Which is better for plumbing: PVC or copper?

In practice, the durability difference is real but not as dramatic as it seems. Copper lasts for decades even with direct sun and temperature swings, while PVC in an indoor environment (away from light) easily holds up for about 20-30 years too. The thing nobody really talks about much is that copper suffers with water that's too acidic or too alkaline depending on your region - it can develop holes from internal corrosion even though it's "indestructible". PVC is more predictable in that sense, it doesn't react with water. If your kitchen isn't going to turn into a wet sauna every day, PVC does the job perfectly fine and you'll have leftover cash to spend on other stuff in the renovation.

Are you planning to leave those pipes exposed or hide them inside the walls? Because that really changes the decision.

Looking at it practically, PVC does last for years, but here's the thing: it gets brittle over time if it's in direct sunlight or intense heat (like behind an old fridge that gets hot). Copper is practically indestructible - you see copper pipes in old mansions still working perfectly. The problem is the price is in a whole different ballpark, and you need someone who knows how to solder to install it properly. PVC is easier and cheaper labor-wise.

Here's something nobody mentions: mix the two as needed. Use copper only in the spots that really take a beating (fridge outlet, near the stove, really hot areas) and PVC for everything else. It costs less than pure copper, lasts longer than pure PVC, and you're not locked into one choice. In the kitchen especially, this mix makes sense because you've got zones that heat up and zones that don't.

For the kitchen specifically, what really matters is you don't use PVC in spots near the stove or where it might get direct heat - the material really suffers in that case and ages fast. If you've got the space to keep the pipes away from heat sources, PVC lasts easily 20-30 years and is way cheaper to install. Copper is more fireproof and genuinely more durable, but considering you're doing a kitchen renovation (something you don't do every year), properly installed PVC in an appropriate location gets the job done.

I've had to deal with this at home, and what I've learned in practice is that PVC works well enough, but people sometimes don't factor in the water pressure issue - if you've got high pressure in your system, PVC deteriorates faster over time than copper does. It's worth calling the utility company and finding out what the pressure is in your area before you decide, because that can speed up PVC aging a lot more than just time passing.

I swapped out the pipes in my house a few years ago and I found that copper isn't worth it for a regular kitchen, but I disagree with people who say PVC lasts 25-30 years without worry - it's more nuanced than that. The material itself doesn't age just from time passing, but rather when it's near heat sources (stove, hot water washing machine) or gets really hot water regularly, then it does get brittle. If you can keep the PVC away from those situations - like bringing cold water from the meter, without it passing near hot equipment - it'll run fine for quite a while. What's the exact route of those pipes in your kitchen, will they pass near the stove or the heat zone?

Copper can last over 50 years in a kitchen without any issues, while PVC typically goes about 25-30 years if you keep it away from heat. The real difference is that copper doesn't degrade with temperature or exposure, but in your case what really matters is keeping the PVC away from the stove - if you can get the pipes in a cool area (behind cabinets, inside the wall), honestly it lasts quite a while. Price ends up being the deciding factor for most people, because copper's extra durability sometimes doesn't make up for the much higher cost.