No more leak!

When we first moved into our house, I went through and made a list of everything that needed replaced either immediately or in the next couple of years. After I gave the list to Ben he said, "so you want all of this AND the kitchen sink!" Yes, the kitchen faucet leaked from the handle and was getting all corroded. I thought, as long as we were changing the faucet we should do the sink too. It is chipped and the color isn't quite right; it was more of a want than a need though.
Well, many other things took precedence, like light fixtures, a sprinkler system and living room furniture to name a few. The last couple of months the leaky faucet has gotten really bad and would even leak a little when it was turned off. I had picked out the faucet I wanted on the Lowes website and was waiting until we had the money for it. About 2 weeks ago I got a coupon in the mail for 10% off my entire purchase at Lowes Oct 1-5; I took that as a sign and went and got my new faucet on Monday. They didn't have the exact faucet I wanted, but they had a very similar one that was 2/3 of the price.
Well,

BEFORE:



My nasty, leaky, old faucet. The "chrome" plating is all worn off and it is turning a lovely green color in places. Not to mention the hard water build-up.






This is what I found under the faucet. GROSS!!!

Underthe counter was even worse. The parts that held the faucet in place were so rusted that it took all my strength and a good monkey wrench to loosen the bolt. I discovered afterward that the rust was stronger than the bolt and I actually broke it off instead of loosened it.

Drum roll please :)

AFTER:

It all cleaned up pretty good. Not all of the rust stains would scrub off and there are a few chips in the finish. But all of the hard water came off with the help of some barkeepers friend (thanks for introducing me to that Karin) and a razor blade.

And.... TA-DA! Here is my beautiful new faucet. The plate for the bottom covered up all of those chips and stains very nicely. I love that the sprayer is in the spigot, not separate. I like that I can put it on sprayer without holding it. And I love the black, it goes so much better with my countertops and appliances. I think the hardwater spots won't be as bad now either.