How to choose... A Kitchen Tap

The Five Fs for choosing a kitchen sink tap + 8 bonus tips!

By Alex

Fixing

The first thing to think about when choosing a kitchen sink tap is it’s fixing or mounting. Where are you going to attach it? Kitchen sink taps can be mounted three ways: either to the sink itself, to the bench, or to the wall behind the sink. This will largely be determined by the type of sink, unless of course you are choosing your mixer first. If you’re sink has a tap hole in it, then you’ll need a sink mounted mixer (which is the vast majority of kitchen tapware available), if you’re sink does not have any space for a tap on it then you will need bench or wall mounted tapware. Bench-mounting should not restrict your choices too much, just think about the length of the outlet and make sure it is long enough to reach well over your sink. Wall mounting will completely change the options available.

Forme pull-down sink mixer - modern sink mixer in chrome or chrome and black.
15 year cartridge warranty.

You may want wall-mounted tapware to keep the bench free of obstacles to cleaning. In which case you will need either a three piece sink set consisting of a wall top assembly (hot & cold taps) and a wall outlet (usually a gooseneck shape). The other wall mounted option would be to have a wall mixer (like the ones for showers) and a wall outlet.

Form

The form of the sink tapware i.e. it’s shape is arguably the second most important F word when it comes to selection. This includes considering the aesthetics of your kitchen, your home, and the prospective new tapware. For example if your home is modern throughout then you would want to stick to modern sink mixers, if you’re going for a very specific look then you want a tap that matches. There are sink mixers to suit kitchens that are Industrial, Black & white themed, Scandinavian minimal, Traditional, or Material focused. Besides aesthetics, the form of the tap is also important for your kitchen habits and lifestyle. If you hand wash a lot of big pots then you want a tap with an upswept form leaving plenty of room underneath.  

Bold sink mixer by Federico Castelli and Antionio Gardoni. Made in Italy by an award winning manufacturer. Each item is created from premium solid cast, de-zincification resistant brass. Custom finsihes available.

Function

Next, think about what functions you would like in your sink tap. Are you buying one specifically to have boiling water available at any instant? If so, would you also like chilled water? What about sparkling? All of these functions are available but are not super popular yet. Most functions that people consider are a pull-out handpiece, or multifunction sprays (for example one for rinsing dishes and vegetables, as well as the standard spray).

Kuad sink mixer - square sink mixer in chrome or matte black.
15 year cartridge warranty.

Finish

Considering the finish of your prospective sink tapware is important because it allows you to match it with the rest of your kitchen. Think about your kitchen hardware like cabinet handles, think about your appliances, and your fittings such as lights. You may have white cabinetry and handles with chrome light fittings so a chrome or chrome and white tap would suit. You might have matte black handles so a black mixer would look great. Or you might want something to match stainless steel and go for a brushed finish or stainless steel tap.

Adagio sink mixer - Modern sink mixer in chrome, matte black, black & rose gold, or white & chrome.
15 year cartridge warranty.

 Feel

Lastly, you want to consider the feel of the tap, that is the ergonomics. How does the handle feel in your hand and is it easy to control. Tapware that has fiddly handles might start to annoy you after a while. Also, ask the tap retailer about the cartridge quality, this will often determine how easy the handle and therefor flow is to regulate.

Tetris sink mixer in chrome and black. Also available in chrome, matte black, brushed nickel or black & chrome.
15 year cartridge warranty

+8 Bonus tips!

1. Maintenance

All tapware requires maintenance of some sort. People forget about it because there is very little to do. However, sink tapware probably needs the most attention. All you need to do is keep it clean (with warm water and a soft cloth), and make sure it is always mounted tightly (once a year tighten the nuts underneath with a shifter or tube spanner). That’s it, you should get at least 15 years out of the cartridge.

2. Swivel or fixed?

Make sure the tap swivels. Sink taps that don’t swivel are pretty rare, but people do get caught out by accidently purchasing fixed ones – which I imagine would be far from functional.

3. LED lights

Many sink mixers are available with LED lights in the outlet that change colour depending on water temperature. Besides being a great visual cue for water temperature, it also adds a welcome dose of fun to your kitchen design.

4. WELS & WaterMark

As with all tapware always make sure your sink tap is certified by WELS and WaterMark. There are many important reasons including health reasons, some tapware that doesn’t meet Australian standards can cause lead contamination of which there is no level low enough to be safe. Especially for your kitchen tap check with your retailer that it is certified to these two standards. We do not sell any tapware that is not suitably tested and certified.

5. Quality

You want tapware that is durable so you only ever need to buy it once. Brass is the most durable material for tapware so make sure whatever you’re looking at is made from brass, including the handle (there seems to be a trend towards using cheaper material for the handle which is really not worth it since the handle is…you know, what gets handled). The cartridge is the main wear component so check the warranty covers that, our standard cartridge warrant is 15 years.

6. What are you paying for?

To get quality doesn’t always mean paying more. Think about the input costs on the tap you are looking at, many of them might be of no value to you. Are you just paying for brand prestige, the supplier’s overheads like advertising, or small production runs? For example if you buy one of our custom finished taps you will be paying a lot more because we need to electroplate just one tap at a time. Similarly if you buy from a company that has 300 stores overheads to cover, and TV ads running then a portion of the tap cost needs to cover those costs. Brand prestige might be an important factor to you, but it is always worth trying to seek out lesser known brands that can still deliver quality, and better value.

7. Water pressure

Double check your water pressure fits within the manufactured recommended range. If you have gravity fed hot water (hot water service in your roof) you will need special tapware. Contact us for more info.

8. Check the handle won’t hit splashback or wall

This is the last bonus tip. This issue doesn’t come up very often, but often enough that I thought it was worth mentioning. If you have a very small gap between where the tapware is mounting on the sink or bench and the wall behind then it is worth measuring to make sure the tap handle doesn’t hit the wall.

That’s it! Now you’re a kitchen tapware expert. Happy shopping.

Radius goose neck sink mixer in brushed gold - pin-lever sink mixer. Also available in chrome, matte black, or brushed nickel.
15 year cartridge warranty.