Kitchen Faucet

Kitchen Faucet Types: Pillar, Wall and Pull-Out

A kitchen faucet takes more use than any tap in the house, and in a Malaysian kitchen it also takes hard water, heat and the splash of a wet kitchen. This category holds pillar-mounted taps that sit on the sink or the counter, wall-mounted taps for a kitchen with the pipe in the wall, pull-out spray mixers, cold-only taps and filter taps. Start with where the pipe is and whether there is hot water at the sink. The style follows from those two answers.

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Buying guide

Choosing a Kitchen Faucet

A kitchen faucet is chosen by the pipe position, the sink and the water first; the finish is the last decision, not the first.

What to Look For in a Kitchen Faucet

Pillar or wall. A pillar tap mounts through the tap hole in the sink or the counter. A wall mounted kitchen tap needs a pipe stub in the wall at the right height. You cannot swap between them without plumbing work, so the pipe decides.

Cold only or mixer. Most Malaysian kitchens run cold water only. A hot and cold mixer needs a hot feed under the sink; on a cold-only line it is a lever that does nothing.

Pull-out spray or fixed spout. A pull-out spray reaches every corner of a big single bowl and rinses a wok without lifting it. A flexible spout swings to a second bowl. A fixed high-arc spout is simpler, with no hose to wear out.

Body and finish. Stainless steel 304 or brass under the finish. Hard water scales the aerator, so choose a tap whose aerator unscrews for cleaning. A matte black finish shows scale; chrome and satin hide it.

Fit, Height and the Sink

Match the tap to the sink. The tap hole is usually 35mm; check it. The spout should reach the centre of the bowl, and on a double bowl kitchen sink it must swivel to reach both. Start from the kitchen sink and choose the tap to suit it.

Height. A tall spout clears a stock pot but splashes on a shallow bowl. Deep bowl, tall tap; shallow bowl, lower tap.

Wall-mounted taps. The spout outlet sits about 200 to 250mm above the sink rim, and the pipe centre is set before tiling. Photograph the pipe before the plaster goes on.

Filter taps. A separate small tap on its own cold line from an under-sink filter. It needs a second hole in the sink or the counter, so decide before the counter is cut.

Common questions

What is the difference between a kitchen faucet and a kitchen tap?

None. Faucet is the American word, tap the British and Malaysian one, and both are used here. Pillar tap, sink tap, kitchen mixer and pull-out tap all describe the same family of fittings.

Pillar or wall mounted kitchen faucet?

It follows the pipe. If the water comes up through the cabinet under the sink, use a pillar tap through the sink or counter. If the pipe comes out of the wall above the sink, which is common in older Malaysian wet kitchens, use a wall mounted tap.

Is a pull-out kitchen faucet worth it?

For a single bowl sink and serious cooking, yes: it rinses a wok in the bowl and reaches the corners. The hose is a wear part, so ask whether it can be replaced. For a small dry-kitchen sink used for glasses, a fixed spout is simpler.

Which kitchen faucet finish is best for hard water?

Chrome or a satin stainless finish, because water spots and scale barely show. Matte black and gold show every drop. Whatever the finish, an aerator that unscrews and a monthly soak in vinegar keep the flow even.

Do I need a mixer if I have no hot water in the kitchen?

No. A cold-only tap is the right choice for a cold-only line. Fit a mixer only if a water heater is planned under the sink, in which case run the second pipe now.

How do I stop a kitchen faucet from splashing?

Match spout height to bowl depth, aim the spout at the drain rather than the bowl wall, and clean the aerator. A tall tap over a shallow bowl splashes whatever you do.

Check whether the tap hole is in the sink or the counter, and its size, before you settle on a style.

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