How to Replace a Kitchen Faucet Without Losing Your Mind (Or Flooding Your Kitchen)
I've replaced exactly seventeen kitchen faucets in my lifetime. The first one took me six hours and resulted in a minor flood that warped my cabinet floor. The most recent one? Forty-five minutes, including cleanup. The difference wasn't just experience—it was understanding that replacing a faucet is less about brute force and more about respecting the peculiar logic of plumbing.
Most people approach faucet replacement like they're defusing a bomb. They shouldn't. It's more like assembling furniture, except the instructions actually matter and water is unforgiving when you mess up.
The Truth About What You're Getting Into
Your kitchen faucet is probably held in place by a combination of rust, mineral deposits, and sheer stubbornness. If it's been there more than five years, those mounting nuts underneath have likely formed an unholy alliance with the sink basin. This isn't meant to discourage you—just to prepare you mentally for what's ahead.
The good news? Modern faucets are designed by people who apparently remember what it's like to install them. Gone are the days when you needed three elbows and a helper with tiny hands. Today's models often come with mounting systems that would make a 1980s plumber weep with joy.
Before you even think about buying a new faucet, you need to understand your sink's personality. Yes, sinks have personalities. Some have three holes, some have four, and some have one giant hole that makes everything easier. Count your holes. Measure the distance between them. This isn't optional—it's the difference between a faucet that fits and an expensive paperweight.
Tools and the Art of Being Prepared
You'll need a basin wrench. I don't care what YouTube told you about using regular wrenches—get a basin wrench. It's the gangly, awkward-looking tool that seems poorly designed until you're lying on your back under a sink, and then it becomes the most brilliant invention in human history.
Beyond that, gather:
- Adjustable wrenches (two, because Murphy's Law is real)
- Plumber's putty or silicone sealant
- Teflon tape
- A bucket (not a bowl, a bucket)
- Towels you don't care about
- A headlamp or flashlight
That last one is crucial. Under-sink work happens in darkness. Phone flashlights are useless when you need both hands. I learned this after dropping my phone in the garbage disposal—while it was wet.
The Removal: Where Things Get Real
Turn off the water supply valves under the sink. Turn them clockwise until they stop. Then turn on the faucet to release pressure and confirm the water is actually off. I once skipped this verification step and learned that "mostly off" is very different from "off" when you're disconnecting supply lines.
Place your bucket under the supply line connections. Even with the water off, those lines hold more water than physics suggests they should. Disconnect them from the shutoff valves first, not from the faucet. There's a reason for this that involves gravity and the aforementioned bucket placement.
Now comes the wrestling match with the mounting nuts. They're up under the sink, behind the basin, in that spot where no human arm was meant to reach. This is where your basin wrench earns its keep. The nuts will resist. They always do. Sometimes I wonder if they're installed with some kind of permanent adhesive at the factory.
If you're dealing with a really stubborn nut (and aren't we all?), penetrating oil is your friend. Spray it, go have coffee, come back. Patience here saves knuckles and sanity.
Installation: The Path to Redemption
Installing the new faucet should theoretically be the reverse of removal. It never is. Each faucet manufacturer has their own interpretation of "universal" mounting systems. Read their instructions. I know it goes against every instinct, but these instructions were written by someone who's watched a thousand people mess this up.
Most modern faucets come with a gasket that goes between the faucet base and the sink. If yours doesn't, or if you have an uneven sink surface, use plumber's putty. Roll it into a snake, make a ring around the faucet holes, and press the faucet down into it. The excess will squeeze out—this is good. Wipe it away before it dries.
The mounting system will likely involve some combination of brackets, washers, and nuts that seem to multiply when you're not looking. Dry-fit everything first. Make sure you understand which piece goes where before you're lying under the sink trying to hold three things at once.
Supply Lines and the Final Connection
Here's something nobody tells you: supply lines come in different lengths, and the ones that come with your faucet are invariably six inches too short. Measure from your shutoff valves to where they'll connect to the faucet, then buy lines that are slightly longer. Loops are fine; strain is not.
When connecting supply lines, hand-tight plus a quarter turn is usually enough. Over-tightening is the enemy of washers and the cause of future leaks. The same goes for the connections at the faucet—firm but not forceful.
Before you declare victory, remove the aerator from the faucet spout. Turn the water on slowly and let it run for a minute. This flushes out any debris from the new lines and the installation process. I've seen brand-new faucets clog on day one because someone skipped this step.
The Moment of Truth
Turn the shutoff valves back on slowly. Listen for hissing. Watch for drips. Check every connection point. Run the faucet through all its functions—hot, cold, spray if it has one. Look under the sink while it's running. Leaks love to hide until you've cleaned up all your tools.
If everything stays dry, congratulations. You've just saved yourself a few hundred dollars in plumber fees and gained the satisfaction of fixing something essential in your home.
The Stuff Nobody Mentions
After living through multiple faucet replacements, I've noticed patterns. Faucets installed on Monday mornings seem to last longer—maybe because everyone's fresh. The expensive faucets aren't always better; I've seen $400 faucets fail faster than $100 ones. The difference is usually in the warranty and the weight of regret.
Also, that old faucet you just removed? Don't throw it away immediately. I once reinstalled an old faucet temporarily when the new one arrived defective. It bought me time to get a replacement without washing dishes in the bathroom for a week.
One last thing: if you're replacing a faucet because the old one is leaking, check your water pressure. High pressure kills faucets prematurely. A pressure-reducing valve might save your new faucet from the same fate.
Faucet replacement is one of those home maintenance tasks that seems more intimidating than it actually is. Yes, you'll probably swear a bit. Yes, you'll likely make at least one trip back to the hardware store. But you'll also gain the confidence that comes from successfully completing a real plumbing task. And the next time a friend mentions their leaky faucet, you'll be the person who says, "I can help you with that"—and actually means it.
Authoritative Sources:
"Plumbing: Complete Projects for the Home." Creative Homeowner, 2019.
Cauldwell, Rex. "Inspecting a House: A Guide for Buyers, Owners, and Renovators." The Taunton Press, 2018.
"Residential Plumbing Code Requirements." International Code Council, 2021.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "WaterSense Labeled Bathroom Faucets." EPA.gov, 2023.
National Kitchen and Bath Association. "Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards." NKBA Press, 2020.