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TimW

On 20/08/18 12:06, wrote:
Hi all

Some friends have moved into a new house some time ago and their integrated dishwasher has recently failed. Cutting a long story short it transpires that the precious owner has fitted very thick stone "tiles" on the floor right up the dishwasher meaning that the dishwasher can not be pulled out. Only real option seems to be to remove the worktop above it.

The worktop piece is small covering the dishwasher plus around 300mm of the corner unit. Both ends are masticed to another piece of worktop. To add further complexity, the wall tiles have been tiled down to the top of the worktop and there is a tap hole on one of the joints (although removing the tap should remove that problem)

What is the best way of getting the worktop out without breaking it? My initial thought was to cut the mastic under the worktop with a long blade (eg those snap off ones) hoping that it is not stuck as the rear edge as that is inaccessible due to the dishwasher being in the way. Then hoping I can lever it up and slide out from under the tiles. Will this work?

Any ideas appreciated

Stone worktops could be secured with almost any kind of adhesive or
mastic. there has never been a standard best practice that I am aware of
but I haven't been in the trade for a few years.

I recall a wise fitter saying to put stone down on isolated blobs of
silicone, never a zig-zag coating because with a blob you had some
chance of getting a hack saw blade through it if you needed to get it
off again. They aren't all wise men though, by any means. You will maybe
just need to use patience, prudence and ingenuity and it may not even be
possible to get it off without damage. You might hope that the tiles are
spaced off the worktop so there is some sealant or grout you can remove
to gain some play.

TW