Replace a Bathroom Faucet

• Step 1 Choose a bathroom faucet

  Select a bathroom faucet that requires the same number of openings in the sink that your current faucet has, and the same spacing between those openings.

  For easier installation, instead of using the supply hoses that come with the faucet, consider buying flexible stainless steel supply hoses. 

• Step 2 Disconnect the supply hoses and faucets

  Wear eye protection when working under the sink.

  Under the sink, turn the handles of the two shut-off valves clockwise as far as you can. If there are no shut-off valves, or if you can't turn them, turn off the water where it comes into the house.

  Turn on the bathroom faucets to drain water from the hoses. Under the sink, use a pipe wrench to remove the hoses from the copper tailpipes under each faucet.

  Under the sink, use a basin wrench to unscrew the nuts under the existing faucets and spout — if the nuts are stuck, use penetrating oil to loosen them. Lift off the faucets and spout, and then use a putty knife to scrape off any plumber’s putty or caulk from the top of the sink.

• Step 3 Install the new spout and faucets

  

  Follow the instructions that came with the bathroom faucet, which give specific details for installing the spout and handles. The following are general instructions.

  Insert the faucets and spout from above the sink, using plumbers putty or silicone to seal them to the surface if they don't have a sealing gasket.

  Under the sink, loosely install the gaskets, washers, nuts and other hardware for the spout and faucets. Align them above the sink and then tighten them securely.
  

• Step 4 Install the supply hoses

  

  Clockwise, tightly wrap the threaded fittings at the end of the copper tube under the bathroom faucets with Teflon tape — the tape helps form a tight seal.

  Use two wrenches to attach the hoses to the bathroom faucets (for a two-valve faucet) or connector adapter (for a one-valve faucet): one to hold the copper tube so it doesn't break off the faucet, and another to tighten the nut. 

  Place a bucket under the sink to catch leaks. Remove the aerator from the end of the spout — if you can't unscrew it by hand, wrap a rag around it and turn it with an adjustable wrench. Open the water shutoffs and turn on the faucets for several minutes to clear out any debris. Reattach the aerator.

   

• Step 5 Remove the old drain assembly

  Remove old drain assembly, including the sink stopper, the flange (the collar in the sink's drain opening), the drain body (the pipe just under the drain opening) and its locknut, the lift rod that opens and closes the stopper, and the parts that attach the lift rod to the stopper.

  Use the putty knife to scrape old putty and silicone from the drain opening.

• Step 6 Install the new drain assembly

  Place a ring of plumbers putty or silicone sealant around the drain opening and insert the flange from above the sink.

  Under the sink, attach the drain body to the flange and then use a pipe wrench to tighten the lock nut to secure the connection. Make sure the flange is tightly seated in the drain hole and remove excess sealant.

• Step 7 Install the stopper

  

  Drop the lift rod through the hole in the faucet and then, under the sink, attach it to the lift rod strap (the plastic or metal strip with a lot of holes along its length) with the thumb screw or other hardware that comes with the faucet.

  Above the sink, insert the stopper into the drain. Under the sink, insert the stopper's control rod horizontally through the hole in the side of the drain body and then into the hole at the base of the stopper.

  Thread the end of the control rod through one hole on the spring clip, through one of the holes in the lift rod strap and then through the other hole in the spring clip.

  Use the lift rod to open and close the strainer; if it doesn't open fully and close tightly, thread the control rod through a different hole in the lift rod strap.
  

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