Widespread VS Centerset Faucet: Pros, Cons and Differences

When you’re engaging in DIY or having home renovations done, you get to decide almost everything that gets added or changed.

One of the more important rooms is the bathroom, where your morning routine takes place and where you unwind after a long day.

With so many fixtures in the bathroom, you’ve probably never thought too much about the faucets you’re choosing.

They are only a small part of the room, after all.

While they all do the same thing, faucets aren’t made equal.

Two of the most popular faucet types are called widespread and centerset faucets, where the main difference is the handle arrangement.

There are other similarities and dangers, however, and that’s what we’re covering today.

We’ve researched the pros and cons of each faucet type and have summarized what we found below.

What Are Widespread Faucets?

Let’s start with what widespread faucets are. The main thing that makes a widespread faucet stand out is its handles.

In a widespread faucet, the handles are disconnected from the water spout so that it comes in three separate pieces.

Naturally, this means it needs to be installed in a certain way that other faucets, like centerset models, aren’t.

Each one needs to be individually connected to the waterworks of the sink for them to work.

They’re popular for both bathrooms and kitchen sinks but they still have a limit on how far the pieces can be spread out, typically at 16 inches.

Pros

Here are some pros that best explain why widespread faucets are so commonplace in kitchens and bathrooms across the world.

• Adjustability – When the handles are stored away from the faucet, they can be placed even further apart. A centerset unit forces the handles to be part of the tap but this isn’t the case with widespread models.

• Variety – While centerset faucets are quite uniform, widespread faucets can come in a wide variety of art styles and décors. From the Victorian era up to now, there are so many designs that can mesh with the aesthetic of your bathroom.

• Better To Clean – Since there is space between the pieces of a widespread faucet, cleaning them becomes much, much easier. There are fewer tight spaces where dirt can form and grow, so you can keep your bathroom cleaner without spending much effort.

Cons

As for the downside, there are only a few that we can think of.

• Complex Installation: First, the fact that it’s three independent pieces getting installed means that it’s a more complex process. If you’re doing it yourself, maybe that’s not a problem. If you’re contracting the work, however, then it may mean you pay more for a harder job.

• You Need A Lot of Space: Second, they can take up more room than centerset alternatives, though individual pieces will vary in size and cost.

Best Use

With the above in mind, what is the best use of widespread faucets?

If you have a larger sink where a centerset installation wouldn’t look right, a widespread faucet can help cover more surface area to make the sink look more balanced.

Similarly, widespread faucets work well for undermount sinks that are physically built into the counters of your home.

This is because they rely on a tap that needs to be away from the rest of the sink’s waterworks, to arc above it and stand out on the countertop.

Lastly, if faucet holes happen to be spaced 6 or more inches apart, you are going to need widespread faucets. Centerset faucets don’t spread that far, so they are unsuitable.

Also, if there are any corner-mounted faucets, widespread models are necessary there too.

What Are Centerset Faucets?

With widespread faucets covered, let’s get into centerset faucets and what they can be used for.

While widespread faucets can be used in both bathrooms and kitchens, centerset faucets tend to be used as the standard for bathrooms, and it has been this way for many years.

Centerset faucets can’t be spread out like widespread ones can because they keep the handles close.

When you buy centerset faucets, you get just one unit, a block with the faucet spout and the handles already connected and ready to go.

All you need to do is attach it to a base plate and use the provided parts to make sure the water is working. Your local hardware store is practically guaranteed to have a few in stock.

Pros

With these pros, you should start to see why centerset faucets are the favorite of bathroom designers.

• Easy To Install – First, don’t underestimate convenience and how much it influences our buying decisions. By their nature, centerset faucets will always be easier to fit than widespread alternatives. That may be a non-issue if you’re paying somebody else but, if it’s your own DIY, many would advise centerset.

• More Compact – You shouldn’t have many compatibility issues with centerset faucets. While there are some instances where widespread faucets are better, like if there were a corner faucet as outlined above, the smaller build of centerset faucets allows them to fit in almost anywhere.

Cons

The cons of centerset faucets are pretty much the opposite of the widespread faucets.

• For example, the centerset is going to be harder to clean due to the fact it’s a block, not made up of several isolated lights. In that same vein, there isn’t as much opportunity to add décor signals or personal touches to these faucets, making them more boring and appealing less to the eye.

Best Use

As with the widespread faucet, there are contexts where a centerset model is the best for the job.

First, a centerset faucet may only work if you’re at a sink less than 6 inches from the center. If there are more than 6 inches, you’re going to need widespread faucets.

Once that is understood, we can start comparing the two. First, centerset faucets work much better when combined with a pedestal basin sink.

Once again, it’s because these are much smaller than built-in kitchen sinks and so centerset installations are the most feasible.

Then there are drop-in sinks, sinks that have a lip around their perimeter while the basin itself plunges into the surface. They are remarkably similar to undermount sinks but with a steeper decline and centerset faucets instead.

Do Faucets Have To Match?

When outfitting your bathroom with faucets, you may be tempted to make sure that the sink, bath, and any other faucets in the room are of the same kind.

Whether this is for décor purposes or because you prefer everything to be the same, it is possible to get the same bathroom fixtures.

That said, it isn’t necessary and so it’s up to the discretion of the homeowner, as per usual. Maybe you’d prefer to change the faucets for some stylistic reason since you can get faucets in pretty much every style and color.

If you get faucets that are similar but not quite the same, nobody will really notice except for you.

If you can’t get your hands on identical faucets but you want them to match, it’s as simple as matching the color and texture.

With so many colors available, especially ones in neutral metallic colors that are easy to match with one another, matching shouldn’t be a problem for you.

If you can match your chosen décor/style, even better.

Can A Sink Fit Any Faucet?

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that your sink right now will support a new faucet.

As we have stated above, there are holes into which the faucets are placed.

They are inches apart and oftentimes; they’ll be too short or too long for any old handles you have to lie around.

Many sinks have just one faucet hole, some two, others three, and then they could all be different distances away from each other and the center of the sink.

Measure from the outside of one hole to another or keep an approximation if you’ve already installed a faucet there. From there, measure from the center of one handle to the other.

If it is over in 6 inches then you’ll want a widespread feudal.

If it is under 6 inches then you’ll want to get a centerset or at the very least a mini widespread test, if you can.

Widespread Faucet vs Centreset Faucet

Hopefully, this short guide on widespread and centerset faucets is just what you needed to decide between them.

Maybe your decision has already been made up for you due to where you live, or because your sink can’t support larger widespread faucets.

Whichever is the case, you can see which type of faucet would be best for you thanks to the pros and cons we have provided.

For those of you who are preparing for some bathroom DIY, remember that installing centerset faucets tends to be easier than widespread faucets, with small widespread faucets being a compromise between the two.