How to Install Kitchen Sink Faucet
The kitchen faucet is one of the most vital tools in our kitchen. It is necessary for cooking, cleaning, and prepping food. The kitchen sink faucet also helps to define the kitchen’s style and expression of your individual taste. When my husband and I bought our home, we found ourselves doing minor upgrades to the space to make it our own. The one thing that has been on our to-do list for quite some time was the replacement of the kitchen faucet. Our faucet was simply dated and worn. We finally took the plunge and changed out our kitchen faucet.
Follow along as we show you how to DIY and install your own kitchen faucet like a pro, saving you time and money. This DIY kitchen faucet replacement can be done in less than an hour following these simple steps.
Why Replace the Kitchen Sink Faucet?
The Kitchen Faucet is one of the most used items in your home. However, over time it can begin to wear and may need a refresh. In our case, the existing kitchen faucet in our home was quite dated and not as functional. Our faucet didn’t quite match the house’s aesthetics, nor did it match the hardware throughout the kitchen. The existing cabinet handles were matte black affixed to white cabinets and granite countertops with hues of black and brown. The old faucet was more of a chrome color finish with a separate sprayer that hardly worked. The setup just wasn’t a fit for us, and we desperately needed an upgrade. A new kitchen faucet would instantly transform our kitchen.
The thought of replacing the old kitchen faucet ourselves was intimidating at first, but the benefits of having a shiny new faucet far outweighed this feeling. In addition, the high labor costs of hiring a licensed plumber were not quite within our budget. So once we figured out the basic tools and steps needed to install the kitchen faucet, we were quickly empowered to tackle this project. This was a quick and easy DIY Kitchen Update You Can Do in One Day.
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How to Choose Your Faucet?
When choosing a new kitchen sink faucet, you must start by creating a checklist of must-haves when it comes to the faucets. There are so many different types of faucets to choose from, so it’s important to find something that fits your needs. For us, it was important for the kitchen faucet to have the following:
- A built-in sprayer that can get to all the hard-to-reach areas and crevices of the sink. Our existing faucet had a separate sprayer which hardly worked, was clunky, and made the countertop area feel crowded.
- A sprayer hose that can reach over the countertop to fill up a large pot or bucket that might not easily fit in the sink. I have two toddlers at home, and they create quite a bit of a mess. I often find myself mopping and cleaning up the spills on the floors, so having a faucet that can quickly fill a bucket, was extremely important to me.
- It must be a single-handle faucet for convenience and ease of use – I love multitasking and find it much more efficient to turn on the kitchen faucet with one hand while doing something else (like holding a pot) with the other.
- Easy to adjust the temperature and flow of water
Other things to consider when choosing a faucet
Brand – Historically, brand name kitchen faucets such as Kohler, Moen, and American Standard were the go-to brands for the kitchen and plumbing-like fixtures. However, over the years, more and more competitors have entered the market offering well-made, high-quality, easy-to-install options. The quality of these products has improved dramatically. It also helps that you can now search for a specific faucet and find countless reviews on the product and its quality.
Finish or color – The color you choose will depend on your existing hardware, how it compliments your space or your personal preference in color. We decided we needed a Matte Black colored kitchen faucet as it complimented the existing hardware in our kitchen.
Style – when it comes to style, choosing a faucet that compliments the way you cook and clean in the kitchen is essential. You can select a one-handle faucet vs. a two-handle kitchen faucet, a pull-out faucet vs. pull-down, or a touchless faucet. The choice is yours to make.
Sink setup – Before shopping for your faucet, you must ensure you find a faucet that can seamlessly attach to your existing sink. To do so, you will need to consider the number of holes in the sink. You can find this out by looking under your sink to see the number of openings. You may have anywhere from one to four holes.
Installation of the replacement faucet will go the smoothest when you select one that fits the same hole configuration. Three hole faucets typically have separate hot and cold handles, while a one-hole faucet will have a single handle that mix the hot and cold water when turned on.
The chosen kitchen faucet
I opted for the Kraus Oletto Single Handle Kitchen Faucet in Matte Black. This particular faucet looked sleek, clean, and modern, and it came with an all-in-one pull-down sprayer hose. It is beautifully made. It also had excellent reviews on Amazon, which made us more inclined to move forward with it.
