Brass Bridge Faucet Buying Guide: Holes, Spread, Handles and Sprayer

Updated 10/10/2026 JGD Editors

Buying Guides Unlacquered brass bridge faucet with cross handles above a white farmhouse sink in a green kitchen

A brass bridge faucet stands on two posts and joins them with a horizontal tube, so the hot and cold supplies meet above the counter rather than underneath it. That single piece of geometry decides everything about whether one will fit your kitchen, because the two posts sit a fixed distance apart and your counter has to have holes at exactly that distance.

The number is 8 inches, centre to centre, on almost every model sold. Across seven independent workshops we read in September 2026, 54 faucet listings give a figure for the spread, and 42 of those 54 listings say 8 inches. Six inches is the only real alternative, named in 9 listings.

The problem is that half the bridge faucets on sale do not tell you. Of the 53 bridge faucet listings we read across those seven workshops, 26 state a spread and 27 do not. That is the one fact you cannot fix after the box arrives, and it is the fact the sellers are worst at publishing.

What does a bridge faucet need in the countertop?

Two holes at 8 inches apart, and nothing else if you skip the sprayer. A supplier of traditional tapware puts the rule plainly: bridge faucets are designed around an 8-inch center-to-center spread between the hot and cold mounting holes.

Centre to centre means you measure from the middle of one hole to the middle of the other, not from the near edge of one to the near edge of the next. On a three hole sink drilled for a conventional mixer, the two outer holes are usually the pair you want and the middle one gets covered or used for the sprayer.

This is where a bridge faucet differs from the pull down mixer it usually replaces. A single hole mixer arrives with a deck plate, a flat oval cover that hides whatever holes it is not using. A bridge faucet has no deck plate, because the bridge itself spans the gap. The look is the reason people buy them, and it is also the reason there is nowhere to hide a hole that does not line up.

Count your holes before you count anything else, because the number you have decides which half of the catalogue is open to you. A sink drilled for one hole cannot take a bridge faucet without new holes cut in the counter beside it. A sink drilled for three can take almost any bridge faucet, with the spare hole used or covered.

Four hole sinks are common on older American kitchens, drilled for a mixer, a sprayer and a soap dispenser. The two outer holes are still your pair, and the two in the middle become the sprayer and whatever else you want, or brass covers.

There is one measurement people get wrong here, and it costs a counter. The 8 inches is the distance between the two holes you will use, not the total width of the faucet. A bridge faucet with an 8 inch spread is 11 or 12 inches wide overall, because the handles sit outside the posts. Check the run of counter you have between the sink and the wall before you order a wide one.

Two hole models are the simplest fit and the easiest to plan around, because there is no third hole to find.

Unlacquered brass two hole bridge kitchen faucet with an arched spout — Two holes, 8 inch spread, and the listing says so in the title. $518 to $612. See it at The House of Brass

Arched unlacquered brass two hole bridge kitchen faucet with a side sprayer — A two hole gooseneck, four variants. $480 to $720. See it at Zayian

Antique brass gooseneck bridge kitchen faucet with cross handles — A two hole gooseneck, four variants. $480 to $720. See it at Zayian

How do you find the spread before you buy?

Measure your own holes first, then ask the workshop for theirs in writing. Both halves matter, because the listing may not have the number and a handmade faucet may not match a factory drawing.

To measure, put a tape across the counter and read from the centre of the left hole to the centre of the right hole. If you have a three hole sink, the outer pair is almost always 8 inches and the centre hole sits between them at 4 inches from each. If you get 6 inches, you are not stuck, because some workshops make both.

One of the seven workshops sells several of its bridge faucets in both sizes, so the spread is a variant you pick at checkout rather than a fixed property of the design. Its antique bridge faucet is offered at 8 inch standard with 6 inch also available, and its gooseneck bridge comes in 6 inch or 8 inch as two variants. Ask before you assume you need to redrill.

The second number is the diameter of each hole. Kohler states that the hole size of the sink should be 1-3/8″ in size, and a stone fabricator agrees that a standard single-hole faucet almost always needs a 1-3/8″ (35 mm) opening. Handmade brass does not always follow that. One workshop lists a sprayer that is optional, with or without a matching side sprayer, and another will fit a side sprayer or cover the hole with a matching brass hole cover, if you say so at checkout. That hole cover is the detail worth knowing, because it is how you use a three hole sink with a two hole faucet and still have it look deliberate.

