The hardest part of this job is working in a cramped space under the sink. Make things comfortable. Remove cabinet doors, hook up a work light, and cushion the floor with a drop cloth or towels. If you're installing a sink at the same time as a faucet, attach the faucet to the sink before you install the sink.

 

A beautiful faucet in a
beautiful setting.

• New faucet and mounting hardware
• Gasket or plumber's putty
• Tongue-and-groove pliers
• Basin wrench
• Screwdriver

 

The above illustration shows a
lever-type faucet, which has the
water-supply inlets in the center.

1. Remove the old faucet. Shut off the water. If your faucet has a sprayer, remove the hose from the faucet body. Unhook the supply lines and move them out of the way. Use the basin wrench to remove the mounting nuts holding the faucet to the sink. If old locknuts will not come loose, try penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, tap the nut loose with a hammer and screwdriver. Lift out the faucet and clean away the old putty.

 

Shown above is a traditional
faucet setup, with separate
hot and cold handles.

2. Secure the faucet to the sink. Install a gasket or a rope of plumber's putty beneath the new faucet and set it in place. With a helper holding the unit in position, fasten the mounting nuts and washers. Whatever faucet you choose, it will have one of two types of supply connections: flexible copper supply inlets in the center of the unit requiring compression fittings or hand-tightened supply hoses located under the hot and cold handles.

3. Attach the sprayer (optional). If your faucet has a sprayer, mount the hose guide and thread the hose through it. Secure the hose to the spray outlet of the faucet.

 

Make the supply line nut tight,
but not too tight; see Step 4.

4. Connect the supply lines. If your lines attach under the handles: Brush the inlet threads with pipe joint compound or wrap them with Teflon tape. Twist the supply line nut on and tighten it by hand. Use a basin wrench or pliers to tighten it about a half-turn further -- not too tight or it might crack. Connect the other end to the shutoff valve in the same way. If you have flexible copper inlets: Take special care not to twist the copper tubes. If they become kinked, the faucet will be ruined. To avoid straining the copper tubes, use two wrenches.

5. Turn the water back on and check the connections.