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Kitchen Sink Faucets: Deck-mounted vs Wall-mounted

The first decision you should make before buying a kitchen faucet is if it will be installed on the countertop or on the wall behind it.

After you know which is best for you, check the article on faucet types. There you’ll decide the number of holes and handles on the faucet and its features.

Now let’s see the difference between wall-mounted and deck-mounted kitchen faucets.

Deck-mounted Kitchen faucets

Deck-mounted faucets are installed on the back of the sink or on the countertop behind the sink.

There are several installation types and styles of deck-mounted faucets, undoubtedly the most common placement in kitchens.

Pros

• More simple installation: you don’t need to embed the pipes in the wall.
• Versatility: the wires are under the countertop and can be easily adapted.
• Of course, this also makes the maintenance much easier. If you get a leaking faucet, you can probably fix the problem without opening the wall.
• Can be used in a greater range of layouts. It’ll work for deeper countertops, countertops on front of windows or island countertops.

Cons

• Takes up more countertop space. Not ideal for narrow countertops.
• Causes an obstruction on the countertop, making it harder to clean and dry.

Wall-mounted Kitchen faucets

Quite rare in kitchens, wall-mounted faucets are recommended for some cases.

Pros

• Saves room behind the countertop. If you need a narrower sink in order to save up space in the kitchen, this faucet is a good call.
• Makes the countertop easier to clean, with no hardware behind the sink causing any obstruction.

Cons

• More difficult installation: you need the plumbing made for the exact location where your faucet should be placed.
• Less versatile: in case of a change of faucet, you’ll need to either get a model of the same type of the previous piece, or to have a plumber adapting the wires behind the wall.
• More difficult maintenance, since the wires are all embedded in the wall.
• Should only be used for narrow countertops on front of a wall. For bigger sinks, deeper countertops, larger kitchens, it gets uncomfortable to reach the faucet when it’s installed on the wall, distant from the counter front.

There are some specific cases when wall-mounted faucets are more commonly used:

Which is better for you?

The first thing to consider is your current situation. If you’re just replacing the faucet, you can follow the same type you already have so you won’t need to adapt your plumbing.

After all, both types have a great variety of nice models and you can get a good-looking kitchen one way or the other.

If you’re building a new house or completely renovating the kitchen, you can choose either type.

You should choose a wall-mounted faucet in case you need a narrower countertop or a pot filler behind your stove. Or if you already have a wall-mounted faucet to be replaced.

If none of these is your case, a deck-mounted faucet is a cheaper and more simple choice. Because they are more common, they will also offer a greater variety of models and special features, as you can learn by reading the article on faucet types.

You may also want to read our article on kitchen countertop dimensions. There we get more specific about deep countertops, that should have a deck-mounted faucet, and narrow ones, that should have a wall-mounted faucet.