Installing a new faucet in your kitchen can be simple if you know all the details before hand.  Check out these tips and FAQs on what you need to know before installing a new faucet in your kitchen. 

 I was provided the beautiful Lindley Faucet and air gap from Moen.  All of the tips, tricks, and opinions are things we have learned along the way.

 We installed a new faucet in our kitchen a few weeks ago and I have been so surprised at how many people have been intrigued and perplexed by how we did it and the flurry of questions that accompany their excitement on how to know what they need to do it too.  So I decided to not only show you how I went from a blah, every day, slightly leaky kitchen faucet with mismatched accessories in an array of finishes, to a beautiful statement piece that looks and functions seemlessly with the rest of the kitchen.

If you remember, over the past two years we lived here we have been slowly renovating our home on a budget.  I shared all about the big changes we made in our budget kitchen renovation here.  The one thing that remained old, and well… yucky, was the faucet and the mismatched accessories.  The faucet was functional and definitely not horrible, but it leaked. Also as we changed and modernized the kitchen the faucet seemed more and more out of place.  I need something classic and beautiful that makes a statement. Since it was going to be in the middle of the kitchen I wanted something beautiful that could be a showpiece.

I looked at quite a few but settled on the Moen Lindley Faucet.  It has a high arc that made a statement, and a classic design that matched our traditional kitchen perfectly.  It comes with a matching soap pump, and we were sent an air gap in a matching finish so that all of the accessories would match and support the design rather than the mish-mash of finishes we had before.

Just look at how beautiful this looks in our kitchen!  It is exactly the statement piece I was looking for.

So what do you need to know to update your old faucet to a beauty like this?

What do I Need to Know to Install a New Kitchen Faucet? FAQs

1.  How many openings or holes does your current faucet use?

Usually your current faucet will either mount into one hole and have a lever handle that turns the water on and off – OR – it will mount into three holes with the faucet, the hot water handle, and the cold water handle each mounting into their own hole.

If you have one hole you can easily choose any faucet that mounts into one hole.  If you have three holes, you can choose a faucet that mounts into three or use the adapter plate that is included in with many of the faucets, including the Lindley, to retrofit a one hole faucet into your installation.

2.  How long does it take to install?

It can be a fairly quick process or can take the better part of a day depending on your situation.  Often removing the old faucet can be the hardest part of the job since the connections can become corroded making it hard to remove.  The installation of the new faucet should be relatively easy when installing a user friendly brand like Moen, by following the steps in the instruction manual.

Also, making sure you have the right tools to do the job can drastically increase your productivity and make the process much faster.

3.  What tools do I need to replace my faucet?

All of these tools are fairly basic and readily available at Home Depot or your local home supply store.

• Phillips and Regular Screwdrivers
• Adjustable Wrench (or basin wrench for hard to reach areas)
• Flashlight
• Pliers
• Plumber’s Putty (not required on all installations)
• Thread seal tape
• Allen Wrench (not required on all installations)

4.   What should I look for when buying a faucet?

Quality of construction- The most common source of leaks in faucets are in the washers and springs.  Faucets like Moen’s Lindley use a washerless cartridge construction which eliminates these common causes for leaking.

Feel of the handle- This may sound silly, but do not under rate this!  When we were redoing our upstairs bathroom I found some super cheap clearanced out, no name faucets that we installed.  Big mistake.  The water doesn’t respond evenly with how you pull the handle and it makes it feel as if it doesn’t work right.  With the number of times you turn a faucet on and off during a day this matters a lot and can be very annoying.

Warranty- Higher quality faucets like Moen will come with a lifetime warranty against leaks, drips, and finish defects.

Finish- You want  the faucet you choose to not only be available in a finish that coordinates with your home, but also for that finish to stand up over time.  You don’t want a cheap finish that will fade, stain, scratch or rub off over time.

Pressure-balancing- Make sure the faucet you choose has pressure balancing to eliminate the changes in pressure and temperature resulting from someone flushing the toilet or turning on the washer.

Installation- Make sure that the product has design features that make it quick and easy to install.

5.  Where do I find the Moen Lindley faucet?

It is available at The Home Depot by clicking here!

For more detailed information and answers to specific questions the Moen FAQ page is a great resource!

Make sure you check out all the details on our kitchen transformation here: