Step-by-Step Proof: How to Change a Kitchen Faucet Without Leaks or Headaches
Modern kitchen sinks come punched with one, three, or four accessory holes. If your new faucet is a single-hole gooseneck model but your sink deck features three holes from a legacy layout, you must install the wide base cover known as a deck plate escutcheon. Most contemporary kits provide a matching baseplate fitted with an internal foam or rubber o-ring. If your package includes this manufactured rubber seal, skip plumber's putty entirely. Putty can permanently stain porous natural stones like marble or unsealed granite.
Feed the hot and cold water inlet tubes, the sprayer conduit, and any sensor cabling down through the escutcheon and the center mounting hole. Ask a second person to hold the faucet neck centered above the deck while you work underneath. Slide the friction washer, metal support plate, and threaded mounting nut over the bundled lines from below. Tighten the main nut by hand, check the top alignment to verify the spout swings evenly across both sink basins, and lock the brass set screws down using a handheld screwdriver.
