Realizing set up a kitchen faucet can rework your house and preserve you from having to name a plumber—saving you no less than $100. This simple house enchancment DIY lets you play with design on a whim by swapping out an current faucet for a special end, or upgrading a dated faucet à la Nineteen Nineties for a wise contact mannequin, or on the very least one with a pull-down hose.
“The sink and tap space is without doubt one of the most used options in any kitchen and is commonly thought to be the room’s centerpiece,” says Caroline Danielson, director of showrooms, Ferguson Tub, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery. “Upgrading your kitchen faucet is a straightforward, visually interesting and extremely useful method to give your room a quick design refresh or complement a complete kitchen reworking venture.”
For those who’re new to dealing with DIY installations, it could actually appear a bit overwhelming, however being ready can go a great distance. Fortunately, figuring out set up a kitchen faucet is a reasonably simple venture you’ll be able to full in 5 steps.
Can I set up a faucet myself?
The very first thing to do is to seek out out if you’re allowed to put in a brand new faucet primarily based on your private home and guarantee, which typically requires set up by a licensed skilled. “One factor to think about, be sure you perceive your native constructing codes,” says Eric Goranson, a longtime inside designer and host of the podcast Round The Home. “In some locations a constructing allow may be required to even exchange that faucet.” Some states additionally require sure specs. “Latest laws requires that new taps put in by clients in Vermont, Maryland, and California have to be freed from lead,” Danielson provides.
Is putting in a kitchen faucet troublesome?
That relies upon, says Goranson: “Putting in a faucet will be considerably of a easy venture or it might be far more troublesome relying in your skills and the situation and age of the prevailing faucet.”
Brett Wegner, Kohler’s kitchen taps advertising and marketing supervisor agrees. “There will be ergonomic challenges with accessing the under-counter portion of the tap, like shank and hose connections, however the set up course of is quite easy,” he says. “It’s typically tougher to uninstall the present faucet given older, and admittedly much less intuitive, set up {hardware}, [but faucet install] has been improved dramatically over the many years.”
Selecting a brand new faucet
Step one is to resolve what kind of faucet you need.
Take into consideration how you employ your kitchen, says Molly Machmer-Wessels, a co-owner and designer at Woodland Design Firm, a enterprise that builds customized areas in houses. Do you cook dinner typically, for instance? In that case, extras akin to a smart-touch faucet or a sprayer for cleansing the sink after prep will possible be helpful.
Subsequent, select the design aesthetic that most closely fits the house and your fashion. Have a look at the form, silhouettes, and scale. Let the prevailing room and residential information the texture, however remember that a faucet is usually a design second. Selecting one thing distinctive and sculptural could make an affect.
