I am beginning to learn that I have quite the knack for picking the most inopportune time to start projects and this one might take the cake! 

It’s Mothers Day and we are 2 hours from hosting a family cook-out for 24.  Suddenly, I get the bright idea to install (for the very first time might I add) my new kitchen faucet. 

Oh sure, she looks happy and peaceful perched on top of the sink right now but it was quite a fiasco getting her there!

Let me take you back about two years (almost to the day) to our final walk-through with our builder ~ where I am greeted by these lovelies…

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that they were fully functional and clean but, they were not what I was expecting.  No one informed us that the faucets in the houses we were looking at were “upgraded” faucets.  I decided not to make a fuss about it, I would change them out after we moved in and save a pretty penny on the builders “upgrade” cost!  So, fast forward 2 years and here I am finally getting around to it;)

I scoured eBay and found a great deal on this Price-Pfister faucet!

$69 free shipping ~ ummm yes please!  It was at my door step in 4 days!

Being the impatient woman who my husband married, I could absolutely, no longer live with the faucet I had lived with for the last 2 years.  This faucet had to be installed immediately:)

I opened the box and was overwhelmed….the NEED HELP insert intimidated me a bit too!

I opened the instructions and they were very easy to understand so I gave it a go!  Many of you have probably changed out a faucet or 2 but I know there are just as many, like myself, who have shied away from this DIY project.  I am going to walk you through the steps I took in hopes to make it less intimidating!

Before you pick a faucet you need to check under your sink and count how many holes you have.  My sink has 4…. 2 handles a faucet and a sprayer.

Before you start, turn off the water lines…hot and cold.  Then begin uninstalling the old faucet.

Detaching the water lines.

Loosening the handles.

Detach the sprayer from the faucet line.

Clean up all the “gunk”:)

I will spare you too many DIY pics/steps because each faucet has its own detailed instructions but here are a few.

 

Here is where I got stuck.  This is the connector for the handles and the faucet for under the sink…and the final step in the installation process.  I was home free!  So I thought…  I got it installed per the directions and turned the water lines back on.  No leaks!!!  I was starting to feel pretty proud.  I turned one of the handles and heard water….nothing was coming out of the faucet.  It was pouring out right at this connection under the sink.  I tried to trouble-shoot for about 30 minutes.  I cried.  I was drenched in water and it was still leaking. 

Luckily my step-dad, Tim, and my Papa were on their way out for the cook-out and could bail me out….fingers crossed.  We had to have a working sink if we were going to be cooking???

Long story short, they were able to fix it for me in about 15 minutes.  I just didn’t get the center (that connects to the faucet) high enough up on the stem of the faucet.  If you buy a faucet like this one make sure you hear a click when you connect the two:)

I am in LOVE!  I love the high arc and the pretty handles!  I can fit large pots under the faucet!!!

I really should have done this sooner!  It was NOT hard at all.  I had 1 hiccup and if I had given myself ample time for the installation, I think I would have eventually figured it out.  I am so happy with the way this turned out that I am going to do my bathroom sinks as well!  My goal is to do them without ANY help but we’ll see:)  What a difference and worth every penny! 

Moral of this story:  This is a quick, frugal way to make a statement in your kitchen.  If you have been too intimidated to give it a try, just go for it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Ashley

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31 Comments

  1. The DIY faucet replacement guide is a great resource for those looking to update their kitchen or bathroom. The step-by-step instructions and clear visuals make the process seem manageable even for beginners. Thanks to the author for sharing this practical guide to tackle a common household project!

  2. I appreciate tutorials with photos of their process. Lazy is my middle name and I don’t like reading instructions. I usually look at the photo then follow through, so your tutorial is very helpful for my future venture in changing my faucet. Your new faucet looks a lot better than the other one. DIY is one of my hobbies, but I haven’t tried changing faucets. Maybe I should start now. Again, thank you!
    http://www.milani.ca/plumbing-companies-in-vancouver-services-areas/furnace-repair-burnaby

  3. I just happened upon you site today and got on ebay and bought one just like you–I paid $40 due to I had some credits in my paypal from some cashback sites. I hate my faucet and have asked my husband to replace it for over 2 years. He is going out of town next week so once I get it I will be replacing it myself (even though I just had knee surgery). A month ago while he was out of town I spray painted all our old gross brass lights outside. He loved them. He usually loves what I do just very scared to change things so doing stuff while he is gone is the best deal. 🙂

  4. Nice job! Never installed a faucet myself. Perhaps someday I’ll try.

    When we built our house, we upgraded our faucets and found them at Costco. They had the best ones for the lowest price. They were less than the cheap ones the plumber was going to charge us for and they were our favorites that we looked at. I loved them! They also have great warranties on their products. Check them out if you have a Costco close by.

  5. I changed a bathroom faucet and replaced the plumbing underneath not long ago. Took me a while but completely worth it and not hard. I now own a basin wrench:)

    1. So funny you mention that Jonnie! I have added a basin wrench to my shopping list! Would have made the job easier:)

  6. Great job! I recently changed out my kitchen faucet all by myself and was so proud! My faucet was the original builder-grade faucet that had been there since the house was built (12 years), and after I moved in a few months ago, it was one of my first DIY tackles. The absolute hardest part was getting the old one out – it was really stuck in there! I was (and…still am, ha!) still so proud of myself; it’s been several months and no leaks! I still need to make a blog post about it – I took all the pics but haven’t posted the project yet! Yours looks great!

    1. Thanks for sharing Kristen! I know that all faucets are different and it’s nice to hear different experiences! Isn’t it funny that a simple faucet can make you so proud? There is something about learning a new skill that is empowering:) Thanks so much!!

  7. Do you know the name of the seller on ebay that you bought this faucet from? I’ve been looking for weeks for a good deal on a faucet!

  8. I love it! Way to go! The only thing that would have made this post better is a picture of you dripping wet when you were done. Great work!

    1. Ha! You are probably right! I lucked out and didn’t need plumbers tape and I had the luxury of working with new water lines. Good luck Lindsey:)

  9. Very impressed! My husband is a Master Plumber and we own a small plumbing co. and I still don’t know if I would have tried to do this on my own!! Bravo!!! I also wanted to say thanks for the “how to” on the wood photo/recipe stand!! I made it for Mother’s Day for my Mom!!

  10. You did that super fast and it looks so easy!! Sweet faucet also!!

    By the way what did you happen to do with the old one? Would you be willing to sell it? I am making my son a DIY kitchen and the supplies here in Japan are very limited.

    Thanks

    1. Thank you Dawn! I feel wasteful because during the chaos I threw the old one in the trash to get it out of the way. I purchased my new one on eBay though and there were so many to choose from! Good luck on the kitchen, it sounds so fun:)))

  11. Great tutorial! I installed a new facet recently too, but also did a new garbage disposal at the same time. Thank goodness my Dad was there to help! It was surprisingly more easy than I thought it would be and every time I see it, I am proud!

    1. Thanks Jenny! I am so impressed you changed the garbage disposal. I wanted to put in a deeper sink but I was scared to mess with all of that. Now…I’m inspired:) We’ll see! Nice work!

  12. Gorgeous faucet! I love that style. Just wanted to note that your address is on the 3rd pic down. Might want to change that sweets! oops

    1. Thank you for letting me know Trista! I seriously must be tired….I checked the picture for an address and didn’t see one???? It is deleted:) Thanks for your sweet comment too:)))