience. Now, who would have thought!

Naturally, forking out additional money does open up more options to choose from. But how do you choose which is the right faucet for your kitchen? Especially when prices extend from $50 all the way to $600 or more! Let’s consider what to keep an eye out for.

The good news is lifetime warranties that cover leaks and stains is about standard in the faucet industry. Thanks to technology, most perform the task of delivering water exceptionally well. Barring the least expensive faucets sold, today’s kitchen fixtures are built with superior valves and hardier finishes. So performance is not a true measuring stick - they all perform reasonably well. What is worthy of paying attention to is what happens to the faucet with day by day wear. Just how does it stay resistant to scratches, stains, bumps and bruises?

What the consumer group elected to do was run their tests on the finish of the faucet and not the product name. Ultimately, this is what you’re interested in when buying a kitchen sink faucet.

Here's a little chemistry 101. Faucet exteriors are assaulted with charged metal atoms. These metal atoms bond chemically to the surface of the base metal by a procedure called physical vapor deposition, or PVD. The thing is that different metals have an effect on assorted finishes. Including nickel and bronze. The assessment team revealed that faucets with PVD finishes stood strong despite their honest attempts to scratch and mar them. PVD finishes are not bullet-proof however and strong corrosives (i.e. drain cleaner) can lightly stain them.

A chrome plated faucet is popular in many kitchens today. Chrome is pretty durable but can be marred with a heavy-duty scouring pad. If you prefer the look of chrome, use care when cleaning your faucet.

Also tested were the single-handled faucets which are a very popular design. They combine spray head and spout for further usefulness and flexibility. But the investigation findings apply to other faucets designs as well.

Bronze offers a distinguished look to the kitchen sink and a fine option if don't desire shiny fixtures. Selecting the right treated bronze is important though. Tests proved that a faucet with PVD finish faired well in abrasion tests but the bronze without the PVD finish did not.

If you’re considering an upgrade to your kitchen, a new faucet will certainly give a whole new appearance to the sink and the total kitchen. Kitchen sink faucets are relatively inexpensive (in comparison to other items in a kitchen remodel!) and impart a unique look you’ll enjoy for years.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: A Delta kitchen faucet can be found in homes around the world. Learn more about Delta and kitchen sink faucets at KitchenSinkFaucetShop.com