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Find our top-rated kitchen contractors and kitchen remodelers focused on quality kitchen renovation. Check out the top rated experts.The new kitchen faucet installation cost is usually between $180 and $400. The average price comes to around $260. A handyman, plumber, or a qualified contractor can replace the existing faucet or install a kitchen faucet in the new project.
Usually, the time to install or replace a kitchen sink faucet is around an hour. The time in each specific case depends on the location of the sink, the condition, and the layout of your pipes. Is there a garbage disposal system?
In most cases, you need a single hole to install a kitchen faucet. However, two-handle widespread faucets require three holes and this adds to the total installation cost.
Old faucet replacement costs with the existing sink. When the old faucet needs to be removed then its condition and ease of removal determine the additional time needed to get the site ready for the new faucet.
DIY kitchen faucet installation
Installing a kitchen faucet is something most of us can do ourselves, but in some localities, it may be legally required to use a licensed plumber. Find out what’s your situation. When that’s cleared out then you need tools and materials to replace the kitchen faucet.
If you have to buy the tools then it may not make sense to do the kitchen faucet installation yourself. The price of the tools, materials, and your time may be higher than what they typically cost from hired professionals. Even if you have never done it yourself faucet installation is pretty easy and Youtube is full of videos you can learn from:
What’s the labor cost to install a kitchen faucet?
The kitchen faucet installation cost is based on several aspects. Probably the biggest part of the budget is the labor cost to install kitchen faucet. The hourly rate of the plumber could be anywhere between $50 and $200. If it seems hard to believe that an hour of labor costs $200. But it may not be just the installation costs at your location. It also includes the time to get to your place and back. Plus the average cost may also include a little extra to cover for unexpected costs when there’s additional work with adjusting the existing plumbing.
Often people want to replace the faucet and the sink at the same time then the price would be even higher. The cost to install kitchen sink and faucet together is in the range of $200 to $450.
New faucet prices
The prices above tell you half the story how much does it cost to replace a kitchen faucet. In most cases you also need a new faucet. The faucets come in many shape and form. You can have brushed nickel or stainless faucet. With a separate sprayer, pull-down sprayer, or spray hose. You can have a single lever or separate faucet handles. The kitchen faucet prices vary a lot but if you calculate in the range between $200 and $600 then you should be able to meet most needs.
how much does it cost to install a kitchen faucet
How long does it take to install a faucet?
1 hour. If everything goes smoothly, kitchen faucet installation will take about an hour. However, the actual time depends on your specific situation. If the nuts, bolts, and screws don’t cooperate, it could take you a lot longer.
When your faucet configuration changes, for example, you might have a faucet that only needs one hole, but decide to replace it with the one that has separate hot and cold water handles. Making those new holes could be tricky and time-consuming.
Finally, the skill level. When an experienced plumber could replace your faucet in 30 minutes, it could take you a lot more, if you are doing it for the first time. As long as you are using existing plumbing you could do it yourself.
Can I replace a kitchen faucet myself?
You can replace your kitchen faucet yourself. The process is not very difficult and will usually take less than an hour. You have to prepare for the plumbing work by getting all the tools and materials. The basin wrench and plumbers putty may not be something that you have laying around in your home. You can use the same techniques to replace kitchen and bathroom sink faucets.
Items you need to replace a kitchen faucet
For this simple DIY project you need to have two special tools, a basin wrench, and an adjustable wrench. The adjustable wrench has the length to give you leverage when needed. Some other items you may need:
- A screwdriver
- A utility knife
- Work gloves
- Penetrating oil
- A plastic bucket
- Paper towels
As long as you don’t need to change the plumbing and kitchen faucets are pretty easy to replace. Keep in mind that the money you save on labor costs could be spent on materials and tools. Plus your own time also has value. You could pet a cat or spank a kid instead of faucet repair.
When not to do it yourself? You should lean towards hiring a professional plumber when you have a wall-mounted kitchen faucet. As this could be a bit trickier. But we can do anything if we put our minds to it.
The price of kitchen faucets
The prices of kitchen faucets range from as low as 20 dollars to thousands. It’s important to keep in mind that the cheapest faucets may be cheap because of poor quality but at the same time you could find a high-end kitchen sink faucet at a discounted price way below 100 dollars.
