Faucets have a big impact on the look and feel of our kitchens, so many of us replace kitchen faucets not just because they’re broken. Although faucets common, but replacement process isn’t as easy as we think. Before replacing a kitchen faucet, we share 6 tips with you, so as to help you do this more easily.

Before the replacement, the most important thing is to shut off the water to the existing faucet. Most of the time, simply twist On/Off valves located on the hot and cold water supply lines to “OFF”, just using your fingers.

If your existing faucet has been used for at least a few years, it’s not unusual for the valves to be stuck or rusted. You can Apply heat to the valve with a hairdryer,  this method often loosens the valve enough to be closed. Besides this, grab the valve with locking pliers and lightly turn it to the “Off” position. However, excess twisting pressure may break the valve and/or the supply line, which will cause water to shoot out and flood the cabinet. Therefore, you’d better shut off your home’s main water valve before loosening a stuck shutoff valve.

Once the water is off, remove the old faucet by loosening the nuts that hold it in place (from beneath the sink) and then lifting the faucet out of the holes. However, this step can be more difficult than you think. The space under the sink where the faucet attaches is often narrow, due to its location, pitch-black inside. You need a strong work light to illuminate the area and an adjustable wrench to loosen the nuts.

As the same as the shutoff valves, the nuts holding the faucet in place also can be stuck or rusted. If you have this problem, try brushing away as much corrosion as possible with a wire brush, and spraying penetration oil (e.g. Liquid Wrench) on the nuts to help dissolve the corrosion. It can take from 30 minutes to overnight for the oil to work. If you loosen the nuts again with the wrench but they still won’t turn, they will have to be cut off with a reciprocating saw or a hacksaw. At this time, some homeowners will call a plumber.

You can undertake all the repair projects around your home, even the ones such as painting baseboards where you have to bend and stoop or cleaning out gutters, where you have to climb and stretch. Besides crawling into the cabinet to see where the faucet attaches to the countertop, you also will lie across an uneven surface. The inside floor of the cabinet is usually a few inches higher than the kitchen floor, so your back has to contort to the difference, which makes you feel uncomfortable.

A way to ease the discomfort is to insert a small sheet of plywood inside the cabinet. It should be narrow enough to fit through the door’s opening, but wide enough to lay on and long enough to support your back and waist. Use about 6 quart-size cans of paint (or cans of similar size) to support the end of the plywood sheet that extends out into the kitchen. This will offer a flat surface on which you can lie while replacing the faucet.

Sometimes, you can’t wedge your body far enough beneath the sink to have a clear path to reach the nuts holding the old faucet in place. When it looks like you’ll have to remove additional plumbing like the sink drain trap or the garbage disposal, what should be a two-hour faucet-replacement job can quickly turn into an entire weekend plumbing project. If you don’t have plumbing experience, it’s better to call a plumber rather than attempting to remove and reinstall additional plumbing elements.

Before buying a faucet based simply on its shape and finish, get to know your current sink hardware. The best way to do so is by removing it: With the old faucet removed, you can make note of the number of holes in the sink and the distance between the center of left-most hole to the center of the hole on the far right. This is known as measuring “on center (OC)” and is the industry standard for measuring sinks’ holes. The actual diameter of the holes doesn’t matter. Installation of the replacement faucet will go the smoothest when you select one that fits the same hole configuration. Plus, with the old faucet removed, you can even take it with you to ensure that you get an exact match.

A typical two-handle kitchen faucet installs over a set of three holes, with the two outside holes being eight inches apart. Although you have three holes, it’s still possible to update to a single-handle faucet that requires only one hole. For this, you need prepare a separate base plate called“escutcheon plate”, which matches the finish of the new faucet and extends long enough to cover up the unused holes.

Faucets, which attach directly to the wall behind the sink, are the newest and trendiest faucets around, appealing to those who want Old World appeal as well as those who want to create a semi-pro chef’s kitchen by installing a wall-mounted faucet with a rotating and extending faucet arm. Unfortunately, this is one of the most involved replacements homeowners can ask for. Making the switch from a sink-mounted (or countertop-mounted) faucet to a wall-mounted faucet involves opening up the wall behind the sink and running a new water supply line. This is definitely a plumber’s job. Not to mention, you may want to replace your old sink or countertop to get rid of the faucet holes left behind.

If you also want to replace your kitchen faucet and have no idea about which style can match the style of your kitchen, welcome to contact us now to get more information and professional advice.

OUBAO is a professional manufacturing factory which always devotes our services to provide high-quality kitchen and bath products solution in order to promote the development of Chinese sanitary products, create an“innovative” and “precision” new age.