One warning about what the sprayer actually does on a handmade faucet. A CopperKesh listing describes a sprayer that has one line of water, cold or hot. A single supply sprayer is not a mixer, so it gives you one temperature and not a blend. If you rinse dishes with warm water that is a real difference from the pull down mixer you are replacing.

Sprayers are also the least documented part of the category. Of the 338 faucet listings we read, 39 mention a sprayer at all.

Traditional unlacquered brass bridge kitchen faucet with a matching side sprayer

Unlacquered brass three hole bridge kitchen faucet with cross handles and side sprayer — Says three hole in the title, which is the clarity you want. $600 to $720. See it at Zayian

Brass bridge kitchen faucet with a side spray on a kitchen counter — Publishes the sprayer height at 5 1/2 inches. $699 to $799. See it at Moroccan Interior

Cross handles or lever handles?

Both work, and the choice is about hands rather than looks. Cross handles are the shape people picture on a bridge faucet, four spokes that you turn. Levers are a single arm you push.

The accessibility standard is the useful guide here, because it was written by measuring what hands can actually do. The US Access Board requires that operable parts be usable with one hand and not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, or more than 5 pounds of force (lbf) to operate. It also notes that standard U-shaped pulls and lever-shaped handles are acceptable.

A cross handle can pass that test, because you can turn one with a flat palm or the side of a fist rather than a pinch. A small, tight, decorative cross on a stiff valve cannot. So the question to ask a workshop is not which shape it is, it is how much travel the valve has and how hard it turns. On a handmade faucet, that varies between pieces in a way it does not on a factory mixer.

There is a second reason to think about it before you commit. Two handles means two hands, or one hand used twice, every time you change temperahandle one first if you can.

A third arrangement exists and is worth knowing about. Some bridge faucets put the handles on the front of the posts rather than on top, which puts them further from the splash and lower down.

Unlacquered brass gooseneck bridge kitchen faucet with cross handles and curved legs — Cross handles, and the spread is a variant at 6 or 8 inches. $320 to $531. See it at The House of Brass

Farmhouse unlacquered brass bridge faucet with dual lever handles — Levers, for wet or weak hands. Six variants. $449 to $730. See it at Zayian

Unlacquered brass bridge kitchen faucet with curved legs and front mounted handles — Handles on the front of the posts, 19 inches tall. $429. See it at The House of Brass

10 inches of reach, and let the space above the sink decide the height.

Reach is how far the spout comes out over the bowl. It decides whether the water lands near the drain or near the front rim. A farmhouse sink makes this harder than a drop in, because the bowl is wider and the faucet sits further back. A copper sink specialist notes that a farmhouse sink can protrude approximately 2 1/2 inches at the front of the cabinet, which pushes the whole bowl forward relative to the tap.

The workshops that publish a reach cluster between 7 and 10 inches. One tall bridge lists a spout reach of 10 inches, and a low profile model in the same range lists the same 10 inch reach at 9.5 inches of overall height. That pair is the clearest illustration of the point: the same reach, at half the height.

Height is about what is above the sink, not about the sink. A tall gooseneck lets you fill a stockpot, and a supplier notes that high-arc (gooseneck) faucets provide generous clearance for filling tall stockpots and maneuvering oversized cookware. The cost is splashing, because water falling further hits harder, and a window sill or a low shelf above the sink can stop a tall faucet fitting at all.

Published heights in this category run from about 9.5 inches to 19 inches, so the range is wide enough that guessing is a mistake. Reach is the better documented of the two. Of the 338 faucet listings we read, 159 give a spout reach and 15 give a spout height.

Workshop	Bridge faucets read	State the spread	Typical spread	Reach published
The House of Brass	20	17	8 inches, 6 on request	7 to 10 inches
Kinycraft	14	0	not stated	not stated
Zayian	13	3	8 inches	rarely
Moroccan Interior	5	5	8 inches	7.5 to 10 inches
CopperKesh	1	1	8 inches	10 inches
Artihand	0	not applicable	not applicable	not applicable
Rod and Rails	0	not applicable	not applicable	not applicable

Read across seven independent workshops in September 2026, covering 53 bridge faucet listings in total.

