Your options for your kitchen faucet's main material pretty much come down to solid brass or plastic. Kitchen sinks are one of the most functional elements in any kitchen.

Internally, your kitchen faucet will control the flow of water using rubber washers, a plastic or ceramic cartridge, a plastic, brass, or stainless steel ball valve, or a ceramic disk.

Installing a kitchen faucet into a new sink is simple because you can do it before setting the sink in place, with full access to the faucet parts, including the hard-to- reach mounting nuts.

If the sink is already in place, replacing a kitchen faucet can be a challenge since your only access is from under the sink. Depending on your circumstance, you may find it easier in the long run to remove the sink first.

After installing your new kitchen faucet, remove the aerator from the faucet and flush the lines to ensure that any debris does not clog and reduce the water flow. Many new faucets require some assembly before mounting to the sink; if that is the case, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Insert the rubber gasket between the base plate of the kitchen faucet and the sink top to create a watertight seal. If no gasket is provided, pack the cavity of the faucet with plumber's putty, then inserts the faucet body through the holes in the sink top.

Thread the mounting nuts provided onto the faucet shafts, then center the threaded shafts in the sink's holes and tighten the nuts firmly.

Hook up the kitchen faucet's hot and cold supply lines to the water supply shutoff valves under the sink. Simply wrap a couple of turns of pipe-wrap tape around the threaded nipples on the valves and connect the tubes. Tighten the nuts with an adjustable wrench.