Do You Know How to Install a Kitchen Faucet?

How to install a kitchen faucet! The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home because it has to be functional rather than just look good and provide comfort. The electrical supply has to be safe and suitable and the water needs to work to enable all those lovely labor-saving devices and basic necessities to work. Most of us will happily leave any kitchen repair, renovation, or installation job to professionals, especially when it comes to electricity and water. The risks for an amateur doing the job are quite simply best avoided.

There are some jobs in the kitchen, however, a confident DIYer can undertake. For example, install a new kitchen faucet. When you consider the cost to install a kitchen faucet, if you have the right tools, it is certainly worth thinking about doing it yourself.
There are two key questions: one, is it easy to install a kitchen faucet, and two, how do you install a kitchen faucet?

Installing a kitchen faucet is a straightforward task as long as you follow a good set of instructions. If you have patience and focus, you can definitely learn how to install a kitchen faucet with no problems at all. Here is a handy step-by-step guide for installing a faucet in the kitchen.

Before you even begin thinking about installation, it’s sensible to find out ‘how to choose a kitchen faucet’. The type of faucet might change how you need to approach the installation so understanding the type and which you eventually choose is important.

Types Of Kitchen Faucets

If you want to know how to install a kitchen faucet, you must first need to be acquainted with the types of kitchen faucets. However, you might be surprised by how many different types of faucets there are considering they all perform the same function.

• Single handle: A faucet with a lever or knob that controls both the water flow and temperature.
• Pullout: A faucet with a detachable spray head that can be pulled out for flexible use.
• Two-handle: A faucet with separate handles for hot and cold water control.
• Wideset: A faucet with separate handles and spout, usually spaced further apart for a more traditional look.
• Pre-rinse: A faucet with a high-pressure spray nozzle designed for heavy-duty rinsing in commercial kitchens.
• Side sprayer: A separate sprayer unit is installed beside the main faucet, used for additional flexibility in directing water flow.
• Basin taps: Small faucets typically installed on individual basins, often found in bathrooms or utility sinks.
• Dual handle single hole: A faucet with two handles combined into a single unit that requires a single hole for installation.
• Pot fillers: A specialized faucet with an extended arm or spout, designed for the convenient filling of large pots or containers.

Also under the heading of types of faucets is the different materials a modern faucet can be made from:

• Brass: offers an exclusive look for a reasonable price. Sadly, they are high maintenance as brass typically requires regular polishing to prevent tarnish.
• Stainless steel: nice finish aesthetically but shows fingerprints and watermarks easily.
• Plastic: the cheapest and least durable although they do not rust or corrode.
• Alloy: usually a zinc alloy. Less durable than brass.
• Nickel: exceptionally robust and hides water spots and fingerprints well
• Chrome: tough and scratch resistant. Is also economical.
• Bronze: significantly more expensive than other materials
• Pewter: easy to maintain and provides a vintage look.
• Ceramic: has the advantages of no rust, no oxidation, and no easy wear
• Gold plate: this would be an unusual choice for a kitchen and is best suited to bathrooms.

Another feature to consider is the mounting style:

• Countertop mounted
• Sink mounted
• Wall mounted

How to Install a Kitchen Faucet

1. Gather All Of The Necessary Tools And Materials

The last thing you want to do is set aside time for a project like this only to find that you don’t have everything that you need in order to complete the task. Most of the equipment that is needed for a kitchen faucet change is regular run-of-the-mill stuff you can pick up in any hardware store if you don’t already have it.

• Your new kitchen sink faucet.
• An adjustable wrench.
• Plumber’s tape (often in the form of Teflon tape).
• A towel or a bucket.
• A basin wrench.
• Silicone caulk.
• Channel-lock pliers.

You may end up not having to use every single item listed here, but they cover the full range of what you could possibly need.

2. Prepare The Area

Preparation is a couple of simple but essential steps. The first is to turn off the water supply to the kitchen sink that you are working on (for obvious reasons). The shut-off valve is commonly found underneath the sink but you can also shut off the main water supply stopcock if you prefer.
Place your bucket or towel underneath the sink so that it is ready to catch any water that might end up dripping down during the installation process. It is a good idea to turn the faucet on after you’ve switched off the water supply to empty any remaining water in the pipe and faucet.

3. Remove The Old Faucet

Unless you are about to install a kitchen faucet in a new unit, there will be an existing faucet to remove. Before you start to tackle the kitchen faucet connections, disconnect the water supply lines from your old existing faucet using the adjustable wrench to loosen and remove the nuts that have been holding the supply lines in place.
Then remove the mounting nuts that have been securing the faucet to the sink. These will be located underneath the sink.
Once all nuts have been removed, you will be free to lift the old faucet off of the sink.

4. Prepare The New Faucet

Take the time to read through the manufacturer’s instructions. Your new purchase will come with an explanation of the kitchen faucet setup and instructions for how to install a kitchen faucet. At this stage, if required, you should assemble any components like handles or sprayers that the instructions specify.
Wrap some plumber’s tape around the threaded parts of the kitchen faucet connections, as this is one of the best ways of preventing leaks.

5. Install The New Faucet

Now it is time to install! Position your new faucet into the mounting holes that are on the sink and secure the faucet to the existing structure by tightening the mounting nuts from underneath the sink. If it is a particularly tight space, then you can make use of the basin wrench or channel-lock pliers to reach and tighten everything that needs to be secured.

Once secured, you can connect the water supply lines to the corresponding cold and hot valves that are under the sink. Again, use an adjustable wrench to tighten the nuts as securely as possible. It is really important to double-check that the hot water supply connects to the hot water valve and the same for the cold water supply and valve.

Do one more double-check that everything is corresponding and everything is secured as tightly as it can be, and this stage should be complete?

6. Test The Faucet

Now that you have completed the installation, the next important stage is to test if your work has been successful.
You can do this by slowly turning on the water supply valves that are under the sink. Check for any leaks around the connections and at the base of the faucet.
If you do notice that any leaks are occurring, then they can be fixed by tightening the affected connections. You might also want to consider using some more plumber’s tape in order to create a better seal around the leaking spots. Being underneath the sink and not in direct view, you have a little bit of wiggle room to be as messy and liberal with the tape as you want!

7. Apply The Finishing Touches

Take the time to wipe away any excess amounts of water and debris that might still be present from making the kitchen faucet connections fit together as well as possible.

If you want to, you can also go that extra mile in terms of design and skill by applying a thin bead of silicone caulk around the base of the faucet, at the part where the faucet meets the sink. This will do the job of creating a watertight seal, and it also adds a professional-looking and feeling finished appearance to your DIY job.

With the help of these easy-to-follow instructions, you now know how to install a kitchen faucet! Of course, if you feel that you are not equipped to be able to perform the job for yourself, then hiring a professional plumber is always a sensible and safe way to go. Whether attempting to install a faucet in a DIY fashion or preferring to leave things in the hands of a professional, the main thing is that you end up with a sink and faucet that you can enjoy from both an aesthetic and practical point of view.