If you are looking to renovate your kitchen, you may be eager to install a new kitchen sink to match your home’s new style. However, there are many factors to consider when it comes to understanding the total time it will take to install a new kitchen sink.
Factors such as sink style, any adjustments you may need to make for your sink to fit within the countertop, and whether you choose to hire a professional to install your new kitchen sink are all things to keep in mind.
In this article, you’ll learn how long it takes to install a kitchen sink. Although this estimate will vary, it’s important to keep this information in mind so you can set realistic expectations for your renovation plans as well as plan if you are going to hire a plumber to install your sink.
How Long Does It Take To Remove An Old Kitchen Sink
Before you can get started on installing a new kitchen sink, you must remove the existing kitchen sink. This task alone adds to the total time it takes to install a kitchen sink.
There are a number of factors that influence the amount of time to remove a kitchen sink.
Type Of Old Kitchen Sink
The size and type of the kitchen sink will influence the time it takes to remove it. This is because depending on whether you have a drop-in or undermount or another sink style will determine how you ultimately remove the sink.
You also have to take into account the relative time to unscrew all the nuts connecting your old sink to the water supply link and other lines. Likewise, you’ll have to properly take the time to remove the sealant connecting your sink to the counter as well as carefully remove it.
Professional Sink Removal Vs. DIY Sink Removal
Inevitably, a professional plumber or handyman will be able to remove your sink faster than if you choose to remove your sink on your own. This is because you are paying for their expertise to be able to remove your sink efficiently.
A professional plumber likely can remove your old sink within under an hour, depending on the size and complexity of your sink.
However, it may take you a couple of hours to remove your sink on your own, especially if you don’t know what you are doing or don’t have the proper tools handy to successfully remove your old sink. That being said, it is possible, but will likely take longer, to remove an old kitchen sink on your own.
How Long Does It Take To Install A New Kitchen Sink
Similar to the time it will take to remove your old kitchen sink, there are a variety of factors that will influence the time it takes to install your new kitchen sink.
These factors include:
- Size Of Your Kitchen Sink
- Sink Type (Underrmount or Drop-In)
- Relative Complexity of Installation Process
- Whether You Choose To Install Your Sink Or Hire A Professional
Size Of New Kitchen Sink Installation
Inevitably, the size of your new sink will impact the installation time. This is because the larger the sink, the likely more time it will take to install it.
On average, most standard sinks are anywhere from 20 to 22 inches long by 30 to 36 inches wide. You may need to ask a friend for help in lifting and installing your new sink properly if you find it’s too large to install on your own.
Type Of Sink Your Are Installing
There are two main types of sink styles: an undermount sink and a drop-in sink. Depending on the sink type will influence the time it takes to install your sink.
This is because a drop-in sink is easier and takes less time overall to install than an undermount sink. For a drop-in sink, it’s relatively straightforward and easy to install, even on your own. This is because as long as you find a one-to-one replacement for your new kitchen sink (i.e. same sizing and style as your old sink), you should with relative ease be able to simply apply new caulking and place the sink in.
However, an undermount sink requires much more precision and attention to properly install. Therefore, if you are installing a new undermount sink, this will take more time to install than a drop-in sink.
This is because an undermount sink you are installing from the bottom, underneath the countertop. As a result, you have to ensure the new sink fits into place, drill all the holes into the counter that you can then clip the sink to for installation, and properly caulk and mount the undermount sink into place.
Relative Complexity of New Sink Installation
Depending on how the previous sink was installed will impact the time it will take to install your new kitchen sink. This is because if the old sink was poorly installed, this will mean you will need to correct these mistakes before installing your new kitchen sink.
This could include a whole range of adjustments such as:
- Making New Cuts To Your Counter To Fit Your New Sink
- Replacing Water Supply Lines If Worn Down
- New Garbage Disposal Replacement
It’s important to take into account these potential adjustments as these will surely cut into the total time it will take to install your new kitchen sink.
DIYing Your New Kitchen Sink Installation
If you choose to install your new kitchen sink on your own, this will take more time to install than having a professional install your new sink for you. However, this doesn’t mean DIYing your sink installation is a bad thing. In fact, you can save money doing so.
You should expect to spend anywhere from six to eight hours installing your new kitchen sink all on your own. It will especially take you a long time if you are relatively inexperienced and are not that comfortable with doing home improvement projects.
