Trading up to a trendy new kitchen faucet promises an instant style boost that improves your cooking experience. But with so much DIY inspiration out there, installing a faucet yourself seems doable, right? Not so fast! Without proper know-how, even one small faucet installation mistake could cause permanent damage. Read on to discover how to avoid three major blunders that could wreck your beautiful new countertops.
- Neglecting to Apply Sealant Correctly. Sealing the area around your faucet base during installation is crucial. Skipping this allows moisture to seep under the fixture over time. Eventually, leaks will stain or warp solid surfaces, besides promoting hidden mold growth in porous materials like natural stone.
- Overtightening Fixtures and Connections. Eagerness to firmly secure the faucet components can backfire if you over-crank fittings and connections. It’s surprisingly easy to apply enough torque with pliers and wrenches to fracture delicate granite, marble, or quartz. Even tiny cracks may require replacement of the entire counter slab.
- Inaccurate Gasket and Washer Placement. You won’t immediately notice the harm from improperly positioning small gaskets and washers. However, poor assembly often leads to seal failure, which is bound to allow leaks some time after the faucet installation. If the leaked moisture gets trapped beneath your sink for some time, expect ugly damage ranging from bubbling and peeling laminate to proliferating mold in natural stone.
As always, hiring a licensed and experienced professional to take charge of your faucet installation project is your best option. This will ensure you get a functional upgrade that will keep your beautiful counters intact for years. If you live in the East Brunswick, New Jersey area, today for a safe and efficient faucet installation from our plumbing experts.