Installing a Sink

I’m going to be installing a new sink in my bathroom. Are there any newbie mistakes I should avoid? It seems like a pretty straight forward task. Any tips would be appreciated.

Ask Bob Vila. He would know.

Just make sure your faucet and knob holes are the correct spacing before drilling the holes. That’s a fuck up that will have you throwing wrenches through your walls.

I know it’s obvious, but make sure you turn off the water before removing the faucet. The last thing you want is a geyser in your bathroom.

[quote]edgecrusher wrote:
I know it’s obvious, but make sure you turn off the water before removing the faucet. The last thing you want is a geyser in your bathroom.[/quote]

Hahahaha, yea, do remember to do that.

Make sure you start in the morning, that way the hardware store is still open if you have to pick up a couple of things. Nothing worse than being halfway though a job and needing a part that you can’t get because the stores are closed.

[quote]BigRagoo wrote:
edgecrusher wrote:
I know it’s obvious, but make sure you turn off the water before removing the faucet. The last thing you want is a geyser in your bathroom.

Hahahaha, yea, do remember to do that.[/quote]

Yeah, turning off the water is first on the list. The movie The Money Pit has a lot of great house renovation pitfalls.

[quote]bigurukhai wrote:
Make sure you start in the morning, that way the hardware store is still open if you have to pick up a couple of things. Nothing worse than being halfway though a job and needing a part that you can’t get because the stores are closed.[/quote]

Thats a good point. Nothing is worse that leaving something overnight that you don’t have to. Make sleeping difficult.

Will you be doing any soldering?

Will this sink be wall mounted or in a vanity, or even one of the fancy pedestal type free standing sinks?

When soldering, you may need to shove bread in the pipes to absorb moisture, othersiwse the soldering will not work. This can be a bear for the noob plumber and often they get stumped with this and call in a pro. Use teflon tape on threads. Be careful not to over tighten any of the fittings.

Use as many compression fittings as you can. Soldering under a sink is pointless and overkill.

Get braided flexible hoses for connecting your faucet to the house plumbing. Don’t reuse old hoses.

Don’t forget the plumbers putty under the pop-up drain in the bottom on the sink. It’s pretty important.

If the sink is an undermount, make sure you use non-shrinking silicone sealant around it prior to mounting.

Ummm… that’s all I can think of. I’ve changed/installed a couple dozen sinks in my lifetime and they all had their own quirks. Nothing is straight-forward.

first off, if you are replacing a countermount sink be sure to get all of the old caulking off the the old counter. then put the faucet on the sink, use plumbers putty under it to make a water tight seal. next put the braided hoses on the faucet.

the next step is to install the pop up, once again use plumbers putty under it. next use caulking on the edge of the sink, make sure you use a color that matches the sink. then drop the sink in the hole. get a small bucket of water and a clean rag to wipe off the excess caulk, wet the rag and wipe it untilit looks good. let it set overnight. the next day tie the trap back in.

I like the advice about replacing the braided hoses .I also recommend replacing the angle stops (The valve that attaaches to the pipes coming out of the wall .) If you have old plumbing be careful tightening and untightening the fittings if you feel you can not do this with out breaking something get some one that knows what they are doing. Hope that helps

be sure to check if you’re installing a self-rimming or an undermount sink. if you’re installing a self-rimming sink be sure the existing cutout will fit the new sink and allow enough countertop for the new sinks rim. If you’re using an undermount make sure your vanity’s overhang is measured properly.

La’
Redsol1

Hahahahahaha… this is gonna be great.

Most everything has pretty much been covered already, but I have a few add-ons if you are installing a pedestal sink:

  1. Make sure you are either mounting into studs or that you have adequate backing behind the wall for mounting.

  2. Don’t overtighten the sink to the wall. You don’t want to crack the porcelain.

One other general tip - buy a drainpipe extension/adaptor kit just in case the pipe coming out of the wall is a different size than the drainpipe from the sink. This would likely only be an issue in an older house.

The extension will come in handy if your new sink is taller than the old one or where the plumbing comes out of the wall. This has happened to me. Of course, I started the project at night after the kids were in bed and I had to get the extension the next day.

DB

Good luck with this man. I just bought my first house and my father-in-law replaced our sink/vanity for us. He spent a good amount of time on it and made plenty of runs to Home Depot. Hopefully your job is a lot smoother.

So, not only can I get diet and training info from T-Nation. Now I can get advice on home repairs too? This site is awesome!

only 781 more useless threads to go!

[quote]bigurukhai wrote:

Nothing worse than being halfway though a job and needing a part that you can’t get because the stores are closed.
[/quote]

On this note, generic small parts like washers, nipples, elbows and such are dirt cheap. If there is anything like that you think you might need, pick up extra. “Wasting” $5 on extra parts that you can keep for later jobs is usually preferable to extra Home Depot trips.

[quote]polluted wrote:
bigurukhai wrote:

Nothing worse than being halfway though a job and needing a part that you can’t get because the stores are closed.

On this note, generic small parts like washers, nipples, elbows and such are dirt cheap. If there is anything like that you think you might need, pick up extra. “Wasting” $5 on extra parts that you can keep for later jobs is usually preferable to extra Home Depot trips.
[/quote]

Very true. I keep a box of odds and ends as a just-in-case. And it’s amazing how many times I end up needing something in that box.