Bathroom faucet HELP!

[noodleoo]

Hi All!  I don't post here but I'm hoping you guys can help me out.  Our house was a new construction and last year the builder grade bathroom faucets finally crapped out so we replaced them all (5! we have a lot of bathrooms LOL).  We went with Sundae by Kohler from Home Depot.  It has been about a year and the finish on a bunch of them started peeling off!  It looks horrible and I'm shocked, I assumed Kohler was a good brand.  H wrote the company and they are actually giving us a full refund, which is amazing.  But now we have to pick out new ones.  We don't really like anything else at HD/Lowe's and I'm worried about quality, but we went to a Build.com showroom and holy crap the prices range from $200 to over $1000 EACH for faucets.  

So does anyone have advice on what brands are good quality and will last?  Any recs for faucets?  We like brushed nickel finish since it matches our other hardware and my style tends to be transitional (not a fan of anything too modern or country/farmhouse).  I think I'd be willing to pay around $200 - $400 each if they will last longer than the HD variety.

This is the one we liked that peeled:

KOHLER-Sundae-8-in-Widespread-Double-Handles-Bathroom-Faucet-in-Vibrant-Brushed-Nickel

[RockNVoll]

My understanding is that the versions of name-brand faucets and fixtures sold at big box stores are often made of inferior components than the same lines sold by professional supply stores like F.W. Webb or Ferguson's. So I wouldn't swear off Kohler so much as change who you buy from.

DH, who knows a lot about manufacturing processes, says it's common for companies to make product changes--sometimes minor (color), sometimes major (plastic vs. metal components)--so retailers can claim an "exclusive" version or sell at their preferred price point. He also said you could compare warranties on supposedly the same product from two different retailers to give you a clue on quality.

[InBetweenDays]

We have Kohler, Grohe, and Toto faucets in our bathrooms. We got them all from a local plumbing supply store (through our contractor when we renovated our house). The Kohler ones we have are widespread like yours and were around $600 each. The Grohe and Toto are single handle and less expensive. We've been in our house for 15 years and haven't had any issues with the finish.

[deadwing]

I had to replace my kitchen faucet a couple of years ago. I bought Moen based on the advice of a friend in plumbing. It's holding up well.

[SusanBAnthony]

When we remodeled our bathroom we were shocked that plumbing fixtures at big box stores are now plastic. What the heck?!?

We ended up getting all the fixtures from Ferguson (they have showrooms local to us). We have been happy. The ONE fixture I grabbed from HD is the only one that's broken in 3ish years.

[Susie]

Feb 1, 2024 15:33:50 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

My understanding is that the versions of name-brand faucets and fixtures sold at big box stores are often made of inferior components than the same lines sold by professional supply stores like F.W. Webb or Ferguson's. So I wouldn't swear off Kohler so much as change who you buy from.

DH, who knows a lot about manufacturing processes, says it's common for companies to make product changes--sometimes minor (color), sometimes major (plastic vs. metal components)--so retailers can claim an "exclusive" version or sell at their preferred price point. He also said you could compare warranties on supposedly the same product from two different retailers to give you a clue on quality.

My FIL is a kitchen & bath designer by profession and he has always warned us of this.  He really likes Kohler, but not Kohler by way of a big box store.

We have Kohler toilets, tubs, and sinks, but we've never landed on Kohler for faucets, just by chance/aesthetics. We've had Moen and Delta that we've bought either direct from manufacturer online or via a plumbing supply company, and they've all been good.

[nicolewi]

Moen, Kohler, and Delta are all good. Or you can go higher but those brands are a LOT more, typically. I helped my parents choose stuff for their condo and we spent a crazy amount of time at Ferguson 2 years ago!

If you line up a plumber, your plumber may be able to get you a discount at a major supplier like Ferguson, which saves a LOT. I'd look into that first before ordering something. That's pretty important. I.e. their condo complex got a discount off the sticker price of everything at Ferguson, and when we did a remodel at my house, our plumber was able to get us discounts also if he bought items on his account and charged us.

[simpsongal]

Ditto OPs - I've bought from Ferguson/build.com and Wayfair and gotten good products from the above-referenced brands. I've seen up/down reviews on Signature Hardware, so I'd go w/the brands mentioned above. We did Brizo for our primary bath (a Delta brand) - one fixture had a finish option after 2 years and they just sent a replacement.

[ewall]

I bought nice American Standard faucets for our bathroom 6 years ago. Expensive from Ferguson. We just had to replace both of them (actually one had already been replaced under warranty and needed done again.)

