Sink and Faucet Replacement

A New Sink Is Only as Good as What It Connects To

Most people call us about a sink or faucet because they want a different look, a deeper basin, or a pull down sprayer that actually reaches the corners. That is a perfectly good reason. What we want you to know before you buy anything is that in an older Riverside house the fixture is the easy part. The connections under it are where the trouble lives.

If your kitchen is fed by original galvanized pipe, a new faucet on the old stub out will often run no faster than the old one, and turning the tired angle stops to swap it can start a leak that was not there that morning. So every sink and faucet job we do starts with a look at the supply lines and the drain. If they are sound, we connect and go. If they are not, we explain what we found and price the fix, and you decide.

Choosing the Sink

Undermount sinks mount below a stone or quartz counter, so crumbs wipe straight in. They need a solid surface countertop with a finished cutout, so they usually go in with new counters rather than as a standalone swap. Clips or a support system hold them, and the seal needs occasional attention.

Farmhouse or apron front sinks need a cabinet built for them, either a dedicated sink base or a standard base cut down and reinforced. Fireclay and cast iron versions are heavy, and the cabinet has to carry that weight plus water. They are a poor candidate for a quick replacement on existing cabinets.

Drop in sinks sit on top of the counter with a rim. They are the practical choice when you are keeping laminate counters, and the easiest to replace later.

Stainless steel is forgiving and quiet if it has undercoating. Composite granite hides water spots well, which matters with hard water. Enameled cast iron is durable but can chip if a heavy pot drops on it.

Choosing a Faucet for Riverside Water

Riverside water is hard, and it leaves white scale on aerators, spray heads and the base of the faucet. A few things help:

• Rubber or silicone spray nozzles that let you rub scale off with a thumb.
• Ceramic disc cartridges, which tolerate mineral buildup better than older washer designs.
• An aerator you can remove by hand, so cleaning it is a two minute job rather than a hunt for a special key.
• A finish that hides spots. Brushed and matte finishes show scale less than polished chrome.

If you are adding a filtration faucet or a reverse osmosis unit, plan the space in the sink base for the tank and filters before the cabinet is chosen, and ask for a dedicated cold stop for it.

What the Installation Includes

We remove the old sink and faucet, check the supply lines and drain, and replace the angle stops with quarter turn valves. New braided supply lines connect the faucet. The drain is rebuilt with a new basket strainer, tailpiece and trap, and the dishwasher drain is connected with a high loop or air gap. If there is a disposal, it gets its own switched or plugged connection on an appropriate circuit. We run water, check every joint for drips with a dry paper towel, and leave the sink base clean.

Pricing

A straightforward faucet swap on sound plumbing is a modest job. A new undermount or farmhouse sink tied to a countertop replacement is a larger one, and replacing corroded galvanized behind the wall adds cost that depends on how far back the old pipe runs. We give you a written number after looking.

Book a Visit

Call (951) 423-3890. If the inspection finds old pipe, our kitchen plumbing updates service covers the work behind the wall, and both are usually handled on the same visit.