Installing a Widespread Faucet

Seal the spout base

Form plumber’s putty into a rope and place it on the base of the spout. Press the putty against the base. Set the spout into place.

Hand-tighten the basin nut

Tighten the nut just enough to hold it in place. Don’t overtighten, because you will need to center the spout on the sink in step 4.

Thread the tee on the spout

Center the tee so the outlets are approximately parallel to the back wall and line up with the faucets on either side. See step 7.

Center the spout

Once it’s centered, tighten the spout from beneath the sink using a basin wrench.

Place the faucet valves in the sink

Slide the washer over the threads from beneath the sink. Tighten the valve nut until snug.

Connect the faucet valve lines to the faucet valve

Apply pipe compound or Teflon tape to the threads of the valve line, connect to the faucet valve, and hand-tighten. Apply pipe compound or Teflon tape to the other end of the valve line and hand-tighten onto the spout tee.