With the new floor in and toilet replaced, we can FINALLY install the new sink!
Because of how our pedestal sink is constructed, we had to anchor the basin into the wall, which meant we had to drill through tile into the wall / studs. We went out and got some glass and tile drill bits:
Per the sink instructions, we placed the basin on top of the pedestal where we wanted them to end up, marked where the holes in the basin lined up, and started drilling. Here is what the anchors looked like when they were first drilled in…
And how it looks with the basin ready to be attached to the anchors.
BUT, our instructions say that it’s easier to assemble the sink plumbing before attaching the basin, so let’s take the basin off the anchors and get the plumbing situated.
At this point I’d like to talk a little about plumber’s tape (also called teflon tape). Though I don’t know all of the technicals, plumber’s tape basically is a non-sticky tape that you can wrap around the threads on plumbing parts that help stop the joint from leaking. I will show you how to use plumber’s tape below but do not use it on all of the threads in this install; please feel free to use it anywhere that would make you more comfortable.
First thing is to get the faucet in, but don’t worry, I think most faucet sets are very user friendly these days 🙂 Simply drop the faucet into their respective holes on the top of the basin…
And hand-tighten the big plastic nuts onto the faucet valve, and the faucet is installed!
Now for the drain. Put the plastic “tail piece” (see below) up into the drain from the bottom…
Drop the top part of the drain (called a flange) on top of it, and hand-tighten them together.
You need to be sure that the pivot ball’s joint is facing the back of the sink so that you can install the lift rod next (that rod in a sink you can pull that stops the water from draining). Assembling this is pretty easy too: put the pivot ball into the joint and screw it in so you can still move that pivot lever up and down.
Next drop the lift rod into its hole in the faucet…
Attach the Clevis strap (yes, that’s actually the name of it) to the lift rod and thread the pivot lever through the most convenient hole in the Clevis strap (I just can’t get over that name!), and use the spring clip to hold the Clevis strap on.
Now you’re ready to bolt the basin onto the anchors in the wall!
From here, it’s just a matter of hooking up the supply lines and connecting the drains (which is one of the first things we un-did when we started two days ago). First, screw the supply lines (one hot and one cold) into the bottom of the faucet.
Then I used plumber’s tape on the joint from the pipe in the floor to the supply lines. While you can put the plumber’s tape on either clockwise or counterclockwise, I have found it easier to put it on clockwise (the same direction you would turn to tighten) so that the loose end of the plumber’s tape is going the direction as you are tightening; this just means the tape won’t come unraveled as easily.
Connect the supply line to the pipe coming from the floor, and your sink now has water. But don’t turn it on just yet because we have to reconnect the drain (remember the p-trap?). First, slide the plastic nut and gasket onto the tail piece…
Reconnect p-trap to the drain and reassemble the rest of the drain. This can be pretty different depending on the install, but ours was pretty much just a longer PVC pipe connecting to the drain in the floor.
Turn the supply lines back on and turn the faucets on. Don’t celebrate just yet because you have to check for leaks. After you don’t find water on the floor or anywhere else you can do a celebratory dance! Check out the awesome new bathroom:
So we started with a simple sink replacement project and ended up basically redoing the entire bathroom just three days. Now that deserves a beer!
-David