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Is it silicone adhesive that kitchen and bathroom remodelers use to "glue" a porcelain sink to the underside of a granite countertop around the perimeter of the cutout? Something else?

P.S. I know there's also a kind of screw attachment; I'm interested in the chemical composition of the substance since I want to detach the sink from the countertop.

mr blint
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    I don't know enough to write an answer, but I believe if clips cannot be used, a special two-part epoxy is used to suspend the sink and then it's finished with silicone for a seal. I believe construction adhesive or silicone adhesive are used to add strength to mechanical mounts when heavy sinks are mounted to stone countertops with clips. – jay613 Feb 18 '22 at 19:56
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    @jay613 To a point, but for the largest part used to seal the sink against the countertop. The "glue" part is a handy side-effect I think. – gnicko Feb 18 '22 at 22:45
  • You can get "silicone sealant remover" it it turns out to be that. Can you see any of it squished out from the inside? – Andrew Morton Feb 19 '22 at 16:08
  • Where are you? I suspect this is a regional thing, as my experience in California is exclusively with 2 part epoxy -- never just silicone. (Though silicone always follows in the crack.) One last question: are you trying to preserve the sink you're removing? Life would be easier and more smashtastic if you didn't need to save the sink. – Aloysius Defenestrate Feb 19 '22 at 16:20
  • @AndrewMorton no squishing; it was a pretty neat job. – mr blint Feb 20 '22 at 14:08
  • @AloysiusDefenestrate : Philadelphia metro. Definitely trying to preserve the sink. I want to flip it around. At present vanity faucet is wall-mount and I want to install counter-top faucet instead, but the "fat" side of the countertop is oriented towards the front, so the countertop needs to be rotated. – mr blint Feb 20 '22 at 14:08

3 Answers3

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Most likely it's silicone. You should be able to cut it with a razor/knife to free the sink and then scrape/peel it off completely once the sink is out of the way.

gnicko
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You can get silicones that are also adhesives. Best of both worlds.
Just search "silicone adhesive".

A selection from a UK builders' merchant chain.

Tetsujin
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  • Does this mean we can dispense with L-brackets or all-round strapping, which usually function as primary support for the sink? – P2000 Feb 18 '22 at 20:36
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    @P2000 you could risk it, I would not. – Solar Mike Feb 18 '22 at 21:46
  • Or....are they adhesives...that are also silicone? – gnicko Feb 18 '22 at 23:47
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    @SolarMike indeed I wouldn't. That begs the question, then why use silicone *adhesive* at all? – P2000 Feb 19 '22 at 03:08
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    Don't. That's not what hangs a sink with 100 lbs of water in it. That's what keeps it from leaking. – Mazura Feb 19 '22 at 04:35
  • @P2000 two comments have told you that: hold it in place and stop leaks. Water will find its wsy through gaps. If you don’t read the comments then us trying to help… – Solar Mike Feb 19 '22 at 06:03
  • @SolarMike No, I am not asking "why silicone", I am asking why "silicone *adhesive*" (as I emphasized in my comment) once you've decided for brackets anyway. As they say, if you don’t read the comments ... ;) – P2000 Feb 20 '22 at 19:01
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Whatever it is it's softer than both granite and porcelain

Just use a wire to cut through it.

Jasen
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  • Is there a kind of thin abrasive wire that works like a saw blade? Or just any thin wire? I would like to preserve the sink, BTW. – mr blint Feb 20 '22 at 13:05
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    Any thin high tensile strength wire. spring steel works well. – Jasen Feb 20 '22 at 13:09
  • “Pvc pipe cable saw” would be your best bet. (Even Home Depot carries a few.) But I’m not convinced that it’ll work well if you’re up against epoxy. – Aloysius Defenestrate Feb 20 '22 at 15:27