The selection of kitchen components, in general, has exploded in recent years. There’s just so much to choose from, and everything seems to be heavily prioritized in design.
So many of the sinks and faucets in homes during your grandparent’s generation may not have been as stylish as you can find today, but they were durable and highly functional.
Yet another difference between Pittsburgh kitchen sinks and faucets today and those of yesteryear is that those of yesteryear were easier to repair. In fact, a steadily increasing number of faucets available on the market today can’t even be repaired.
They’re constructed, so they don’t come apart. Then for those that can be disassembled, by the time they need rebuilding, it’s questionable whether parts for them will even be available. Design trends come and go so quickly that what’s hot today in Pittsburgh sinks and faucets may easily be old hat in as little time as a decade.
Expert Advice on Pittsburgh Kitchen Sinks and Faucets is a Phone Call Away
We learned a surprising fact.
You just can’t go wrong by talking to an expert before jumping into home repair and improvement headfirst. So it just made good sense you give the folks at Kwiatkowski Plumbing a call at 412-681-9525 to see what plumbers in Pittsburgh had to say.
Pittsburgh plumbers install kitchen sinks and faucets in Pittsburgh regularly, so they would be the folks to talk to. The first helpful tip we picked up revolved around mineralized water. Tap water is hard in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
So the company rep on the other end of the line advised us to pick up some CLR while we were out shopping and use it periodically to keep the sink and faucet spigot screen free of white crusty buildup.
He also warned us that scrubbing with a metal scouring pad would damage a porcelain sink.
He said to use a small glass with a bit of CLR and hold it up to the faucet once a month or so to stay ahead of calcite build. He also told us it was a good idea to pick up some garbage disposal cleaner to use on it as well.
Avoid Sensory Overload When Shopping for Kitchen Sinks and Faucets
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by choices and options.
Another great tip that we picked up while talking to plumbers in Pittsburgh was to avoid being overwhelmed with choices and options in design Styles and color schemes while out shopping.
There are just so many to choose from. So the right choice must be made because it’s difficult to return kitchen sinks and faucets. This particularly holds true if they’re special order.
We’re going to be looking at and using them every day, so it’s imperative that there be no regrets about the selection. It was suggested that the last thing we should do is charge right out and start marching up and down the aisles looking at display models with the intent of making our selection that day.
Instead, we were advised to do what can best be described as reverse selection. That is, in the beginning, focus on eliminating what you don’t want. Narrow our list down as far as possible first. By doing that, we can eliminate clutter when we finally come to the actual selection.
Form Over Function or Function Before Form?
Remember that you have to use them.
If you’ve been looking at kitchen sinks and faucets in Pittsburgh, then you already know that design styles have multiplied exponentially. It’s nice to take it all in, but some really are a bit extreme.
So we were told to keep in mind that in the end, kitchen sinks and faucets are there to perform a function. Ease of use, functionality and easy maintenance should all go into the decision-making process, right along with any design feature that is caught our eye.
Porcelain sinks look great and are available in just so many unique colors. But if you use stoneware or heavy cast-iron cookware, both can easily chip porcelain.
Then one faucet design style that’s caught wind in recent years loops up high with a distinctive arch at the top. Some models also have a retracting spray faucet spigot.
They look great, but it’s imperative to remember that the higher a faucet is off a countertop, the more leverage it has at the base. So they’re well known for coming loose and beginning to wobble if too much force is used.
What about DIY Installation for Kitchen Sinks and Faucets in Pittsburgh?
It’s possible, but knowledge is the key to success.
The folks at Kwiatkowski Plumbing also had some great tips to pass on to us if we planned on doing our own installation. We were advised to keep that in mind as we were out shopping because some designs and styles are more difficult to install than others.
Also, if ours was to be a replacement installation, it was imperative that whatever sink we bought had to fit correctly into the existing cut-out hole that was previously occupied by the sink that we removed.
So we were told to take lots of pictures and if at all possible, bring the old sink with us when we went to make the purchase. By doing this, we could comparison check to be sure that it would be a perfect fit.
The same thing applies to kitchen faucets. Whatever we bought had to be able to fit into the new kitchen sink.
That is to look carefully at the opening or openings that the new faucet was going to be mounted in to make sure that any faucet purchased had the matching mounting scheme.
Then if we’re going to be doing the work, every Pittsburgh plumber we talked to advised us to reach down and pick up any sink we’re considering buying to make sure that it’s not too heavy. Enamel cast iron sinks, in particular, can weigh a ton.