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Countertop Removal & Demolition |
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Materials List
| Extra reciprocating saw blades |
| Plastic sheeting (for dust control) |
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Tools List (click item to shop)
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| 1. |
Shut off water lines to the sink and/or the gas line to the cooktop by first turning the shutoff valves to the "off" position. Then, use an adjustable wrench to disconnect the supply lines from the valves. |
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| 2. |
To disconnect the drain lines, loosen the nuts on the p-trap with 2 pairs of tongue & groove pliers and slip it off the tailpiece. The rest of the drainpipes as well as the faucet can be removed when the sink is out. |
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| 3. |
Remove the cooktop or sink from the counter by loosening any mounting screws underneath and (if necessary) gently prying up on the fixture. |
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| 4. |
For sinks that are tiled into the countertop, first remove the 1/4 round tiles around the sinks and any mortar under the tiles. Without the tiles and mortar in place the sink should just lift out. If it doesn’t lift out easily, it is most likely secured underneath with adhesive, see the next step. |
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| 5. |
If your sink is set on top of the tiles without any underside mounting screws (a rim mount sink) then you will need to cut the adhesive bead under the perimeter of the sink in order to remove it. A thin, flexible putty knife works best for this. Just work the putty knife in under the rim of the sink and around the perimeter. When the bead is broken the sink will lift out. |
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| 6. |
Countertops are frequently held in place with screws that go through corner blocks in the base cabinets. Inspect the underside of your countertop from inside the base cabinets to locate any screws. Remove all screws. In some cases, the countertop can be lifted off after these screws are removed. If not, continue on. |
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| 7. |
If your countertop is a laminate or other wood backed material, begin prying up the surface. It is usually best to start at a corner and force the pry bar between the base cabinet and the countertop and slowly lift up until it becomes loose. At some point it may become practical to cut the countertop into pieces with the reciprocating saw so that sections of it may be removed more easily. Also, if it is difficult to pry up some sections, use the reciprocating saw (with a metal cutting blade) to cut horizontally between the countertop and the cabinet severing any nails or screws that might be holding the countertop down. |
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| 8. |
If your countertop is tiled, first remove any tiles that are on the wall adjacent to the counter. To do this, force the pry bar between the plaster on the wall and the mortar behind the tiles and gently pry off the tiles. When the tiles are off the wall, remove the edge tiles along the front of the counter and repeat the procedure on the countertop, prying between the wood underlayment and the bottom of the mortar. Use the circular saw with a masonry blade or wire cutters to cut away sections of the tile as you work. |
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| 9. |
After the tiles and mortar are removed, remove the wood underlayment that the tiles were sitting on as you would a Formica countertop as in step 6. |
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