Do you wanna learn how to replace a bathroom faucet?
Maybe the prior homeowner had bad taste?
Or the current faucet just isn’t your style?
You can easily do this project BUT you’ll need the right tools and tips.
Hey, that’s where I come in!!
I’ll show you three tools that make swapping out faucets easy.
I’m going to giveaway my favorite one, so don’t miss out 😀
Several years ago I tried to remove a faucet in a rental I was rehabbing.
Keep in mind I was a beginner DIYer.
After 3 hours of blood, sweat and a few curse words that began with “S” I finally got the faucet off the sink.
It should have taken me 10 minutes.
What a WASTE of time.
I don’t want you to experience the same mistakes.
You’ll have a much happier experience after reading and watching my secret tips.
Here’s the supply list for today’s bathroom faucet project
- Basin Wrench ($16) or
- Ridgid Faucet and Sink Installer Tool ($20)
- Crescent Wrench Set ($19 or FREE)
- Channel Locks ($12 or FREE)
- WD-40 ($4)
- New Faucet ($50-$300)
- Plumber’s Putty ($4)
- Plastic Container for P-Trap (FREE)
- Towels or Rags (FREE)
- Sponge with Scrubbing Pad ($1)
- Measuring Tape (FREE or Borrow)
Let’s dive into this tutorial 😀
How to remove a bathroom faucet without cursing
I’ve had my share of curse words.
Especially when doing plumbing, but you can easily avoid this favorite American pastime.
The first step is to turn the shutoff valves to the off position by turning them clockwise until they stop.
This stops the flow of water to your faucet.
If for some reason your shutoff valves don’t work you’ll have to turn the water off at the main water valve.
Water main valves are typically in a basement or utility room.
Place your plastic container under the P-Trap.
Then unscrew the slip nuts holding the P-Trap to the drain and pipe coming from your wall.
Turn the slip nuts counterclockwise by hand or with channel locks.
As you loosen the slip nut that connects the P-Trap to the goose neck coming from the wall you’ll see water flow from the pipes.
THIS IS NORMAL.
The water in the P-Trap prevents sewer gas from entering your bathroom through your sink.
As a side note, if you bathroom does have that sewer smell it’s probably due to
- A dry sink P-Trap
- A dry shower or tub P-Trap
- Your toilet needing a new wax ring
Water can be good or bad.
When it comes to preventing sewer gas, water is your best friend!
TOOL TIME.
Grab either a basin wrench or Ridgid Faucet & Sink Installer tool.
Reach up under the sink, attach the basin or Ridgid tool on the supply line nuts, and turn the tool clockwise.
Do this for both the hot and cold water supply lines.
This will loosen the nuts and allow you to remove the supply lines from the faucet.
Use the same tool to loosen the plastic nuts that hold the faucet to the sink.
Plus, if you have trouble you can spray these nuts with WD-40 and come back in 15 minutes to try the process over again.
It’s AMAZING what WD-40 can do to loosen stuck objects.
Once the faucet nuts are removed you can pull the old faucet up from the sink.
Using these tools will totally save your a TON of time and prevent bloody knuckles.
It’s (in my humble opinion) near impossible to use a standard wrench to remove a bathroom faucet.
A basin wrench or Ridgid Faucet & Sink Installer tool are AWESOME.
The next step is to take out the old drain.
Scary?
Not at all.
Remove the clip holding the pivot rod to the clevis strap.
Slide the clevis strap off the pivot rod then turn the drain clockwise with channel locks.
Don’t worry, I show you how to do all of this in the video tutorial 😀
You’ll then be able to pull the top of the drain out from the sink.
Your drain will likely be disgusting.
Clean it thoroughly with rags and water or in my case I used Clorox wipes.
Also clean off the area where the old faucet used to be.
Now you’re ready for the replace the old faucet with a bright and shiny new one!
Installing your new bathroom faucet: steal these tips to make your life easier
First things first.
Make sure you have the right size faucet.
Measure the distance between the holes in the sink.
If you only have one hole then your life is easy already, haha.
In this example the holes are 4 inches apart.
Buy a new faucet that fits this dimension.
What brand of faucet should you consider?
Here are my recommendations
- Delta
- Moen
- Kohler
- American Standard
Why?
They work, are simple to install, and give you replacement parts for FREE.
I particularly like the free replacement parts.
Let me share why I really love Delta.
They replaced our oil rubbed bronze faucet handles for free.
The handles were chipping at the bottom due to hard water deposits.
Each handle would have been $50 but Delta sent them at no cost.
NICE!!
Check out my video to see the complete step-by-step of how to replace a bathroom faucet.
The first 5 minutes shows you how to remove your old faucet and at the 5:30 mark I begin the faucet installation process.
This week’s video is a bit long but I wanted to make sure you got a super thorough explanation.
What’s Next
If you want to make swapping out water supply lines easy then check out Fluidmaster’s Click Seal connectors, they’re awesome.
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community.
Cheers,
Jeff