However, the time it may take you to install your new kitchen sink is again dependent on a variety of factors discussed above. Therefore, if you choose to install a drop-in sink with no needed adjustments, it could potentially take you just a few hours. Whereas, if you choose to install an undermount sink, and have to do a variety of adjustments to the water supply line or cut into the counter to properly fit the sink, this will take you a much longer time to install on your own.
Hiring A Professional Plumber To Install Your New Sink
If you choose to hire a professional plumber to install your new kitchen sink, this will make your life easier and the process of installation will be faster. This is due to the plumber’s expertise in knowing exactly what to do having worked on a variety of different sink installations.
It should take a professional plumber about 1 to 2 hours to install your new kitchen sink. However, just as explained above, a variety of factors like sink type and potential adjustments that may need to be made may increase the total sink installation time.
That being said, the plumber will be way more well-equipped in terms of the knowledge and tools needed to adapt to these potential adjustments and challenges that may arise in the sink installation process. Therefore, even with having to make adjustments, a plumber will know exactly what to do to get the job done well and efficiently.
As a result, although you will have to spend money to hire a professional, hiring a plumber to install your new kitchen sink will save you time and ensure your kitchen sink is installed correctly. This is especially true if you are looking to install a difficult sink like an undermount sink, as it may be best to leave it to the professionals!
How Long To Install Kitchen Sink Faucet
On average, you should expect to take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to replace and install a new kitchen sink faucet on your own. And, it should take a plumber just about 30 minutes are less to replace a kitchen sink faucet. If you run into any compilations, inevitably the process may take over an hour.
If you are attempting to install a more complex type of kitchen sink faucet, like a pull-out faucet or pot fillers, it will likely take you more time than a standard faucet replacement.
You should also expect a plumber to charge an hourly rate for their services. Because installing a kitchen sink faucet isn’t that time intensive, expect to spend $50-$100 for a professional to install your faucet.
Cost To Change Kitchen Sink On Your Own
Even if you decide to change your kitchen sink on your own, there will still be costs you have to account for including the new sink and the tools needed for the sink installation process.
Depending on the sink type and size, expect to spend on average $500 to $700 for a new kitchen sink. And then, depending on what tools you already have at home, expect to spend around $50 to $100 on tools to properly install your new sink.
Therefore, you should expect to spend about $600 to $800 installing a new kitchen sink on your own. This takes into account the cost of the new sink as well as the tools necessary to install it properly.
Cost A Plumber Charges To Install A New Kitchen Sink
If you decide to hire a professional plumber or handyman to install your new kitchen sink, expect to pay around $400, according to HomeAdvisor, just for the costs to hire the plumber. Typically, plumbers or handymen will have an hourly rate which can range drastically depending on where you live and their level of expertise.
Then, you will again have to purchase your sink, which will cost on average about $500 to $700.
Therefore, you should expect to spend around $900 to $1100 for a professional to install your new kitchen sink for you.
Cost To Install An Undermount Sink
An undermount sink is a sleek and modern design that would be a gorgeous addition to any kitchen. That being said, you must take into account the time, cost, and effort to install an undermount sink.
An undermount sink is more difficult to install than a drop-in sink. Therefore, if you expect to hire a plumber to install your sink, and your new sink is an undermount sink, expect to pay more simply out of cost for the installation difficulty level. Expect up to an extra hour or so for a professional plumber to install an undermount sink, thus making your cost more expensive depending on their hourly rate. If you are installing an undermount sink yourself, expect to spend a couple of hours more to properly install it.
Meanwhile, when it comes to purchasing an undermount sink, this type of sink is also more expensive than a drop-in sink.
The cost of an undermount sink ranges drastically depending on the type of material and size. Expect to at the very least spend $250 and for the highest quality spend $1200-$1300 for an undermount sink. Therefore, on average expect to pay around $700-$800 for an undermount sink.
Is Installing A Kitchen Sink Hard?
It is possible to install a kitchen sink on your own. However, expect to spend way more time installing your kitchen sink if you choose to DIY the installation process compared to if you choose to hire a professional.
One of the main factors that influence how hard it is to install a kitchen sink, besides your level of experience, is the type of kitchen sink you choose to install. A drop-in kitchen sink is going to be easier to install than an undermount sink. This doesn’t mean an undermount sink is impossible to install on your own, just anticipate it taking a lot more time and effort if you choose to install an undermount sink over a drop-in sink.
