Replacing bathroom sink without removing the tiles?

[Littlesecret28]

Hi all,

We want to do up our bathroom a bit, but we can't afford to re-tile the whole thing as it is tiled from floor to ceiling and we don't have any more tiles to fix the wall. So we have decided to change the sink as it's awfully small, next will be the toilet.

I have watched videos of how to do it, but we want to keep the original tiles undamaged and everyone that i have seen who does it seems to take pull the front of the tiles away when they take the sink off.

Anyone got any advice on what i should do?

[PigletJohn]

was the wall tiled before the existing basin was fitted?

[engineersthumb]

I removed our basin at home and fitted a new one in a nook. The basin was mounted on the wall with a latter addition of two layers of tiles. The initial plan was to refile the whole bathroom but curtosy of an at risk of redundancy notice at the time we scalled back. When it's over tiled you can't help but loose some tiles. However, you can generally choose if it's the row above or below the basin. I removed the tiles below, the fixings in the sink and then the steel supporting brackets (really old design) then rolled it downwards. I paneled over in oak that I'd acquired. If the basin is mounted on top of the tiles then you stand a good chance of removing it without breaking the tiles, just make sure that you get all the fixings out first. If it is stuck on as well it will probably be silicone, a long paint scraper may help loosen it or alternatively silicone eater (screwfix/ toolstation etc stock it).

[Littlesecret28]

Sorry should have been a bit more descriptive

The current basin is screwed into a already tiles wall and there is just the 1 set of tiles on the wall, it hasn't been tiled over. However these tiles are rather large, there around 2ft high and about a 1ft wide. I've attached a photo to help explain.

The basin is both attached and screwed into the same tiles, so i think if i do as engineerthumbs says and remove the silicone it should come off in 1 lump and not break any tiles.

I am going to pick a similar sink the only issue i would have is hole (which is already there) that might be left.

[PigletJohn]

remove the silicone as much as you can before trying to move the basin. A very sharp craft knife will cut it, but you will have to stroke the knife repeatedly along the same line to get much depth.

You can get a sealant remover, it turns the seal to goo but IME does not penetrate far so you may have to apply some, scrape out the goo, apply some more, repeat. It seems to work better on old sealant that has weathered or gone hard.

[ccridersuz]

Normally the sink is screwed in place, before the pipework is connected and the silicon is added after, as it's only purpose is to stop water running down the back. If you are carefull the tiles should remain intact.
A Stanley knife and patience is called for, loosen the screws slightly as the weight is held by them. Cutting away the silicon will take time but once you have broken the seal between the sink and the tiles, loosen the screws a fraction more. Do work when the are two people around as you will need help at some point.

[Littlesecret28]

Thanks for the help guys, will let you know how it goes