Kitchen faucet / sink advice

[RnR]

Just wondering which is better in the kitchen for a "rental" home? If it matters, we live in a hard water area and will have a professional do the installation.

a) stainless steel sink or enamel sink (new formica will surround it)? (pro's and con's for each please; brands recommended or to be avoided)

b) single handle or 2 knob faucet ? (pro's and con's for each please; brands recommended or to be avoided)

My goal would be hopefully for low maintenance / durability. I wonder which faucet is cheaper to maintain if you hire a handy man to do the work ie: faucet seats vs. cartridges? Usually our tenants aren't too harsh on the home but I don't expect them to treat it like they own it either.

Is it typical for most single handle faucets (Moen comes to mind) supplied with a lifetime parts warrantee? Any brand have a better warrantee than Moen (easier or faster to get parts)?

[DK]

The only rule I would follow is to avoid the really cheap stuff. No, a second rule is to buy the products locally where the parts are available locally. My Walmart and a couple of hardware stores fit the bill for that and the prices are about the same as the big box stores.

[Bas Pluim]

I'd go for a stainless steel sink. Any kind of damage (dent, scratch) will be lot less visible than a chip in an enamel sink. It is also much harder to really damage a steel sink.

As far as the faucet goes, the number of knobs doesn't say much. Just buy a decent quality faucet and it will last a long time. Buy a name brand faucet (Delta, Moen, Price-Pfister, etc.) so you can get spare parts easily.

HTH.

RnR wrote:

[Charlie Bress]

I used to like Moen but no more. I had a single handle Moen in that was less than 7 years old. There is what I consider a serious design flaw. There is a part inside called the pivot retainer. It serves as the link between the handle and the cartridge. This part was made of plastic. One day it broke apart. This happened as the handle was being raise to call for water. When it broke we had a good flow of water but no way to shut it off by using the handle.

I shut it off using the shutoffs in the supply lines and called Moen. True they were going to send the replacement part. I would get it in a few days. I told the rep that if I had to wait a few days without the use of the kitchen sink, I would go to HD and buy a Delta. She was kind enough to overnight the part.

I have since replaced the Moen with another make. I won't say what brand as it has not been long enough to get a good history.

Charlie

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Enamel sinks chip. SS sinks last for many years and can still be polished with just a sponge and cleanser. Don't get the cheapest, but don't get hte best either for this application.

As for the faucet, Moen or Delta single lever. Both are fairly trouble free, easy to repair, easy to find parts. Do NOT buy the cheap imitation that looks like Delta. They are not nearly as durable and will cause problems after a couple of years.

[Phisherman]

No brand is foolproof and without maintenance issues. I'd go with a Delta and SS sink--a brand you can find readily find parts, and not too expensive.