However, the national average cost for a kitchen faucet is in the low hundreds. The main points you should pay attention to are the various features you want to see in your kitchen sink.
What kind of faucet head? Would it be a pull-out faucet or have a pull-down sprayer? How tall or curved should the faucet’s spout be? Select your own faucet carefully as you will probably use it for 10 to 20 years. When you divide the $500 price tag by 20 years then it doesn’t seem that much anymore.
Keep the same points in mind when buying bathroom sink and bathtub faucets.
How long does a kitchen faucet last?
A quality kitchen sink faucet can last 15 to 20 years. As with everything else higher price usually gets you better quality, but sometimes a simple cheap faucet could last surprisingly long.
The next factor that can influence how long your kitchen faucet last is water hardness. The more minerals you have in your water the shorter will be your faucets lifespan. Even with hard water, you can extend the life of your faucet, water lines, and other kitchen items with a water filtration system. When you add regular cleaning then you can extend the lifetime of your kitchen and bathroom sink faucet to the maximum.
Whatever you do, nothing last forever. If your faucet drips and shows signs of wear and tear then it’s time to consider faucet replacement. For example, I have a faucet that’s 16 years old. It works perfectly but is starting to look dated and worn. The pragmatist in me says “Why fix it if it isn’t broken?” The perfectionist consumer yells “It’s so ugly! Get a new one!”
How do you know if you need a new kitchen faucet?
The most important sign that your faucet needs repair or replacement is dripping. In single-handle kitchen faucets, you may have problems adjusting water temperature. Another issue is that the moving parts stop moving or become hard to move. Hard to turn handles and spout.
If you want to be sustainable then you don’t have to get a new faucet immediately. You can ask a plumber to fix your existing faucet by replacing the broken or worn-out parts. But keep in mind that the faucet removal, repair, and installation labor costs can be as high as getting a new one. Sometimes even if you want to repair the old one, the plumber may find that it’s unrepairable.
How much does it cost to replace kitchen sink pipes?
Replacing the kitchen sink pipes usually costs between $120 and $400. The price of this work depends on many factors. The first question is, why do you want to replace the plumbing?
Leaks – pipes can leak where you see the water supply lines and see the wet area. In some cases, the leaks can be inside of the was or behind cabinets then one of the signs of leaks could be low water pressure.
Low water pressure – Water pressure can be low when the supply lines leak. Some of the water may end up inside of your walls or under your floorboards. Not a good thing. Another reason for low water pressure could also be pipes that have a lot of deposits on the insides walls and there’s just not enough room for water to flow anymore. This is not nice.
Discolored water – The old pipes with deposits inside could make your water unpleasant. The water can become discolored, have a smell, and it could be bubbly. The reason can be in the pipes or in the main filter of your house.
Slow or clogged drain – on the other side you have the drainpipes. They can have all the same problems as your water pipes with similar symptoms.
Replacing the plumbing with minor changes
If the work is more complex and takes more time it will cost more. Depending on the changes or clean-up needed after replacing the leaking pipes the price can go pretty high. But as long as you are not rebuilding everything your price should come in at the middle of the range.
Replacing the plumbing as is
This is the easiest thing to do. You have some pipes that cause problems. Replace the pipes with new ones and leave everything as it was before. In this case, the price would be at the low end of the range. Replacing plumbing also requires you to get a permit.
Changing everything
Finally, if you need to change a lot, open walls, reroute the pipes, and change the location of the sink. The configuration of the sink and faucet changes. In some states, you will need to get a permit to do all that before you start. The plumber will give you an estimate that is at the high end of the range and can exceed it when there’s a lot of work in the area around the pipes.
You really hit the nail on the head when you brought up the idea that doing it yourself might not always be the cheaper option. I initially thought that DIY would save me a good chunk of change, but considering the cost of tools and my time, I might be better off hiring a professional. Also, the legality aspect you mentioned was something I hadn’t considered. In some places, it might be a requirement to hire a certified plumber. Very eye-opening, thank you!
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you found value in considering the costs of DIY versus hiring a professional. Another factor often overlooked is the warranty aspect. If you install the faucet yourself and something goes wrong, you might void the warranty. Having a professional do it ensures that if something does break down, you’re covered. Cheers!