However, this particular Kraus faucet does not come with a deck plate (also known as an escutcheon plate) to cover the sink hole. So if your faucet has extra holes, a deck plate is a must. The only exception is if you plan to install a soap or water dispenser, then it may not be needed.
Step-by-Step Guide on How To Install Kitchen Sink Faucet
Supplies Needed
- Kitchen Faucet – Kraus KPF-2820MB Oletto Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet
- Adjustable Wrench and Pair of Pliers – I used the 8-piece Irwin Vise-Grip GrooveLock Pliers Set. It is my go-to for most home DIY projects
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Teflon Tape or Pipe Tape
- Safety Glasses (for protection)
- Deck Plate or Escutcheon plate
- Flashlight
- Plumber’s Putty
Most of these supplies can also be found at your local home improvement store or hardware store.
Step 1. Remove all items from underneath the kitchen sink and countertop
The first thing you want to do is remove all items from the countertop and underneath the kitchen sink. You want to have a clean surface above and below the countertop. I find that it’s much easier to work this way. Also, you don’t want to accidentally get things wet or damaged while performing this installation.
Step 2. Gather tools and check the manufacturer’s box for all parts
The next step is to get all the tools and parts together. The last thing you want to do is start the project only to find out that pieces are missing, and then you are left without a kitchen sink until you can get all the supplies together. You can typically check the installation guide of the particular faucet, which will have a diagram and parts list.
Step 3. Turn off the hot water and cold water line
You must shut off the water supply valves from under the kitchen sink. Changing your faucet usually involves a fair amount of crawling around under the counter. Turn the valves to shut off the water to prepare for faucet removal.
Step 4. Remove the old faucet
You will need to get down and dirty and go under the kitchen sink by laying on your back and looking upwards. Much of the work will be done on your back from here on out. Each water supply line (hot and cold) is connected to a valve by a threaded nut. Unscrew the nut using a wrench.
Disconnect the water supply line on both sides and remove the old supply line connections to your faucet. Once this is done, you can then remove the faucet. There may be leftover water that will spill out. You can clean up the area with a piece of paper towel or a rag.
For your personal protection, you may want to wear safety glasses to protect yourself from falling objects. You may also want to use a flashlight or your cell phone light to see better in this tight space.
Step 5. Clean the area surrounding the sinkholes
You will need to clean the surface where the old faucet used to be. There will likely be lots of buildup of gunk and dirt.
Step 6. Install the new faucet
Place the deck plate over the holes. You want to make sure the deck plate is watertight. Often the plate will need to be caulked or sealed with plumber’s putty. Then position the new faucet through the hole in the countertop. Once it is in, you need to go under the countertop and secure the faucet using the rubber washer, metal washer, and mounting nut provided. Then you will tighten the screw.
Once the screws are tightened, push the quick connector firmly upward and attach it to the receiving block and then pull down slightly to ensure the connection has been made. Depending on the type of faucet you buy and the number of holes, there may be a slight variation here, but not much. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions here as well.
Step 7. Install the weight Clip
The weighted clip helps to keep the sprayer hose inside the faucet. Affix the weight clip to the sprayer hose from below the kitchen faucet.
Step 8. Connect the Water Lines to New Faucet
Wrap a small piece of Teflon plumber’s tape around the valve to ensure a firm grip. Then attach the waterlines to the valves and tighten until snug. Once complete, you can turn on the cold and hot water lines and check for leaks or dripping of water. This is to ensure you don’t have a leaky faucet.
Step 9. Flush out the new faucet
Pull the hose assembly out of the spout and remove the spray head by unscrewing it from the hose in a counterclockwise direction. Be sure to hold the end of the hose down into the sink and turn the faucet on to the warm position where it mixes hot and cold water. Let the water run and flush the water lines for about a minute. This flushes away any debris that could cause damage to internal parts.
Re-tighten any connections if necessary but do not over-tighten. Reinstall the spray head by hand, tightening it back onto the spray hose. This is the final step. This is to ensure that the faucet is working correctly.
I hope you found this helpful. You don’t have to be an experienced DIYer or plumber to complete this installation. This DIY kitchen faucet installation is a great introduction to the art of plumbing. It is also an easy home makeover idea you can do on a tight budget.
So, what are you waiting for? Take a stab at it. For more Kitchen DIY projects, check out How to Install Soap Dispenser in Kitchen Sink.
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