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You need to know how to tighten a kitchen faucet. Why? Your kitchen has handcrafted custom cabinets, a beautiful farmhouse sink, and top-of-the-line appliances. The most renowned french chefs could only imagine cooking in a space like this. Last week, however, you noticed something awry; the kitchen faucet was loose. Every time you went for a glass of water, the serene elegance of your kitchen was shattered by a janky, wobbly faucet. 

Luckily, you can remedy this situation in just a few simple steps with a few basic tools. Read on to find out how!

Tools Required

• Wrench

Depending on which kind of nut you find under your kitchen faucet, you may not even need a wrench, but probably best to have it on standby just in case. You can use an adjustable wrench or channel locks if you don’t have the correct size wrench for the job.

Step 1- Clear Out the Sink Cabinet

You’ll have to get under the sink in a very intimate way, so clean everything from under the sink. If it’s gross down there, you should also give it a quick wipe down; you’ll be lying down in there. 

Step 2- Locate the Faucet Nut

Wiggle yourself under the sink and turn so that you are looking up. Looking to the back of the cabinet, you will notice your water lines running up towards the faucet. 

• If your sink has two handles with a faucet in the middle, your faucet nuts will be underneath the handles with the water lines running up through them.
• If your sink has a faucet with an integrated handle, your faucet nut will be directly underneath, with the water lines running up through it.

Step 3- Tighten the Faucet Nut

This may seem easy, but it is a bit of a pain. The space between the sink basin and the back of the cabinet is pretty tight, and those darn nuts live right in that space. Take a couple of deep breaths before starting; you can do it.

There are two types of faucet nuts that you will find underneath your cabinet; winged nuts that you can tighten with your hand and standard nuts that you need to tighten with a wrench.

• Winged Nuts
  • These are often made out of nylon or some other type of plastic. As the name implies, you will notice a sort of flange or wings on the nut. If this is what you see, reach up with your hand and tighten as much as required to tighten up the faucet.
• Standard Nuts
  • These will be made out of zinc, stainless steel, or some other type of metal. You can reach up and tighten it as much as you can by hand, but you’ll probably need to finish it off with a wrench. This is a pretty tight space for a wrench, so get ready for some frustration. Hang in there, though; you’ll be done soon. 
  • You don’t want to overtighten this nut; you could crack your sink. Only tighten it enough to stabilize your kitchen faucet. 

Congratulations, You Know How to Tighten a Kitchen Faucet!

That wasn’t too bad, was it? And to think, you almost called a plumber for that. It’s pretty uncomfortable under that cabinet, and those darn nuts are in a rather inconvenient space. Still, it’s a pretty simple job. Now you know how to tighten a kitchen faucet, peace and order in your kitchen have been restored.

Can you tile around a window without trim? Answer: Yes! And it’ll look great if you follow these steps.
Trim is usually seen as an easy way to cover up rough edges and allows tilers to throw the tiles up quicker, but it introduces a plasticky distraction to the overall tile effect. We’ll show you how easy it is to tile a window without trim. 

Tiling a window without trim is a process that has three main phases

Step 1- Design, measurement and tile selection

Before you buy or acquire any tiles, think through your finished look, and the appearance of the external edges around the window reveal. Look carefully at the window operation, considering the free space around the window frame, as you may find a thicker tile covers up a larger space or that a thinner tile is required, or no tile, to keep the window operable.

Thicker, natural stone such as travertine tiles, and lighter-coloured tiles look particularly smart without trim. In addition, beige grout helps to blend with lighter-coloured tiles and gives a slicker finish. Rectified tiles are becoming more popular, and are used to give a modern aesthetic with reduced width grouting. They are generally considered to be more challenging to install because the reduced grouting gives less aesthetic tolerance to home-cut edges.

The lower reveal of a window is an excellent opportunity to create a functional or visually pleasing feature, using a single piece of stone or wood to create a window shelf, which should be cut and installed AFTER tiling.

Think about the extent of your tiling, mark the wall with a pencil and if possible, have a shower and see how far the water splashes. It may sound silly now, but there’s nothing worse than discovering that your beautiful new tiling design doesn’t protect the walls from the showering habits of every family member. Decide on whether you will tile around the entire window reveal. 

Measure the area to be tiled, and order an extra 10-20% to allow for wastage, particularly as tiling around a window typically has high wastage. 

