Replacing A Sink: Part Three

Ok, this is the final teaser post about this sink before I do a whole bathroom reveal because I did change things up in here.

Last I left it, I had mounted the sink but had not yet connected the drain or supply lines.

 Oooof....parts.

Not to veer into mansplaining territory here, but it's nice to know the name of parts so the jackass at the hardware store doesn't treat you like a femidiot.

Because my sink is very old (1941!), the tailpiece was specific to the drain and flange. The drain was in good condition (and specific to this sink) so I left it in place, but the gasket underneath was decomposing. It was only a matter of unscrewing the pipe, which moved surprisingly easily.

I cleaned out all that old gummy mess so I'd have a nice tight seal with the new gasket.

After a couple leak tests, it was clear I needed two gaskets -the thinner one on top and then the thicker one beneath.

I reused my original waste arm, although I had to cut it down significantly to get the bend to sit in tight to the wall. The waste arm slides easily into the rough plumbing inside the wall and is sealed with a gasket and the coupling nut. I ended up removing the decorative flange that hides this junction at the wall, because I thought it looked better without it.

Hack away! I found this easier to do on with a vise on my workbench. I used a rug pad with a rubberized side to gently secure the pipe in place without crushing and scratching.

Speaking of scratching, this would be the time to mention that ideally, when working on plumbing, a wrench that is intended for plumbing and metal is best  -i.e no teeth in the vise grip so that the plumbing stock does not get marred. 

My sink is a Kohler brand and it has the most beautiful drain (and faucets) that are specific to this sink. Thankfully it has been minimally scratched up over the past 75+ years.

This is the built in lever mechanism to lift and lower the drain. It is hidden entirely behind the sink. The mechanism is just so well designed and built -I hate to use that cliche but they sure don't make things like they used to. 

This is the top of the mechanism with the rest of the built in rough plumbing and where the flexible faucet supply lines connect. I want to point out that these are a 1/2" connection, whereas the wall angle stops are 3/8". Flexible supply lines come in all kinds of lengths and nut configurations.    

I tried to mount this sink using the little chrome legs that came with it. I found, however, that for the legs to work, the sink needed to sit very low on the wall -too low for good functionality for this tall family. I do realize, in the back of my mind, that I may have mounted this a tad too high -visually speaking, but can't bring myself to fully admit this, as it was an ordeal to get it to it's present state. 

I also made the executive decision not to paint the underside of the bowl. I know this might make some perfectionists cringe, it but it just seems like too much to me -I think the chaulky surface suites the look just fine.