17.5 inches tall, 10 inch reach. For a deep bowl and no shelf above. $437 to $669. See it at The House of Brass

Same 10 inch reach at 9.5 inches tall. This is the one for a window sill. $420 to $517. See it at The House of Brass

Traditional high arc unlacquered brass bridge kitchen faucet — A high arc with six variants to pick from. $390 to $720. See it at Zayian

Deck mount or wall mount?

Wall mounting solves the hole problem by leaving the counter alone. It moves the difficulty into the wall instead, where the pipes have to be in the right place before the tiles go on.

A deck mounted bridge faucet stands on the counter or on the sink deck. A wall mounted one comes through the tiles behind the sink, so the counter needs no holes at all and the area behind the tap is a flat surface you can wipe. For a stone counter you do not want to drill, or a sink with no tap deck, that is the answer.

The cost is that the supplies have to be in the wall at the right height before the tiles go on. Getting that wrong is an expensive correction, and it is not a job you can defer. Wall mounted models are also normally sold at a fixed spread in the same way deck models are, so the two posts still have to line up with the two pipes.

Prices here are lower than you might expect, because a wall mount bridge has fewer parts than a deck mount with a sprayer. A

Unlacquered brass wall mounted bridge faucet with a gooseneck spout — No holes in the counter, and the cheapest route into the look. $390. See it at The House of Brass

Unlacquered brass wall mount bridge faucet with cross handles and a gooseneck spout — Cross handles, wall mounted, one price. $360. See it at Zayian

Unlacquered brass wall mount kitchen faucet with a sprayer and cross handles — Wall mounted with a sprayer, twelve variants. $590 to $625. See it at The House of Brass

Will it fit a thick stone countertop?

Ask for the thread length, because a thick counter can leave nothing for the nut to grip. A 2 cm slab is safe, and anything from 4 cm upward is worth checking before you order.

Each post passes through the counter and is held from underneath by a nut on a threaded shank. The shank has to be longer than the counter is thick, with enough left over for the washer and the nut. A 2 cm quartz slab is not a problem. A 4 cm mitred edge, or a stone slab on top of plywood, or a stacked butcher block, can be.

This is worth raising with a workshop rather than a factory, because handmade brass is often made to one length and not offered in several. If th is done wet with a diamond core bit, and the 1-3/8″ (35 mm) opening is the standard size a fabricator will cut. Two new holes at 8 inch centres in an installed slab is a real job with real risk, and it is the reason a wall mounted faucet sometimes wins on cost.

While you have the fabricator there, check the drain. A standard kitchen drain is 3 1/2 inches in diameter, which is a separate opening in the sink and nothing to do with the faucet holes, but it is the other measurement people get wrong on a new sink and faucet together.

What does unlacquered brass cost you in upkeep?

Nothing in money, and one decision in advance. You are choosing now whether you want it bright in a year or dark, because that choice sets how often you polish it.

Unlacquered brass has no coating, so it changes from the day it is fitted. One hardware maker describes how from the moment it’s installed, unlacquered brass begins to oxidize because it’s exposed to air, moisture, and the oils from your hands. On a kitchen faucet that is faster than on a door handle, because the tap is wet several times a day.

Daily care is water and mild soap. Perrin and Rowe advise you to clean with liquid soap and water and pat dry after use to avoid hard water spots, and Newport Brass warns that soaps, acidic fluids and astringent cleaners can damage the finish and lists ammoniated products, rubbing alcohol, bleach-based cleaners and harsh polishes as things to keep away from it.

If you want it bright rather than aged, polishing is the answer and it is a choice you repeat. A fixture maker says unlacquered brass can be polished twice a year or as often as once a month, and warns that most polish formulas are corrosive to some countertops, like marble or wood, which matters when the faucet is standing on the counter you care about. Avoid metal polish on anything lacquered, because metal polishes such as Brasso will strip or cloud the protective coating.

