"RoseGarden" - - - - - - - from - nscave

Does installing a bathroom sink fall under the category of housework? Well it is definitely in the house and sure is a lot of work.

The project was to remove an old sink that got chipped and install a new one. I was very careful to purchase one the exact same size so it would fit the hole in the vanity top without alteration.

The instructions said to install the taps and the drain piece prior to installing the sink because it would be so much easier. So the taps were removed from the old sink since they were practically new. They were installed on the new sink in minutes. A new tail piece or drain was installed as per instructions.

This is where things began to go wrong.

The instructions said to flip the sink over and apply a good size bead of sealant around the outer edge of the sink, so that it could be popped into the hole in the cabinet and sealed quickly. A graphic picture showed the sink upside down on two 2 x 4s with sealant being applied.

I always have a couple two by fours handy in my bathroom, don’t you? So we improvise. I prop the new sink, complete with taps and drain on a towel that is stretched across the closed toilet bowl and the bath tub.

Directions on the sealant say not to get it on your hands, and if you do, wash your hands immediately. It says the sealant should set for 36 hrs. before use to ensure complete sealing and drying. Huh? How do you not use your bathroom sink for 36 hrs.? Course you could always used the other bowl that is so thoughtfully right beside the sink. The pictures make it look easy, so not to worry.

Sealant is liberally applied around the outside edge of the upside down new sink. Easy enough. Now . . . how do you pick up that upside down sink, with taps and drain attached, with a liberal amount of sealant around the outside edge, flip it over and drop it in the hole in the exact place, and not get any on you? The directions didn’t explain that part.

I should have had pictures for this part, but I didn’t have a sealant proof camera.

By the time the sink was in place, I had sealant on me up to my elbows, on my belly (I don’t know, I guess I was using it for an adjuster) and on the bottom of my right shoe. Not to mention the towel, bath tub and counter top that seemed to reflect less than before.

If you get any on you, wash your hands right away. The directions didn’t mention all this other stuff. I’m glad I didn’t get an itchy nose or - some other part.

-=One Day At A Time=-

This work by NSCAVE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License