CHECKLIST: Gather and prepare your materials, including:

• Wooden offcuts to form a propping T to hold tiles in place at the top of your window reveal. 
• Straight-edged wooden offcuts will serve as guides to give your tiles a uniform, straight edge. 
• Tiles (provide your meterage plus 10-20% to your tile supplier).
• Tile adhesive (your tile supplier will supply an appropriate quantity).
• Grout (your tile supplier will supply an appropriate quantity).
• Primer mix.
• Tile spacers.

And your tools:

• Dustpan and brush, and sheets protect your working space and keep it clean.
• A brush for applying your primer.
• Drill and screws for fixing your wooden edge guides.
• Bucket and sponge.
• A 96 inch spirit level to check that the wall and window reveals don’t have lumps and bumps…. And then the tools and plaster to straighten out the walls if required.. Or a plasterer.
• A square notch (‘tiling’) trowel, with larger notches if using larger tiles, but ¼ inch is suitable for most applications.
• Wet tile saw, for cutting those clean edges, you can do it!, but go carefully, use gloves, goggles, ear defenders, and practice on tile offcuts to get your cuts better.
• Grouting bag

Step 2- Surface and workspace preparation

Using a long spirit level, check that you have a smooth plastered surface to fix your tiles. Hopefully, there’ll be no surprises. Use plaster or filler to remove any holes of low patches, and a sander (and mask) to remove any high patches. Any time spent at this stage will make the tile fixing easier and more enjoyable.

Once your spirit level convinces you that you have a REALLY even surface, fix your straight pieces of wood to the inside of your window reveal with a drill driver and screws, sticking out 1cm into the room beyond the reveal to give you a straight edge to tile up to. 

If you want your tiles to butt joint, you could use some tile offcuts plus 3mm plastic spacers to bring your wooden guide off the reveal the same or 1 or 2mm less than the finished surface of the reveal once the tiles are in place. This will allow the tiles on the wall to stick out the correct amount into the window aperture.

Protect your floor with plastic sheeting and any skirting or installed pipework or ceramics. Have your bucket and sponge ready, and anything you need to keep your workspace well organised and clean.

You can cut your tiles at this stage, though some people prefer to cut them as they go. If you want to do it now, take your time and use a wet cutter to get the neatest cuts you possibly can. You can also sand some tiles, particularly natural stone tiles, to get smooth and pleasing edges, or even design detail. 

Start by making the cuts that will be hidden in the internal corners of the window reveal, and as you develop your skills, progress to the cuts that will form the more visible external edges of the reveal. 

Apply your primer to the walls with a brush, which will make the walls more resistant to moisture or any water that gets through the tiles over time, reducing the risk of plaster damage over time.

Step 3- Tiling time! Now you can tile around a window without trim.

Follow regular tiling methods, applying your adhesive to the back of the tile, and pushing it gently onto the wall, using spacers to separate it evenly from neighbouring tiles. Start at the bottom of the wall, working your way up course by course. As you come to the window, tile up to the wooden straight edge ensuring that your adhesive doesn’t go beyond the wall. 

Clean up any spilt adhesive immediately as you go with the damp sponge because it will dry quickly on the exposed tile face, and in order to clean it later you will need to scrub and scrape, and risk dislodging freshly laid tiles.

Once you’ve tiled around the window, it’s time to tile inside the reveals. Once the adhesive on the walls has properly dried, carefully take off the wooden guide, which should not have any adhesive on it at all. 

Start with the top reveal, using your wooden T to hold the tiles with their adhesive in place, and not forgetting your spacers, even if they drop out a few times in the process. The T should be cut to a length that allows you to progress with the vertical reveals with the T still in place supporting the tiles on the top reveal. 

Remember to bring manufactured tile edges to the front, orientating your cut edges, however good they are, into the less visible internal corner where the reveal meets the window frame.

If your design is to tile the bottom reveal you will need to wait until the top reveal is fixed and dry BEYOND DOUBT. Again, don’t be tempted to do it without spacers. Use them.

With your tiles in place you now have the pleasure of cautiously half-loading your grouting bag, to carefully go back and forth, filling those regular gaps, as well as our external corner gaps, and the top edge of the tiled section if we haven’t tiled to the ceiling. It’s really important to carefully grout that top edge, otherwise, water will go down the back of the tiles. 

Finally, tidy up as soon as you’re done, even if you’re knackered. By doing this you’ll spot any spilt adhesive and resolve grout haze whilst it’s all fresh and easily resolvable. With a tidied workspace, your trimless corners will hopefully continue to look great, but if they don’t then at least you have time still to weigh up whether it’s worth carefully replacing, stripping back, or if it’ll be sufficient to sand them once the grout is definitely dry as a bone.