The kids' bathroom had an off brand from Build.com Those quit working within about 4 years. Like water just didn't come out anymore??? How???

Anyways, I just bought 2 clearance Moen faucets from our local Lowes for our bathroom. $60 each, I don't care if they last at that price point, but I hope they do because they are pretty! Went with Moen because our kitchen faucet is Moen and has held up beautifully.

www.lowes.com/pd/Moen-Rinza-Spot-Resist-Brushed-Nickel-2-handle-Widespread-WaterSense-Bathroom-Sink-Faucet-with-Drain/1002274038

Kids' bathroom got Delta faucets from Home Depot. I suspect they will not last based on squeakiness of the handles/their plastic guts.

I bought an inexpensive Jacuzzi brand faucet for our powder room which has been solid.

Faucets are the worst!

[Pilsy]

I've heard the same thing about products from HD, but my bathroom faucets came from a plumbing specialty store where my plumber had a discount, and we're having the same issue!

It's been about 8 years since we installed them, and I can't remember if they're from Delta or Moen (we bought some of both and I don't remember which bathroom got which brand), but the oil-rubbed bronze drain fixtures are losing their finish. The faucets are ok so far, but the pieces down in the bowl of the sink look like chrome now. Annoying.

[pierogigirl]

All of our bathroom faucets are Kohler from a plumbing supply store. All were in the $600 range, but they feel substantial and the finish looks perfect.

[libbygrl109]

Any plumber we ever did work with has always recommended Delta as their top choice. We've bought faucets from both the big box stores and from plumbing supply sites, and I can definitely tell the difference in the quality of construction.

[lo]

We also use Kohler and of course the ones I like are all the pricey lines, but I’ve had luck buying open boxes on Amazon and new in box from EBay. I’ve also just had to suck it up and pay full price for a few things, but they hold up well.

[redheadk]

Feb 5, 2024 10:43:05 GMT -5 lo said:

We also use Kohler and of course the ones I like are all the pricey lines, but I’ve had luck buying open boxes on Amazon and new in box from EBay. I’ve also just had to suck it up and pay full price for a few things, but they hold up well.

I was just about to suggest Amazon Open Box, too. Check who it's from, I bought a very expensive Roman tub faucet as an Open Box item through Amazon, the seller was build.com. It looked completely brand new when I got it, everything was still in the original wrapping. I saved a ton. 

If you stay with the same brand, you can likely use the existing rough-in valves and just replace the actual faucets which will save you some $$$ on install. You could even potentially do it yourself it you or your DH are handy.

[dr.girlfriend]

We got these Miseno ones through build.com based on the recommendation of one of the consultants. IIRC we specified no plastic parts, and they've held up really well.

www.build.com/miseno-mno641l/s1963677?uid=4647303&searchId=Mbv3YjeL4G

I had bought fixtures from Wayfair, etc. in the past, but honestly to save $50 on the initial purchase doesn't mean much when it results in having to replace in a few years, especially for us since we are NOT handy and would have a plumber do it.

I think if you do the online chat with build.com the CSR will create a "project" for you and give you 10% off.

[Roc A Bee]

My dad is a plumber and has said it doesn’t matter what store to get the faucet. I just put in a delta faucet from Costco. No regrets here.

[noodleoo]

Feb 10, 2024 20:48:44 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

We got these Miseno ones through build.com based on the recommendation of one of the consultants. IIRC we specified no plastic parts, and they've held up really well.

www.build.com/miseno-mno641l/s1963677?uid=4647303&searchId=Mbv3YjeL4G

I had bought fixtures from Wayfair, etc. in the past, but honestly to save $50 on the initial purchase doesn't mean much when it results in having to replace in a few years, especially for us since we are NOT handy and would have a plumber do it.

I think if you do the online chat with build.com the CSR will create a "project" for you and give you 10% off.

Ooh I really like this one! Thx! 

we ended up replacing the worst one with a Delta model from a hardware store. I couldn’t decide and we needed to get it done. We’re going to see how it works for a few months before we switch out all the rest. Luckily H is handy and is able to replace them himself, which makes it easy to do them one by one. 

[justemily]

Knock on wood... have never had any issues with faucets besides the kitchen sink faucet, which I guess gets the most use.

I love the choices linked by the others!

[stemmie]

My nephew has a plumbing business. For basic faucets, he likes Moen as they stand behind their products.

He and other plumbers I've had do projects have cautioned me that what you find at big box stores is not the same quality as what is available to the trade.

Faucets can be $$$. in the last basic hall bath I did, the faucets, handles, shut-offs were more than either the fixtures (including a real cast iron tub) or the Italian tile.