How Finishing And Styling Affects The Price Of A Faucet – Style Guide Final Part

Up until now, I have mostly discussed different styles, talked about new innovations and introduced a few concepts that you were probably unaware of. After my last post, The Shape Of Things To Come I have been asked how style affects the price of a faucet. Well honestly, style isn’t all that governs the price. What does affect the ultimate price other than style, functionality and brand name is the finishing. I have discussed in brief, finishing in the buying guide, in fact I consider it a major factor in deciding the right faucet for your kitchen. However, in this post, we will look at how the cost changes with finishing and style.

Consider matte finishes with a softer glow such as satin chrome or stainless steel. These finishes are like the gold standard for any kitchen. It goes well and coordinates rather easily with a spick and span kitchen having stone countertops, plenty of modern appliances. While both have a similar texture and color, the finishing differs, Chrome is more resistant to scratches and smudges but it costs twice more than stainless steel.

Yet another finishing that adds plenty of glamour to any kitchen is polished nickel and reflective chrome. Retro faucets too use both these finishes a lot. In fact, any touchless faucet usually relies on these two types of finishing. Naturally, such a finish is going to cost a lot. Be prepared to pay more than stainless steel and satin chrome finish if you are interested in a shine and reflective glow from your kitchen faucet. But you can be rest assured that such a finish will last a long time since both the textures are completely resistant to corrosion, abrasion, smudges and damage.

Another finish in strong demand at present is Bronze. This is the standard look for warm radiant kitchens. A few newer variations such as oil-rubber bronze, brazen bronze, mahogany bronze, antiqued copper, distressed antique nickel, gunmetal, venetian bronze and others fall under the rustic category. Thankfully, such a finishing does not add much to the cost and you can find some functional and worthy faucets in less than $200 that will last a lifetime.

If your budget is limited and functionality more important than styling or finishing, consider black painted faucets. These are the new “hot stuff” right now. It is simple, elegant and easy to maintain. You can find different materials used for a black finish starting from bronze, nickel, steel to satin brushed brass. Likewise, the price depends entirely on the base material used for the finishing. Thankfully, black finish costs less than $150 to start with.

While good looking, and decent faucets today can come for less than a few hundred bucks, don’t be surprised to find a few innovative and newer models costing above thousand dollars. This is especially true for European brands that price their faucets at par with the level of uniqueness of their styling. A top European brand can set you back by $1000 for a simple faucet, which would otherwise cost you no more than $300 if it were an American or Asian brand. I am not going to contest the fact that for good design and quality, you must pay high but anything above $1000 is absurd for a kitchen faucet.

Thankfully, you need not spend thousands of dollars for exotic styling. Price points are governed by the uniqueness of a particular style and as more brands start manufacturing similar products, knock-offs, you can expect showroom models to drop their hefty asking rates. Just beware, the quality may not be the same. As long as you keep a budget of over $200 and under $600, you can find some nifty, functional and sleek looking faucets from decent brands that use ceramic disks, magnet locking technology, inner sheathing, high quality filters and solid brass or stainless steel finishing. Such faucets are actually cheap if you look at the longevity. Eventually every faucet will wear down and need replacement, so if a hundred dollar faucet lasts a good one year but a thousand dollar design breaks down in five, you still are paying way more than you should be.

It is a difficult decision whether to pay high get a top-of-the-line faucet or squeeze your budget down and settle for an affordable, yet stylish faucet. My advice, pay only what you are willing to spend and get the best styled faucet for your kitchen.