Joe Corlett
05-26-2008, 03:26 PM
A guy I used to work with told me he was able to soak a misplaced seamed undermount solid surface bowl off the bottom of a solid surface deck using lacquer thinner. I have never had reason to test this theory until recently.
This vanity bowl was about an inch further back from the front edge than the one next to it, so it was going to be a very obvious mistake:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/Trebruchet/DSC00940.jpg
I liberally squirted acetone around the glue at the sink flange and began gently tapping a chisel between the flange and deck all the way around. This knocked off all the hardened adhesive squeeze-out. I applied more acetone and began another lap around. About the third time around, I heard the hollow sound I was hoping for and the lip started lifting. I jammed stacked plastic laminate shims between the bowl flange and deck and continued soaking and tapping.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/Trebruchet/DSC00941.jpg
Eventually, it popped off. Nervously, I turned the bowl over and saw a fine crack. Damn. I felt the “crack” and it had a bump. The “crack” was in fact a very fine dribble of gray adhesive from when I had stuck the bowl previously. The “crack” peeled right off. Whew.
The methelmethacrylate adhesive left on the bowl flange and deck was fairly gooey from the acetone and scraped off fairly easily with the chisel. I sanded everything to smooth and re-stuck it in the right spot this time.
It probably cost me fifteen minutes of time, but this was with freshly-cured adhesive. You could barely dent it with a thumbnail, but I don’t know if this technique will work with adhesive that has set up overnight or even over lunch.
I hope I’m not the one to find out.
Joe
This vanity bowl was about an inch further back from the front edge than the one next to it, so it was going to be a very obvious mistake:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/Trebruchet/DSC00940.jpg
I liberally squirted acetone around the glue at the sink flange and began gently tapping a chisel between the flange and deck all the way around. This knocked off all the hardened adhesive squeeze-out. I applied more acetone and began another lap around. About the third time around, I heard the hollow sound I was hoping for and the lip started lifting. I jammed stacked plastic laminate shims between the bowl flange and deck and continued soaking and tapping.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/Trebruchet/DSC00941.jpg
Eventually, it popped off. Nervously, I turned the bowl over and saw a fine crack. Damn. I felt the “crack” and it had a bump. The “crack” was in fact a very fine dribble of gray adhesive from when I had stuck the bowl previously. The “crack” peeled right off. Whew.
The methelmethacrylate adhesive left on the bowl flange and deck was fairly gooey from the acetone and scraped off fairly easily with the chisel. I sanded everything to smooth and re-stuck it in the right spot this time.
It probably cost me fifteen minutes of time, but this was with freshly-cured adhesive. You could barely dent it with a thumbnail, but I don’t know if this technique will work with adhesive that has set up overnight or even over lunch.
I hope I’m not the one to find out.
Joe