How to Replace a Sink Drain Basket

Now here's a situation that I've come across quite a few times actually, a sink that's in pretty good condition but a sink basket with the finish almost completely worn off. Now a lot of folks think you've gotta live with this because it's part of the sink, but the truth is, it's very easy to change this out for a brand new one.

This is what the sink basket looks like and one of the keys to getting it off easily is this tool right here called a sink basket wrench. We first have to take off this nut which secures the drain to the sink basket. Next, we use the wrench to grab these ears on this large retaining nut. Sometimes though, instead of loosening, the basket will spin. That's when you need this wrench. This goes into the basket from the top and holds it while the nut is taken off from the bottom.  With the retaining nut unscrewed, we lift the old basket out.

Now I've cleaned up the opening here in the bottom of the sink and it's time to start putting in our new basket. Now we have to make a seal between the bottom edge of the basket and the top edge of the sink right here. And to do that, we're going to use this material.It's called plumber's putty. Just take a little bit out of the container, then rub my palms back and forth like this, to form this long shape. We'll then place the putty on the lip of the new basket and press the basket into the opening. Then it's back underneath the sink. We install a rubber gasket, a cardboard gasket, and screw back on the retaining ring. We reattach the drain line and then come back up top to clean off the excess putty.

So why should you put up with something that looks like this when in just a few minutes, you can replace it with this?