There are multiple reasons why you could need a sink in your garage. Using your garage for various projects is one of the reasons, especially if you renovated your garage to some room or even a garage business. But even if it’s required for helping you do repairs or cleaning on your vehicle, a sink is still required.

It is good to know how to install a utility sink in garage. This way you will not have to waste time and energy in going back inside the house or out in the backyard whenever you need to wash certain gadgets in a safe and less messy way. Let us help you get through the installation project in a simple method.

How to Install a Utility Sink in Garage

To properly install a utility sink in your garage without having to spend extra money on hiring someone else to do it for you, you will need to follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Collect All the Necessary Tools and Materials

There are lots of things you will need to buy before you can get started. Other than the basic items like the utility sink and faucets themselves, you will need tools to help you put it all up in the garage together.

Some of these tools and materials are a large wrench and a crescent wrench, copper clips, copper tubing, compression fittings, and its couplings, PVC pipe and its fittings, a drain assembly, putty for the pipes, wooden planks, a handsaw, nails, a level, and some silicone sealant.

Step 2: Plotting for Space in the Garage

You need to set the tools and materials aside and start cleaning up the garage for space. You need to find out how much area can be used for your new utility sink to be set in place for usage. A lot of things need to be considered when choosing the area for your sink.

You should try moving around some of the other items like shelves, cabinets, etc. in the garage to understand the plotting. This way you can keep the furniture in the right place so that you can reach for the right stuff by the sink when you need to.

Before you start installing anything, you need to turn off all connections from the water lines to the main valve of that tap. There will be separate cold and hot water pipes. Measure the gap between them and then choose whichever spot you want to install the sink under these water lines.

Step 3: Prepare the Water Source

Cut up the copper tubing into two pieces that match the measurement of the gap between the hot and cold water pipes. Keep a few more inches in length just in case you need it.

Once you are done installing, you can cut off the excess copper tubing. You need to make sure water can flow freely from the pipes to the sink. If your sink is misplaced too far away from the pipes or the water lines, then water will start leaking.

Take your wrench and start to tightly screw on some compression coupling on the ends of the hot and cold water pipes that are attached to the wall. Take the soft copper tubing and now attach one of the ends to the compression coupling of one of the pipes, either for hot or cold water.

You need to do the exact same thing for the remaining pipe between the hot or cold water ones. Use the compression fittings and attach the copper tubing to the compression couplings and finish by tightening them with the crescent wrench.

Step 4: Drain Pipe Installation

There is a drain hookup vent pipe that should be located in the lower part of the wall and close to the floor. Once you have located this drain pipe, you need to cover the entire pipe’s threads with the coatings of the plumber’s putty.

Take your PVC pipe’s Y-fitting and screw on its end in a way that makes the Y design or structure of the pipe point in two different directions.

One part of the Y design should be pointed downwards at the floor while the other half of the Y-fitting points upwards to the ceiling. In the meantime, the putty should be dried, and it will make a seal that will not let water leak.

Now screw on the flange part of the drain assembly onto the top part of the Y-PVC pipe along with the strainer. Install a piece of PVC piping known as the P-trap on the other side of the Y-PVC pipe.

This P-trap will help block out any unwanted and unnecessary gas and odor coming from outside right through the drain. Now you can finally attach the Y-pipe fitting to the drain line and put on some putty to seal it properly.

Step 5: Building the Wooden Structure

First, you need to measure the sink bowl you bought and plan to install. Use these measurements to help you guide out lines on the wooden planks. This way you can start sawing the wooden planks into the proper measurements for the structure to hold your sink up.

Hammer in some nails to secure the structure of the wooden planks to create a sort of block or table onto which the sink will be fitted.

The wood you will use needs to be thick and strong enough to support the sink material you have. Create some additional levels to support the counter top of the sink.

At the same time, you can use those levels like a cabinet too. Use the level tool to make sure the entire surface has been sawed evenly and it is leveled evenly. If it is not leveled, then you will face trouble with the sink draining.

Step 6: Installing the Sink

Now that you have a wooden structure ready, you can now mount your sink. Make sure to apply some silicone putty all around the sink’s edges since that is where the sink will be connecting to the wooden frame. The putty will also help keep everything watertight.

Once the putty has dried up and the sink bowl is sturdy, you can install the faucet and other fixtures for the water lines. Remember which pipelines are for hot water and cold water and mark the faucets after installing them.

If you need to attach a sprayer to the pipelines too, you can add an extension coupling to connect the sprayer and water line.

After the top level of the sink is installed, you need to go to the lower level and connect the sink’s drain to the main drain pipe. Attach everything with the putty and silicone sealant. Wait till everything is dry.

It might take hours until everything is perfectly sealed up to prevent any kind of leak. Then you can finally try the sink out by turning on the waterline and turning the faucet on for a minute. Check all the piping and see if anything is leaking. Once you confirm everything is dry, your job here is done.

Final Words

Once you know how to install a utility sink in garage by yourself, the rest of the work will seem easier to you because you can move fast with every step.

Usually, such a task seems difficult because there is a lot of plumbing work involved. But knowing the appropriate rules and having the right tools and materials with you will help you set up your own garage sink perfectly.