Replacing your kitchen sink and faucet … all by yourself
When our kitchen faucet started leaking beyond repair, it was clear we needed to buy a new one. But if we were going to replace the faucet, it made sense to get rid of the perpetually grimy (not-so-stainless) stainless steel kitchen sink.
We knew we did not want stainless steel after five years of staring at the scratches and stains on our current one.
We went to Kent and chose a chip-resistant BLANCO Vienna two-bowl granite kitchen sink and a Taymor faucet with a really high arc.
The boxes were barely in the house before we excitedly dove into the project.
After the plumbing was unhooked it was time to take out the yucky old sink. We ran an X-acto knife around the lip to break the seal and lifted it out pretty easily. The hole it left behind looked huge and it was strange seeing sunlight peeking through the crack between the cabinet doors.
There was a minor hiccup when we went to hook up the new faucet: the water lines were too low so we needed to extend them. It required a quick trip back to Kent for a CinchClamp kit and a second set of shut-off valves, but the modification went smoothly.
Then it was time to dry-fit the sink — exciting! We’d hoped it would drop in smoothly because we were nervous to cut into the countertop, but it needed some extra room around the top. I used a Sharpie to trace the paper template that came in the box and my handy husband carefully jigsawed out a hunk of countertop we didn’t need.
The real trouble started when it came to putting the plumbing back together. One pipe was too short and another was too long. We bundled up the kids and ran back to Kent in search of “join-y bits” so we could modify the pipes.
I found something called a union and we figured it was what we needed, along with a spare ABS pipe and some stinky yellow glue for sealing it all together.
Back at home, I put the kids to bed while my husband sawed new lengths of pipe and tried to reassemble the drainage system. He got it all put back together, ran the water . . . and it leaked.
There was cursing.
“But you did 95 per cent of it perfectly!” I was practically wringing my hands at this point, wondering if it was time to call in a professional.
“It doesn’t matter! It either works or it doesn’t!”
He was right, even though he could have done without the dramatic toss of the dish towel.
There was more fiddling with pipes, more leaking and more cursing. He’d fix one spot and then suddenly things wouldn’t line up under the other sink. Let’s just say it was a difficult evening that tested our marriage, OK? …
Continue reading in my weekly DIY column, My Handmade Home
Continue reading in my weekly DIY column, My Handmade Home
Thanks to Kent Building Supplies for providing us with the BLANCO Vienna sink so we could tackle this project (we purchased the faucet ourselves). As always, all opinions and plumbing mishaps are my own.
5 Comments on “Replacing your kitchen sink and faucet … all by yourself”
So what do you think?
As featured on …
Heather's Handmade Life 
Fantastic timing because we plan to get a new sink with some Christmas money and I not only LOVE the sink you chose but you've also laid out the steps for us! THANK YOU!
LikeLike
Love this. It's great that you share the ups and downs of your DIY adventure. These types of projects are things we can do on our own, but because they are not a regular project, there are usually bumps along the way.
It looks amazing!!! great job to you and hubby 🙂
LikeLike
WOW!!!
LikeLike
Looks great! Been wanting to change our kitchen sink for the longest time… hard water has taken a toll on it. Maybe going with a darker color would be a good solution. Love this!
LikeLike
I like kitchen sink you bought. I want the same one. Thank you for sharing! You know, when I decided to repair my kitchen, it was very important to use services of a high quality plumber. One good man told me I can find a plumber here https://youdo.com/india/delhi-services/repair-renovation-services/plumbers/
LikeLike