Changing a Faucet DIY

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