A new kitchen faucet can enhance the appearance of your kitchen and improve its functionality. Installing a kitchen faucet is a much easier job than you think.
If you're willing to take the sink out of the countertop, install the new faucet and put the whole assembly back in, you can save yourself a lot of trouble. The other option - wedging yourself underneath the cabinet - will force you to contort to reach everything while working. Visit About.com's Home Renovation channel for a video tutorial on removing a sink for this part of the project.
Items Needed
Before you install a kitchen faucet, you will need:
- New faucet set
- Flashlight
- Cleaning supplies: vinegar, razor blade, steel wool pad, towel
- Basin wrench (unless your faucet set includes a tool for tightening the nuts)
- Silicone caulk
How to Install a Kitchen Faucet
- Shut off the water supply to the sink before you begin. You can shut off the water main (which supplies the entire house), or you can turn off the water supply using the valves under the sink. Turn on the old faucet to make sure you've shut off the water supply.
- Use your basin wrench to loosen the nuts that hold it in place. Bottom-mounted faucets are connected above the sink; top-mounted faucets are secured on the bottom. A top-mount always has a base plate; a bottom-mount's parts will mount independently through the sink holes. Because nearly every faucet available today is a top-mount, that's what we'll talk about here. Whether you've pulled the sink out or are working in the space below it, the process is the same.
- Once you've removed the nuts that hold the faucet in place, disconnect the water supply lines, keeping a towel handy to sop up any spills. Clean the sink surface to remove any crud that's accumulated. A mix of vinegar and hot water will soften the mess, then you can remove it with a razor blade or steel wool pad. If you're going to remove the sink for the project, now is the time.
- If your new faucet came with a rubber gasket, you can skip this step. Otherwise, squeeze out a smooth line of silicone caulk onto the bottom and inner edge of the base plate of the faucet assembly. Then press it firmly into place so you'll have a watertight seal.
- Next, get back under the sink and place the washers and nuts on the protruding stem pieces. Just tighten the nuts slightly for now. If your faucet didn't include a long socket for tightening those nuts, you'll find it easiest to use a basin wrench.
- Make sure the faucet base plate is lined up straight and everything is where you want it, and then finish tightening the nuts.
- Whenever you change out a faucet, it's good practice to replace the supply lines as well. Connect them to the shutoff valves as well as to the new faucet from below. You won't need tape or putty because the supply line connections are self-sealing. Tighten everything before turning on the water supply.
- Test for leaks. Run the cold water first, examining under the sink for any leaks. Do the same for the hot water. Then check the faucet fixture from above, making sure no water is leaking from under the base plate.
Tips
- Remove the sink. It gives you complete access to the mechanicals without cramming yourself under the countertop and makes the job so much easier.
- When working under the sink, use a bag of kitty litter to lean on, so you don't bruise your ribs on the edge of the sink cabinet.
