Replacing a Kitchen or Bath Sink and Faucet

Replacing kitchen and bath sinks and faucets are a mystery to most people because they work for a long time and probably were installed before ownership. A very strict process needs to be followed to make the replacement painless.

Unless the sink tops are to be replaced you must pick a replacement sink that fits the original cut out, fortunately there are lots of selections, but you must keep this in mind when making a selection.

Replacing the sink and faucet requires that the water be turned off at the shut off valves under the sink. A kitchen sink will more than likely have a garbage disposal and the electric must be disconnected so turn off the breaker. Now disconnect the drain lines.

After all electric and water are disconnected the sink must be loosened from underneath to be removed. There will be some sort of clips that hold the sink and they must be turned so the sink will lift out. After the sink clips are loosened and turned gently push up on the sink to break it loose from the counter top and lift it out. Now the new sink and faucet replacement can begin.

To replace the sink and faucet begin by attaching the new faucet to the new sink. Put the new faucet on the sink before attempting to replace the sink. The new sink will have predrilled holes and the faucet will fit in these holes. Following the manufactures instructions, set the faucets in the holes and gently tighten the faucet into place, do not over tighten. Next attach the water lines to the faucet, the sink is still out of the hole, until they are tight, but not too tight, the lines need to be tight enough not to leak. Install the sink drain being careful to get all the parts in the right order and put plumbers putty under the lip of the drain and then tighten and clean off any left over putty.

Setting the sink is the next step. Around the opening run a bead of silicone caulk to set the sink in, but not too much caulk. Gently drop the new sink and faucet assembly into the hole and gently press down to seal the caulk to the sink. Underneath the sink tighten the sink clips until the sink is tight in the hole. Now connect the water lines to the shut off valves, not too tight. The drain lines are next to be connected and this may require some new drain lines depending on the depth of the new sink. If installing a kitchen sink, after the drain lines are connected you can connect the garbage disposal. Remember to connect the electric to the disposal. Now if all is installed correctly you should be able to turn on the water and nothing will leak.

If all this seems like a complicated project, replacing a kitchen or bath room sink can be done quickly by a professional and the professionals will do the installation for very competitive prices.