Dealing with common errors and frustrations 

Most errors and frustrations come from spontaneous tile purchases, or accepting some leftover tiles from a builder or a friend, and then just getting stuck in without preparation. Follow the steps laid out in this article and look before you leap. If you are likely to change the window in the near future, do so before you do your tiling- it seems so obvious but you’d be amazed…

Another common source of rookie and professional frustration alike is a messy workspace that reveals a dried stuck-on mess once when we attempt to tidy up afterwards, or scattered spacers and lost tools that lead us to try shortcuts that cause a spiral of frustration. 

On a similar note, cleaning your trowels IMMEDIATELY after use, will ensure that they remain easy to use and that they spread the adhesive well on the tile. A dried build-up on the trowel will grow and grow, making it progressively harder to apply the adhesive effectively. 

Beyond that, our trimless reveal technique requires a little patience to hone those tile-cutting skills and set the wooden edge guide properly. 

One way to increase the manufactured tile edges at the exposed corner, is to tile from the reveal, using manufactured edges to form the external edge of the reveal. This ensures a perfect edge, even using the manufactured edge-end of your half tiles in a brick bond pattern. This needs to be considered carefully because it also determines the tile layout above and below the window.

Another top tip is to sand down the whole corner once all is dried, though this only really works with natural stone tiles.

How and when do you know you’ve nailed it

Throughout the process, take a moment to stand back now and then, to ensure that you’re lines are straight, that your tiling looks good, and that muck is cleaned off as soon as you notice it. Tile in sections, or courses, using just the right amount of adhesive and the right amount of pressure to fix it to the wall. This will allow you to do a course at a time, or sections at a time, giving you a chance to step back, take a break, and review progress. 

To ensure that you’re happy with the result, don’t accept a cut if it looks rough to you. Don’t fix it to the wall. Leave it to one side in case it can be used elsewhere re-cut it as a smaller piece, and try the cut again. When you finish and show off your work, you’ll be glad you did, because there’s nothing worse than busting a gut and then realising that you’ve done a bad tiling job.

Trimless window tiling takes a little more patience, but it shows off the tiles at their best. Enjoy!

Kitchen renovations are daunting tasks. Picking out a new look and feel of a space is one thing, but function-heavy areas like a kitchen require a much more involved design process. You need to think about utilities, storage space, and your construction schedule. So how long does it take to completely remodel a kitchen?

On average, a complete kitchen remodel will take 2-3 months, but that always depends on many factors. You might need closer to double that amount of time for more significant renovations, where you might need to take down a wall or two, rearrange utility lines, and completely replace all furnishings and fixtures. If mostly cosmetic, where you repaint the walls, replace the tiles, or maybe install some brand new appliances, it may take less than a month.

So before you start remodeling your kitchen, here are a few factors you should consider to minimize construction time.

Budget

The first thing you need to think about is the cost. This dictates almost all other aspects of the remodel. Are you willing to pay for designers and contractors or would you rather take care of it yourself? Are you looking to pay everything out of pocket or are you looking to avail of a construction loan? What kind of changes can you afford with the remodel?

At this point, you should familiarize yourself with the Iron Triangle. Good, Fast, Cheap – pick two.

If you’re working with a tighter budget, expect the kitchen remodel to either be fast or cheap. But it can rarely be all three.

DIY Remodeling

There are two phases to any kitchen renovation: the planning phase and the construction phase. For either of those, you can decide to work with industry professionals or you can try to go down the DIY route.

Seasoned DIY homeowners have a big advantage. They have the skills and the know-how to undertake major renovations by themselves almost as well as professionals can. They’re able to minimize the costs of construction as well as the timeframe of the process while also being sure of the quality of the finished work.

Doing complete kitchen remodels DIY will usually take longer since there are simply fewer hands on deck. Some may say that working alone does away with unnecessary back-and-forth and so that helps them finish things faster. But the bigger the project, the less that’s likely to make a difference.

For DIY novices, it is highly recommended to hire kitchen remodeling professionals if you’re planning a complete and major renovation. And especially if it matters how long the kitchen remodeling would take. It’s a big enough project that basic kitchen renovation experience should be mandatory. There are other simpler projects for beginners to try so they can first get the hang of DIY remodeling.

