Before beginning, turn off all water supply lines – this could include under your sink or in the wall behind the toilet. There will likely be valves to do this.
Create an effective plumbing repair by placing a bucket under your old faucet to collect any residual water, then using a wrench to loosen any nuts holding water supply line connections together.
Disconnect the Water Hoses
Before you attempt to uninstall your faucet, it is necessary to stop the home’s water supply. Locate and close any valves under your sink – turning clockwise will prevent further water damage during your project. This step will also protect any additional property damage during its completion.
Start by disconnecting the water hoses from the faucet. These typically connect to your water supply with lock nuts that you can loosen using a basin wrench; typically there will be one for hot and one for cold water.
Before loosening the nut, spray the hose collar with a lubricant such as WD-40 to break any rusty bonds and loosening it by hand, twist it off after loosening.
Remove the Faucet
First step to replacing your faucet: Remove the old one. First, turn off water supply valves under the sink – often by turning them counterclockwise – before disconnecting any water lines by unscrewing nuts beneath your sink and unscrewing nuts holding them together.
If a nut is tight and stuck, use a basin wrench to loosen it. Penetrating oil may also help; apply some and let it sit for a few hours before trying to loosen.
Most two-handle bathroom faucets are cartridge-style, meaning each handle contains its own metal valve to regulate water flow into the spout. However, some older bathroom fixtures used compression-type systems with only one metal valve located under the sink.
Disconnect the Lift Rod
If your bathroom faucet features a pop-up drain, disconnect its metal rod by loosening both nuts. In order to pull out its vertical lever, loosen also the pivot rod nut for convenience.
Reconnect the water supply lines carefully, making sure that both hot and cold valves are correctly aligned. Some water may leak from these connections when you reattach, which can easily be cleaned away with a towel.
Apply pipe joint compound to the exposed threads on the sink drain tailpipe before reassembling it. While Teflon tape works just as effectively, compound provides a better seal.
Remove the Cartridge
No matter the model of faucet you own, most cartridge faucets feature some sort of retaining nut that keeps their cartridge in place. Use channel-type pliers or an adjustable wrench to unscrew and remove this nut before placing it aside.
Locate and close any appropriate shutoff valves under the sink before beginning work on any of your faucet taps, to stop water flow from the fixture being worked on. Also turn off your main water source via its respective shutoff valve if there is one in place.
Remove the Handle
In most instances, handles will be attached to faucet bodies with nuts that must be undone to remove the handles. Channel-type pliers should be used to loosen both nuts at both locations where handles connect; once this step has been accomplished, usually the handle will dislodge from its stem and come free.
Step two is to disconnect the water supply lines from the faucet if necessary. With an adjustable wrench, loosen and remove waterline connections. Be careful not to strip or break threads – use a basin wrench whenever possible for best results.
Remove the Mounting Bolts
After switching off the water supply lines, remove the old faucet. This is also an opportunity to clean underneath and around your sink as well as the drain pipe.
To disconnect water hoses, use pliers or wrenches to loosen each mounting nut on each line, making sure not to strip or break them – this makes reattachment difficult if they become loose later.
After this step has been completed, disconnect the lift rod from the faucet assembly by unscrewing its associated little brass screw at the cartridge shaft.
Remove the Drain Pipe
With pliers or a wrench, loosen the mounting nuts that secure water lines to make disconnecting hoses from a faucet easier. Label hot and cold hoses separately to help ensure proper reconnections later on.
The drain pipe should be attached to the sink with a metal lock nut that’s easy to unfasten with a wrench, while some faucets feature an extra metal rod connecting its lever and stopper pull rod; in these instances, disconnect it.