Replacing a STone effect resin sink.

[Hysteresis]

I have read several threads referring to the removal of the silicon sealant from Around the Sink unit, all of which do not help me on what I can do to remove a sink unit from a Granite worktop.
The original sink was installed by a professional installer and was placed onto an application of the sealant to the granite surface and the sink unit lowered onto the bead of sealant. The result being an excellent water seal but impossible to remove the sealant as it is acting as a very secure adhesive between the sink flange and the granite surface. No amount of scraping with a Stanley knife gets any where near the sealant/adhesive surface. I am a loss as how to remove the old sink.
I do not need to preserve the sink so smashing it is not an issue. The only way I can think of to removing it is to break it up with a lump hammer and gradually try to remove the flange with a hammer and chisel. My only issue hear is damaging the very expensive granite surface.
Has any one on this site had similar issues and resolved the problem?

 

[jj4091]

Pictures might help but have you tried a silicon eater product to loosen the silicon?

 

[Hysteresis]

Pictures might help but have you tried a silicon eater product to loosen the silicon?

Thanks for your reply jj. A picture Is attached, but to be honest I dont think it helps a great deal. You can see the sealant is sandwiched between the granite top and the sink flange and as such is more like an adhesive. I have tries to insert a Stanley blade and the joint is so tight a blade will just not go in. Also a silicon eater would not get into the joint face to loosen the silicon sealant. I have tried to find a point at which I can get the point of a Stanley blade into so as to give a start to the laborious process of easing the joint but I have not been successful so far, Clearly the materials are not the least bit flexible to allow the insertion of a blade.

 

[foxhole]

Try a disposable knife blade is thinner and longer, masking tape around first so as not to damage the surface, then lots of slow passes.Don't force it.Also apply constant pressure from below [vertical timber]
https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/...Vk2DmCh1ZIQWVEAQYASABEgLCZfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[jacko555]

Wonder if fishing line or similar strong, thin wire could be used like a garotte?

 

[Hysteresis]

Wonder if fishing line or similar strong, thin wire could be used like a garotte?

The problem there is getting the wire through the space between the Granite surface and sink flange,!!!!!

 

[Hysteresis]

Try a disposable knife blade is thinner and longer, masking tape around first so as not to damage the surface, then lots of slow passes.Don't force it.Also apply constant pressure from below [vertical timber]
https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/...Vk2DmCh1ZIQWVEAQYASABEgLCZfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That may be a reasonable suggestion. Those disposable blade thingies do have a thinner blade that the Stanley blades. Certainly worth a go.
I dont know why sink manufacturers dont incorporate a rubber seal in their design such that the seal is made when the sink securing clips are tightened down. It will be all down to costs I suppose, and who thinks about removal issues when a sink is being installed. Certainly an installer won't be bothered and will install the cheapest alternative ignoring the issues of removal 10 years down the line, that becomes someone else's problem, namely ME.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I dont know why sink manufacturers dont incorporate a rubber seal in their design such that the seal is made when the sink securing clips are tightened down.

In fact you can get a self-adhesive closed cell foam rubber sealing tape, the same sort of stuff they sometimes use for hobs. That is a lot easier to cut out, and has been around for at least a couple of decades, but normally on laminate worktops you'd just be ripping the worktop out as well if you were replacing a sink - which may explain some of the logic (?) behind the fitting method

One question, though, do these cast resin sinks actually have sink clips like the stainless steel sinks do? I didn't think they did, but then I don't think they are normally aimed at the granite market, are they? That tends to be more under mounted stainless steel or Belfast sink country in my limited experience

One plus point of cast resin (assuming that this isn't a resin with embedded quartz) is that it generally saws and routs fairly easily. That means it should be possible to disconnect the waste and water services and saw away the majority of the sink using a router with an oversized sub-base and the same type of sink removal saw (cutter) that is used for cutting out undermounted Corian (solid surface) sinks. The remaing portion could then be sawn away using the same tool to within 0.5mm of the granite, or routed away with the router and a large diameter cutter, or possibly be sawn into small segments with a circular saw (again to within a millimetre or so of the granite surface). Thus weakened the remains of the rim would be a lot easier to remove, perhaps with a large woodworking chisel and a hammer?

If done with a router the job would require a 1/2in router (ideally and American style D-handle router for control):

and this type of cutter, a Pinske Edge 7050:

or there's a (UK) Trend cutter that does the same:

TBH this isn't much different to a 1/2in shank 3- or 4-flute grooving bit which would be somewhat cheaper (for example a Wealden 1/2in shank, spacers, a bearing and a 6mm series 60 groover would cost in the region of £40 or so).

The power tools used would require adequate support in the form of a temporary support surface to work from. This job will be very, very messy, and as with all composites the ideal approach is to reduce the cutter speed (rpm) but run at the highest possible feed speed - the idea being to produce shavings, not dust, and also to avoid melt back of swarf. You also need to extract dust at point of production and wear a good FFP3 mask (as it is really dusty stuff to machine)

So what I am saying is that a solid surface (Corian) fitter might well be able to come in and do the job for you in an hour or so - but IMHO it is really not a job for a router novice.

My advice based on having actually done similar sorts of job (cutting-out damaged sinks and replacing them) on undermounted bonded-in Corian sinks in motorway services washrooms a few times back back in the days when I was on interior fit-outs. Not the same, but near, I feel

Edit: This is the type of machine we used to borrow for the cut-out task, a Pinske Edge 7000:

I have never seen them for hire in the UK, but I did work for a couple of firms who had their own for this sort of work, but they went to the wall following the 2007 crash, so I have no idea where you'd get one from nowadays. I believe that these machines were around £2.5k to buy back in 2005 when we had the use of one, so not a cheap purchase, hence a bit of DIY to convert a 1/2in router might well be in order.

 

[Hysteresis]

Thanks for your reply JobAndKnock, Had a closer look at the underside of my 'resin' sink, and you are spot on, there are no retaining clips as used on SS sinks, there is some raised moulding bosses which on a cursory look appears to be some sort of retaining mechanism, but they are not, what their function is remains a mystery to be, but there are no retaining clips as you rightly suggest.
Your suggestion of somehow cutting out centre section of the resin sink sound a great idea, I am not sure how easily resin sinks can be cut with say an angle grinder (I disposed of my Router and all of the Router bits a few years ago) but if I can cut out the sink with an Angle grinder, the remaining roll edge would be a whole load easier to handle and therefore to remove. I think that is a great idea. It all depends on how easily the resin material cut.
As you suggest, the process is rather risky, but I think I have little other ideas for options.
Thanks again for the idea, it gives me something to work on.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

TBH I'm not so sure about how safe that is going to be (kickback potential with dense plastics - so go carefully), but for cutting dense materials such as cement fibre board I have had great success with the Bosch carbide grit blades that Toolstation sell. These ones.

They will also cut through plywood and OSB, so they might be suitable for plastic. I have a replacement cordless grinder due in the next couple of days so I'll do an experiment to see how well the discs cut some Corian offcuts and let you know.

 

[Hysteresis]

Thanks so Much JobAndKnock,