One thing to know before you buy, not after. A living finish is normally outside the warranty. Waterstone states plainly that any pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux, and the EPA notes that certification requirements became enforceable on September 1, 2023. Common yellow brass is C36000, a 35+% zinc leaded brass, so asking a workshop which alloy it uses and whether the piece is certified is a fair question for a kitchen tap. Our guide on unlacquered brass covers the finish in more detail, and the does unlacquered brass tarnish guide covers how it ages year by year.

Flow rate is settled by law and not by the workshop. Federal standards require that all lavatory (bathroom/restroom) and kitchen faucets and faucet aerators manufactured and sold in the United States after January 1, 1994, must use no more than 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm), measured as a 2.2 gpm at 60 psi maximum flow rate standard for all faucets (both kitchen and bathroom). Some states are stricter, and WaterSense labeled fittings go lower again.

What does a brass bridge faucet cost across the workshops?

From about $300 to about $900 across the seven workshops we read. What moves the price inside that range is how many parts arrive in the box, not the metal.

The cheapest bridge faucets we read sit near $300 and are single finish, two hole, no sprayer. The dearest approach $900 and arrive with a side sprayer and a separate filtered water tap on the same deck. In between, the choice is usually whether the sprayer is included.

Brass and copper are priced similarly in this category. One workshop’s antique copper bridge with a 17 inch height and a 10 inch reach starts at $297, while another’s polished copper bridge with a side sprayer and a drinking water dispenser runs from $799. Both are solid brass underneath, finished differently.

The workshops do not overlap as much as the range suggests. Reading the bridge faucets at each of the seven shops in September 2026, the cheapest workshop starts at $297 and tops out near $670. The dearest starts at $699 and reaches $899. One sits in the middle at $360 to $819, and one has a single bridge model at $400 to $570. So the shop you pick sets your bracket before the model does.

Three things move the price inside a shop. A side sprayer is the largest single addition, because it is a second fitting with its own post and its own supply. A separate filtered water tap on the same deck is the next, and it is what takes a faucet past $800. Overall height is third, because a tall gooseneck is more brass than a low profile spout.

What does not move the price much is the metal. Brass and copper sit in the same brackets across these shops, because a copper faucet here is normally solid brass with a copper finish rather than a different alloy.

Set your budget against the fitting, not only the faucet. If you need two new holes cut in an installed stone counter, that cost is real and it can exceed the difference between a $400 faucet and a $600 one.

Antique copper solid brass bridge kitchen faucet with cross handles — The cheapest way in, and the spread is adjustable at 6 or 8 inches. From $297. See it at The House of Brass

States the 8 inch centre and the 3 hole layout. Sprayer, drain and soap dispenser optional. $450 to $720. See it at Zayian

Polished copper bridge kitchen faucet with a side sprayer and separate drinking water tap — Sprayer and a separate drinking water tap, which is where the price goes. $799 to $899. See it at Moroccan Interior

Can you get a discount on a brass bridge faucet?

Sometimes, and it is worth two minutes before you pay full price. Workshops this size run codes directly rather than through the big coupon sites, so the code is often on the store’s own newsletter or nowhere at all.

We check codes in a real basket before we publish them, and we take them down when they stop working. The current ones are on the Faucets and Taps page, and the store pages for Zayian and CopperKesh carry whatever is live for those two.

A second saving that is not a code. Ask about the sprayer as a bundle rather than buying it separately later, because several of these workshops price the pair below the sum of the parts.

So, what should you buy?

Measure first. Put a tape across your existing holes, centre to centre. If it reads 8 inches you can buy almost anything in this guide. If it reads 6 inches, ask for the 6 inch variant, because one of the seven workshops makes both sizes on several models.

Then answer three questions in this order.

How many holes do you have, and do you want a sprayer in one of them. How much room is there above the sink, which decides tall against low profile. Cross handles or levers, which is about hands and not about style.

Only after that does the finish matter, and the finish is the easy part.

If you want the look without drilling a stone counter, the wall mounted models are the quiet answer, and they are cheaper than most deck mounted ones. If you have a farmhouse sink, take the 10 inch reach and not the 7 inch one, because the bowl sits further forward than you think.

Our brass faucet with a stainless steel sink guide covers mixing the tap with a sink you already own, and the copper farmhouse sink guide covers the sink side of the same decision.

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