How to Measure a Bathroom Faucet

For a successful installation, the bathroom faucet must fit the sink. You can get an approximate measurement for a replacement faucet with your existing bathroom faucet in place. For precise measurements, however, you will need to remove the faucet and handles from the sink. Before taking the faucet off, be sure to turn off the water line to the sink. Have a towel and bucket handy to catch any water that might drip.

The tools and materials you’ll need to measure for a bathroom faucet are:

• Wrench
• Pliers
• Screwdriver
• Tape Measure
• Pen or Pencil
• Notepad
• Towel
• Bucket

If you have a widespread or centerset faucet mounted to your sink with three holes, you’ll need three faucet measurements. The first is the faucet center.

A three-hole faucet includes the left handle, the faucet itself and the right handle. For an approximate figure, measure from the center of one sink handle to the center of the other handle. For the most accurate measurement, remove the faucet and handles from the sink. To get the faucet center, measure from the center of the hole in the sink on the far left to the center of the hole on the far right. Faucet center measurements can be anywhere between 4 and 16 inches.

The faucet height may refer to the distance between where the faucet is installed on the sink and the highest point of the faucet. This term may also be used to reference the distance between the faucet base on to the sink and the point where the water comes out of the faucet. Take both measurements for your existing faucet. As you shop for faucets, look at all the faucet dimensions to make sure the new one will be a good fit.

The best faucet height allows room to wash your hands or to fill a small container, but won’t be so tall that water splashes out of the sink. You also want to make sure that the curve of the faucet doesn’t block existing bathroom features, like a mirror or medicine cabinet.

The spout reach tells you how far the faucet hangs over its base into the sink. This measurement is needed for all faucet types.

You’ll want to choose a faucet with a spout reach that allows water to flow into the middle of the sink. If the spout is too close to the back of the sink, you won’t be able to get your hands under the water to wash them. If the spout comes out too far, the water may not be contained by the sink.

To find the ideal spout reach for your bathroom sink, measure from the center of the faucet base to the center point of the drain. You’ll get a more accurate measurement by removing the faucet and measuring from the mounting hole toward the drain.

The faucet’s spout reach should cover between 25 and 50 percent of your sink. Ideally, the flow of the water will go right into the drain. A spout reach of between 4 and 8 inches should work well for most bathroom sinks.

A common sink fixture is the 4-inch center set faucet. To measure this type of faucet, follow the guidelines for finding the faucet center, the spout reach and the faucet height.

A bathroom faucet is considered widespread if the distance, or spread, from one handle to the other is between 8 and 16 inches. To measure this type of faucet, you’ll want to know the faucet center, as well as the spout reach and faucet height.

With a single-hole faucet, the sink handle and faucet are all one piece. This fixture is mounted to the sink with a single hole instead of three holes. The faucet center for a single-hole faucet is fixed, so you won’t need to measure it. You will still need to measure the spout reach and faucet height to make sure your new fixture is a good fit, however.

Installing wall-mount faucets is more complex than sink-mounted fixtures. Because this type of faucet is difficult to adjust once it’s installed, accurate measurements are very important. If you already have a wall-mounted faucet in your bathroom, measuring it is a straightforward process. You won’t need to remove the fixtures to measure the faucet.

To measure the faucet height, go from the sink or countertop to the base of the faucet mounted in the wall. When installing or replacing a wall-mounted faucet, avoid putting it up too high. The further the faucet is from the sink, the more the water will splash as it hits the bowl. Most wall-mounted bathroom sink faucets would work well at 3 to 6 inches above the countertop.

To find the faucet reach, measure from the wall to the end of the faucet. Because wall-mounted faucets are mounted behind the sink, rather than on it, they are typically longer. You’ll need to make sure that the faucet goes far enough into the sink to allow the water to hit the mid-point of the bowl.

If you’re thinking about installing or replacing a wall-mount faucet, you may want to consult a professional rather than doing the project yourself.