Had a similar experience when I upgraded my own kitchen sink setup last year—thought it'd be a quick weekend project, but ended up wrestling with fittings and alignment issues for days. Honestly, it's usually the small details like cartridges or washers that trip you up. Once you get past those hurdles though, the improvement in functionality and aesthetics is totally worth it. Hang in there...soon you'll forget all about the struggle and just enjoy your new sink.
I feel your pain—when I swapped mine out, I thought I'd save money doing it myself, but ended up making three trips to the hardware store for tiny parts I didn't even know existed. Did you also have trouble figuring out which washers fit correctly?
"Did you also have trouble figuring out which washers fit correctly?"
Haha, washers were the least of my worries—I spent forever just trying to line up the faucet straight. Did you run into any issues with sealing around the edges? Mine kept leaking until I finally got the hang of the caulking gun...
"Did you run into any issues with sealing around the edges?"
Yeah, sealing can be tricky if you're new to caulking. Did you tape off the edges first? I find painter's tape helps keep the lines clean and prevents messes. Also, smoothing the bead with a damp finger or a caulk smoothing tool right after applying usually does the trick. Takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, leaks become way less common...
Painter's tape is a lifesaver, but honestly, I skipped it last time and just went slow and steady. Trick is to keep a damp rag handy—wipe your finger often as you smooth. Messy fingers, clean edges...works every time (almost).
