Replace a Kitchen Faucet

Replacing a kitchen faucet is one of the most satisfying plumbing jobs you can do yourself, and it transforms how your sink works. A new faucet brings better water pressure, a cleaner look, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly how your water connections are put together. The job requires no special skills—just patience, basic tools, and willingness to spend an afternoon under the sink.

1. Kill the water flow first. Locate the shutoff valves under your sink—they're usually brass knobs on the hot and cold water lines. Turn both valves clockwise until they stop, then turn on the faucet at the sink to bleed off any remaining pressure. If the valves won't turn or you can't find them, shut off water at the main house valve.
2. Disconnect with care. Place a bucket under the connections. Use an adjustable wrench to unscrew the supply line nuts—one is hot water, one is cold. They're finger-tight on new installs but usually require the wrench. Once loosened, unscrew by hand and disconnect both lines. Plug the open ports with plugs or fold a rag over them to catch any water.
3. Free the sprayer hose. If your faucet has a sprayer hose that feeds through the faucet body, locate where it connects under the sink. Usually there's a clip or a hose running down. Unclip it or unscrew the connection. Leave the drain itself alone unless you're also replacing the sink basket.
4. Lift out the old faucet. From the top of the sink, look at how the faucet is mounted. Most are held with a nut or clip underneath the counter deck. Use your wrench or pliers to loosen and remove these fasteners. Once loose, wiggle and lift the faucet up and out of the mounting holes. Clean away any old caulk or putty from the sink deck with a plastic scraper.
5. Mount the new fixture. Insert the new faucet's tailpieces through the mounting holes in your sink deck. Position it so the spout points where you want it and the handles are accessible. Secure it with the mounting hardware provided—this is usually a nut that threads onto a post underneath. Tighten by hand first, then use your wrench to snug it. Don't over-tighten or you'll crack a ceramic sink.
6. Restore water supply carefully. Thread the hot and cold supply lines (new ones often come with the faucet) onto the faucet's inlet ports. Hand-tighten first, then use your wrench to snug them just past hand-tight—not cranked down hard. Now reconnect to your shutoff valves. Turn the shutoff valves counterclockwise to open the water supply, and watch for leaks at every connection.
7. Connect the spray head. Feed the sprayer hose down through the deck hole (if applicable) and connect it to the intake port on the faucet body underneath. This is usually a quick-connect fitting that snaps on. Secure the hose with any clips provided to keep it from swinging. Run water through the sprayer to test function.
8. Seal and verify performance. Turn on both hot and cold water, check water pressure, and verify the handles move smoothly. Open the cabinet and inspect under the sink for any leaks. Let it run for a few minutes while watching. Once you're confident it's dry, run a bead of silicone caulk around the faucet base where it meets the sink deck—this keeps water from pooling underneath.