Professional Designers

Commissioning kitchen designers can seem to be initially pricey, both in time and money. But if you’re working with seasoned professionals, you avoid making costly mistakes that eventually have to get fixed. Having them with you during the design process eliminates a lot of the guesswork that comes with planning a design yourself. Especially for first-time kitchen remodelers, this gives you peace of mind during the whole remodeling process.

If you do decide to work with dedicated designers for the planning phase, expect to add an extra month before actual construction starts.

Professional Contractors

The actual construction phase of the kitchen remodel can either be done by hired contractors or by the homeowner wishing to try out DIY. The DIY route saves a lot of money, but it is important to assess your initial skill level and experience before jumping on that train. You might end up spending more trying to fix your construction mistakes.

Almost always, hiring contractors will get the job done quickly and properly, but it will probably cost quite a bit more than if you decided to take on the job yourself.

Unavailable Kitchen

A bulk of remodeling jobs have to do with the finishes of the room. This means that homeowners are still able to use essential kitchen appliances and fixtures needed for cooking and cleaning. So it won’t be like the kitchen will be unavailable for use the whole time it’s being remodeled.

On average, kitchens will be out of commission for 6 weeks with larger remodeling projects. So plan your daily meals accordingly for that period. And if you can, ask your contractor to prioritize giving you a temporary space with access to a sink, a portable stove or microwave, and a refrigerator. So you don’t have to keep ordering takeout for a whole month and a half.

Minimizing Delays

In preventing delays, it’s essential to plan as thoroughly as you can and to avoid big design changes mid-construction. Make the necessary material orders on time, and keep clear communication lines with all professionals involved in the remodel. Staying on top of a project like this gets you done as quickly as possible without major incidents or issues.

Here are a few things to keep in mind for a kitchen remodel that would affect construction time:

1. Layout

Take note of the basic kitchen work triangle. This divides the kitchen into three different zones: storage, wet work, and cooking. This means that you should note where your refrigerator, your sink, and your cooking range are located relative to each other.

If they’re not too far or too near each other, then the workflow in your current kitchen layout works as is. No need to change anything up. If it doesn’t work, however, a lot of planning has to go into figuring out a better layout. And inevitably, that also means it would take longer to remodel the space.

2. Plumbing Fixtures

It’s usually a bit intimidating to homeowners when they have to rework their plumbing. Unfortunately, remodeling a kitchen means you have to deal with the plumbing connected to kitchen fixtures and appliances.

In cases where the owners decide not to move around any of the existing fixtures, it is still necessary to be aware of where the current pipes are laid. Remodeling and rearranging counters and cabinets in a kitchen might interfere with an existing water line.

A burst pipe is a surefire way of making your kitchen remodel take longer to finish.

3. Appliances and Lighting

Kitchen appliances need dedicated power sources or connections to water supply and sewage lines. Some, like a dishwasher, need both. Take note of all the requirements of the kitchen appliances you plan on using and make sure they’re all met.

The same goes for all the lighting fixtures you wish to install. The perfect placement for that pendant lamp that you want to use for your kitchen island might not have enough space for a power supply.

Make thorough notes and measurements even before you start remodeling to minimize construction time.

4. Ventilation

The relocation of ovens, cooktops, and range hoods has a big impact on the kitchen. Always keep in mind that the ventilation systems for these are set up so that they transfer out all the smoke and smells from your kitchen to the outside. Be aware of how these vents are set up and what you would like to do with them when remodeling.

Additionally, make sure you have an adequate amount of fresh air coming in through operable windows in your kitchen. Adding new windows is a big part of most kitchen renovations.

5. Storage and Countertops

How many cabinets do you need to store everything in your kitchen? Will they be over the counter, under, or both? What kind of material do you want to use for your countertops?

These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself when remodeling your kitchen. Take note of how much space you need for your kitchen’s storage and pantry.

Kitchen cabinets and countertops, for the most part, dictate the look and feel of a kitchen more than any other elements. So you’ll also need to carefully plan out the material finishes and hardware you’ll be using. More often than not, countertops and cabinetry are custom-made and take the longest to order and install.

How Long Will It Take?

So can you completely remodel your kitchen in three months? Only if you’re willing to put in the work. But with all that we’ve covered in this article, you might be thinking that there are quite a lot of things to consider when remodeling a kitchen.

Taking your time to think about these thoroughly and carefully doesn’t cost anything. And doing so will ultimately save you money, labor, and overall construction time when you actually do decide to push through with the renovation.

So use the information in this article to do thorough research on how you want to remodel your kitchen. Hire the right professionals, be decisive with your choices, and you’ll have your dream kitchen in no time.