Replacing a kitchen mixer tap yourself: step by step

What you need before you start

Buy the new mixer tap before you do anything else, and check the number of holes it needs against your sink or worktop. Most Estonian kitchens use a single-hole mixer, but some older sinks have a separate hole for a soap dispenser or a second tap, so measure rather than guess from memory.

You will need an adjustable spanner or a basin wrench for the awkward angles under the sink, a bucket or old towel for the water that drips out of the disconnected pipes, and plumber's tape (PTFE tape) for the new connections. A torch or head torch helps, because the cabinet under a kitchen sink is rarely well lit.

Check whether the new tap comes with its own flexible hoses. Many do, in a standard length, but if your existing hoses are unusually short or long because of how the cabinet is built, you may need to buy replacements separately rather than assume the new ones will reach.

Turning off the water and removing the old hoses

Close both shut-off valves under the sink, one for hot and one for cold, then open the tap fully to release the pressure and let the last of the water drain into a bucket. If there is no visible valve, or if it turns but does not stop the flow, the shut-off may be faulty or missing, which changes the job into something a plumber should look at first.

Place a towel or shallow container under the connections before loosening anything, since there is always some water sitting in the hoses even after the valves are shut. Undo the flexible hoses from the underside of the tap and from the shut-off valves with the spanner, turning counter-clockwise, and set them aside.

If the hoses are old, brittle, or show any rust at the fittings, do not try to reuse them on the new tap even if they seem to fit. A hose that has spent ten or fifteen years under a sink is not worth the risk of a slow leak inside a cabinet you rarely open.

Checking for a dishwasher or waste disposal branch

Before you pull anything further apart, look at what else is connected under the sink. A dishwasher usually taps into the cold water line via a T-fitting near the shut-off valve, and a waste disposal unit, where fitted, connects to the drain rather than the water supply, but both add extra hoses and fittings you need to identify before you start disconnecting things.

If a dishwasher branch is in the way of removing the old tap's hoses, close its own shut-off if there is one, rather than the main valve for the whole line, so you are not left guessing what still has water in it. Photograph the layout before you unplug anything if it is not obvious how the pieces fit back together.

A waste disposal unit does not usually need to be touched during a tap swap, but the extra pipework under the sink can make the working space very tight, which is worth knowing before you commit to doing the job standing on your head.

Removing the old tap and fitting the new one

Most mixer taps are held to the sink or worktop by a mounting nut and bracket underneath, reached by hand or with a basin wrench once the hoses are off. Loosen it, lift the old tap out from above, and clean the area around the hole, since years of limescale and old sealant tend to build up there.

Fit the new tap's hoses and gasket according to the instructions that come with it, thread the tap through the hole from above, and tighten the mounting nut underneath, snug but not forced. Reconnect the flexible hoses to the shut-off valves, wrapping the threads with plumber's tape first if the fitting is a threaded one rather than a push-fit.

• Turn off both shut-off valves and drain the tap before disconnecting anything
• Note or photograph how the dishwasher or disposal branch is connected
• Fit new hoses if the old ones show any wear at the fittings
• Wrap threaded connections with plumber's tape before tightening
• Turn the water back on slowly and check every joint for drips before you leave it

The most common mistake, and how to avoid it

The mistake we see most often is turning the water back on and walking away before checking the joints properly. A slow drip at a hose connection can take hours to show, by which point it has already run down into the cabinet or the floor below, and in a flat that means a downstairs neighbour rather than just your own cupboard.

After reconnecting everything, turn the valves back on slowly, run the tap for a minute, and then get down and actually look at each connection with a dry cloth or paper towel pressed against it. Wait a few minutes and check again before you consider the job finished.

When an older Tallinn kitchen makes this harder than it looks

In many pre-war wooden houses in Kalamaja or Nõmme, and in older panel flats where the kitchen has never been renovated, the plumbing under the sink was not built with future tap swaps in mind. Shut-off valves may be decades old, seized in place, or simply absent, which means the only way to stop the water is at the riser for the whole flat or even the stopcock for the stair.

The worktop or sink hole cut for a tap decades ago does not always match the footprint of a modern mixer, so you may find yourself needing to enlarge or fill a hole, which is a job better suited to whoever installed the worktop than to a spanner. Copper or galvanised steel pipework, common in older buildings, is also less forgiving than the plastic and flexible hoses used today and can crack if forced.

If you turn a valve and nothing happens, if the fittings are corroded solid, or if the new tap simply will not sit right in the existing hole, that is the point to stop rather than push on with more force. Our tap replacement service starts at 55 € per job and covers exactly this kind of swap, and for anything beyond the tap itself, plumbing work is billed from 45 € per hour.