Faucet and sink installation in Los Angeles, set level, sealed and leak tested

Most installation trouble starts with hole count. A kitchen counter drilled for four holes will not hide well under a single-handle faucet unless you add a deck plate or a soap dispenser. Bathroom sinks are drilled for single-hole, 4-inch centerset or 8-inch widespread faucets, and the spacing has to match the faucet you buy.

Before you order, look under the sink and count the holes, then measure the distance between the outer two. Give us that number and the faucet model when you call, and we will tell you whether it fits, needs a cover plate, or means drilling the stone, which is a job for the counter fabricator.

Spout reach matters too. A tall gooseneck over a shallow bar sink splashes, and a short spout over a deep single bowl leaves water landing near the back edge, where it runs behind the rim.

• Single-hole: one opening, optional deck plate to cover extras
• Centerset: outer holes 4 inches apart, common in older baths
• Widespread: outer holes 8 inches apart, separate handles
• Kitchen with sprayer or dispenser: three or four holes, check before buying

A drop-in sink hangs on its own rim, so the counter carries the weight and a bead of silicone seals it. An undermount sink hangs below stone from clips anchored into the slab, plus a bed of adhesive. If those clips pull out of a cracked anchor, we reset them with new hardware rather than relying on silicone alone.

Farmhouse and apron sinks are heavy, especially fireclay, and the cabinet has to be built to hold them. We check the support frame before the sink goes in, because a sagging front rail shows up as a gap at the counter edge a few weeks later.

Each type changes where the drain lands. A deep single bowl drops the tailpiece lower, which can put the trap below the wall stub. When that happens we adjust the trap arm instead of forcing a slip joint that will leak under load.

The angle stops under many Los Angeles sinks are decades-old multi-turn compression valves that weep at the stem or refuse to close. We test each one. If it will not shut off fully, we swap it for a quarter-turn stop while the cabinet is empty, which is far easier than doing it later around a new disposal. See our shutoff valve work for how we handle stubborn copper and galvanized stubs.

Old chrome supply tubes and rubber hoses come out and braided stainless lines go in, sized to the length so there are no tight loops. On the drain side we replace thin chrome traps with PVC or heavier brass, depending on what shows.

If you are also adding a disposal or a dishwasher, the trap layout changes. We plan that before we cut a tailpiece, and if your existing unit grinds or hums we can look at the disposal itself on the same visit.

Imported water in much of the region is hard, and mineral scale is what kills faucets here. Ceramic disc cartridges handle it better than older rubber washer stems, but scale still builds in aerators, sprayer heads and the small check valves inside pull-down hoses.

Pick a faucet with a cartridge you can buy at a supply house, not one sold only through the brand. A common cartridge means a twenty-minute rebuild years from now instead of a full replacement. Our guide to hard water and fixtures explains what scale does inside a valve, and for a dripping faucet you want to keep, our faucet repair page covers the rebuild route.