New Sink, New Faucet

Mike gets all the credit for the new sink installation. It looks awesome, it works great (no leaks!), and thanks to the internet he installed it with ZERO plumbing experience. Actually I take that back - his plumbing resume started with the removal and re-installation of our upstairs toilet when we had the bathtub reglazed - but this was much harder.

The enamel on our old cast iron sink was completely worn off and everything stained it. A glass of water would leave a ring. Since we had to remove the sink anyways to install the new countertops, we took the opportunity to upgrade to an inexpensive stainless steel sink that's a little bit wider and deeper. We also upgraded the too-low faucet to a lovely, tall, chrome Moen swan neck that will easily work with my large pots and pan.

First we installed the sink side piece of butcher block with caulk and the brackets it came with. Mike did a dry fit test with the sink to make sure everything was going to line up properly, then went ahead and assembled the faucet on the back of the sink while it was free from the counter (a helpful tip from This Old House - why torture yourself under the sink if you don't have to?). I caulked around the edge - my one contribution - then the sink basin was placed in the pre-cut hole and secured to the countertop with brackets.

Mike attached the faucet to the pipes inside the cabinet, then moved on to drain assembly. During the sink removal process, he cut the old copper pipe that was welded to the u-trap and took a trip to Home Depot to get a new PVC drain kit and stainless drain basket. With his laptop set to the helpful instructional guides, Mike assembled the drain (with plumber's putty, a large plumber's wrench, two adjustable wrenches and an entire wrench kit in various sizes). It took some trial and error to get everything to fit properly and fix a couple leaks, but I was impressed. It also helped that we took the time to measure carefully and make sure that the drain was in the same spot as the old sink. This way when Mike rebuilt the drain he was able to use the old one as a guide instead of figuring out a new configuration from scratch.

Having a new functioning sink in the kitchen is a huge win for us. It looks so much better and we couldn't be prouder that we did this by ourselves. We've learned so much over the past few months, but this was definitely the biggest challenge to date.