Installing a kitchen faucet is a simple project anyone with basic handyman skills can easily master and succeed at. It does not require a professional, and only takes about an hour to complete. A few steps will make your faucet installation more successful, so watch out for common pitfalls.
Our step-by-step guide below will tell you exactly how to install a kitchen faucet and give you tips on how to complete it quickly and professionally!
Step 1
Remove the old faucet. Shut off the water, unscrew the mounting nuts under the faucet handles (use a basin wrench if you have one), disconnect the supply lines and sprayer adapter hose from the base of the faucet. Lift the faucet off the sink.
Step 2
Scrape away the plumber’s putty from the sink.
Step 3
Install the rubber gasket on the base of the new faucet, if the faucet has a gasket. If not, roll out a length of plumber’s putty about two feet long and push it into the bottom of the base about 1/4 inch from the edge of the faucet base. Plumber’s putty seals out water.
Today, most new faucets have a rubber compression gasket that fits onto the bottom of the base to seal out water, so do not use plumber’s putty if your faucet has one of these, you won’t get a water tight seal.
Step 4
Insert the faucet into the sink tap holes. The two kitchen faucet base shafts (the two shafts hanging down from the base of the faucet) slide into the two outside holes on the sink.
NOTE: Centerset and widespread faucets must match your sink tap holes and will not mount on every sink. Learn more about matching faucets and sinks.
Step 5
Thread the mounting nuts onto the faucet’s base shafts and tighten them with a basin wrench, or regular wrench if you don’t have a basin wrench.
Step 6
Connect the faucet supply lines to the base shafts of the faucet and tighten the connectors. Connect the other end of the supply lines to the water pipes. Tighten the connectors to install the kitchen faucet.
Step 7
Turn on the water and check for leaks in your new kitchen faucet installation. Tighten the connections at any point where a leak occurs.
NOTE: If this is a new kitchen faucet installation, install the supply lines on the water pipes and direct them into a bucket. Turn the water on to flush out the new pipe lines. This removes solder, flux and debris from the pipes caused by the installation process, and prevents it from ending up in your faucet where it will clog the cartridge.