Installing a new bathroom sinkReplacing a sink is really quite easy. Perhaps the most difficult part to deal with is the faucet. Its best to just replace the faucet when you replace the sink, as it isn't any less work to do both than just the sink.
Either way, the stem from the drain on the sink is released by loosening the big plastic nut at the end of the drain pipe part, nearest to the sink's drain. This allows the sink's drain to be pulled out. There's a funny little wedge shaped seal that will stick to the drain pipe, and cause the plastic nut from drain pipe to stick on the stem of the sink. Be sure to put the nut and wedge shaped seal on the new drain pipe in the same way. If the seal ends up getting wrecked, you can actually buy these seals new where you buy plumbing parts.
With the sink removed, its time to clean the crud from around the edge.
I was replacing the sink with a porcelain sink. There were no clips that go on the bottom of the sink. The only thing to hold it in place is gravity, and caulking. I used caulking from a tube. Its harder to get a nice bead from a tube than a caulking gun. But I used caulking from a tube, because the rest of a cylinder of caulking in a caulking gun will start to go solid once the tube is opened, and I didn't need a whole caulking gun tube's worth. With the bead of caulking on the sink, I carefully then lowered it over the hole, making sure that its centered right.
It helps to have a helper for this part - somebody to hold the drain in from the bottom while screwing in the flange from the top.
Once the top part is screwed on as far as it will go, its time to grab a pipe wrench and tighten the nut from the bottom to pull it all together and put some pressure on that rubber gasket on the bottom. Be sure to dry fit everything first before you assemble it with caulking. Caulking is really messy once you get it on your fingers. Its best to have a roll of paper towel handy to wipe your fingers with when you work with caulking, otherwise you inevitably get it on everything, including your clothing. And caulking doesn't wash out! The saving grace of caulking is that it does stay soft, and you can scrape it off if need be even after it has solidified, unlike putty.
See also: More home improvement projects |