Alright, let’s talk about putting in that double kitchen sink and faucet. It was one of those weekend projects I decided to tackle myself.
Getting Ready
First off, I went and bought the sink. Found a decent stainless steel double bowl one, nothing too fancy but solid. Picked up a new faucet while I was at it – got one with that pull-down sprayer thing. Seemed practical.
Back home, I got my tools together. Grabbed my wrenches, some plumber’s putty, silicone sealant, a bucket, and a bunch of old rags. You always need rags. Then came the least fun part: emptying out that jungle under the kitchen sink. Had to pull everything out to get some working room.
Taking the Old Sink Out
Okay, job one was getting rid of the old single-bowl sink. Crucial step: shut off the hot and cold water valves under the sink. Seriously, don’t forget this unless you want an indoor pool. I disconnected the supply lines going to the old faucet. Then, I put my bucket underneath and started loosening the drain pipes – yeah, always some gross water leftover in the trap. After that, I had to find and loosen the clips holding the sink to the counter. Took some muscle and wiggling, but eventually, I lifted the old sink out. Good riddance.
Putting the New Double Sink In
With the old sink gone, I cleaned up the countertop edge around the hole. Got rid of all the old gunk and putty. Then I took my plumber’s putty and rolled it into a rope, pressing it all around the underside lip of the new double sink. Carefully, I lowered the new sink into the countertop opening. Lined it up so it looked straight. Then, back under the sink I went. Found the spots for the mounting clips that came with the new sink and started tightening them up. This pulls the sink down tight against the counter. You’ll probably see some putty squeeze out – I just wiped that excess away.
Installing the Faucet
Before dealing with the drains, I figured it was easier to mount the new faucet onto the sink deck. Passed the faucet’s hoses and mounting studs through the holes in the sink. Got back underneath again (my back was starting to feel it!) and threaded on the washers and nuts. Tightened them up so the faucet was secure and didn’t wobble around.
Hooking Up the Plumbing
Now for the drains. I installed the new strainer baskets into each bowl of the double sink. Then I started connecting the drain pipes. This part was a bit like Lego for grown-ups, figuring out how to connect both sink drains into the single trap and then to the waste pipe in the wall. Used the new PVC pipes and fittings I bought. Took some trial and error to get the angles right. Once the drains were set, I connected the hot and cold water supply lines hanging from the new faucet to the shut-off valves on the wall. Tightened all the connections firmly, but tried not to overtighten and strip anything.
Checking for Leaks
This is the moment you hope you did everything right. I turned the water supply valves back on, just a little bit at first. Then fully opened them. I looked everywhere – under both drains, where the supply lines connect to the faucet, where they connect to the valves. Ran water in both sinks, tested the hot, the cold, the sprayer. I did find one tiny drip from a drain connection, so I just snugged it up a bit more. After that, all dry!
All Done
So, that was pretty much it. Wiped everything down, cleaned up my tools, and put all the cleaning supplies back under the sink. Took me a good few hours, mostly spent crawling around under the counter. But hey, the new double sink and faucet were in and working great. Much more room for washing big pots now. Felt pretty good getting it done myself.
