removing bathroom basin held fast with silicon

diymonkey · 14 Nov 2010

My bathroom basin is held on with several inches of silicon (not screws) both at the floor end and against the wall.

its the wall bit that i'm trying to figure out.

i need to replace the floor. so i need to remove and replace the basin. how to get it off the wall? is there some 1 inch saw half a metre long or something i can use to go throught the silicon that has effectively glued the basin to the wall.

do i have to break the tiles? i can replace them

anyone else been in this situation?

seco services · 14 Nov 2010

run a hacksaw blade down the rear if you can get someone to hold the basin.

newbuildinstaller · 14 Nov 2010

you can buy silicone remover

sbgasman · 14 Nov 2010

try one of the plastic stanly knives with the brake off blades,they are about 6 inch when fully out hth

transam · 14 Nov 2010

Failing that use a long bread knife

Burnerman · 14 Nov 2010

transam said:
Failing that use a long bread knife

And say nowt to the missus. 'You must have mislaid it, darling'

I used a milk jug to prime a diesel fuel filter a while back. Poor soul - the milk's gone off, she said - after having diarrhea for a day or so.
Moral - keep ones head down

John

transam · 14 Nov 2010

Few years ago my neighboour made me a cake brought it around in one of those big tins !

any way thought nothing of it few weeks later I used it to drain my Triumph M/c sump , she asked for the tin back a little while after

washed it out with petrol & gunk gave it back ! since than never had another cake ??

muggles · 14 Nov 2010

newgasinstaller said:
you can buy silicone remover

I did that once. It made a hell of a mess and didn't do anything to the silicone at all.

diymonkey · 16 Nov 2010

thanks for the responses

I've got some of those 6inch stanley blades so i may try that first but i like the hacksaw idea-sounds potentially easier

the missus might miss the bread knife although she always knows when i do diy cause tea towels and scissors go missing and come back with gunk on them

i've tried that silicon remover on tiles on a few millimetres and it does seem to take a titchy titchy bit off -theres no way on earth its going melt the several inches holding my basin to the wall but thanks anyway for the suggestion

Welsboy22 · 22 Mar 2012

I've just done mine and being a plumber it's one of those jobs I can't stand! Stanley and saw blades do get the job done after a while and some cuts and blisters after, so I had a little think how better to do it and came up with a great idea if I do say so myself, this will not only get the basin off in under 30 seconds but also save the tiles too.

I bought a cheese wire off the net, you know, steel wire with a wooden handle at either end. I was that impressed I was gonna flue it back on and do it again.

Try and get single line wire rather than two wires intwined, it still works but they tend to fray quicker, failing that buy some guitar strings.

Cheers
Nick

Nige F · 23 Mar 2012

guitar wire - I`m surprised Joe 90 hadn`t thought of that

Agile · 23 Mar 2012

You are very lucky in one respect, your silicone has stuck!

Perhaps someone can offer me a suggestion?

I have sealed a fibreglass shower tray with about three different silicone sealants and NONE of them have adhered to the shiny surface of the shower tray!

Any suggestions? Sanding the tray surface?

Tony

diynot

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removing bathroom basin held fast with silicon

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