Replacing laundry tub/cabinet

[Renomum]

Hi all, my first post in a long time.  I want to replace an old 1990s laundry corner tub/cabinet.  Has anyone done this themselves or do I need a plumber?  I did get a quote from a plumber but it seemed rather excessive?  Im happy to lose the tiles in the process if needs be

[AprilGrim]

Hi @Renomum 

I had the same tub as yours - I’ve just finished the removing stage, where I ripped the trough out and took yucky old tiles off the wall so I can’t help much for anything install-wise. 

Maybe this will help, these are just some things I did when I pulled my own out.

The top of the sink will have a metal lip that the tiles will be covering.  I had to remove the tiles first. 

The cabinet was secured to the wall with both liquid nails and screws. The screws are under the sink, two just underneath and two lower down towards the bottom. 

I unscrewed the plumbing and as I don’t have any caps for the open pipes I used a garbage bag secured firmly over the ends with a hair elastic. 

I had to cut a flap in the front of the cabinet in order to pull the sink backwards and out, as my taps are too low to just lift the sink up. 

I had to use tin snips (power tools scare me after seeing the way my dad, who is a builder, hurt himself many times over the years) and cut a big hole in the metal flooring around the pipes so the whole cabinet could be lifted up and over once the sink was removed and all the plumbing disconnected. 

To use my washing machine in the meantime I have a long outlet hose that empties on my lawn - I connect it to the wm outlet when I run a cycle. Lawn loves it! 

I’m a first time DIY and everything i do seems to take a long time, so I’m sure there’s a faster way, but just sharing how I removed it 😊

[MitchellMc]

Congratulations on your first post within the community after being a member for quite some time @Renomum. 

It's fantastic to see that @AprilGrim has already provided some great assistance and hopefully answered most of your questions. If you are just swapping the tub out and not changing the locations of the taps then this is a relatively straight forward project that requires only basic D.I.Y. skills.

If you have questions please let us know and I trust we can guide you through the rest of the process.

Mitchell

[Renomum]

Yes, not changing location of taps, so would love to be able to do the job myself   Are there links to other instructions/steps that are available?

[MitchellMc]

Not that I am aware of @Renomum.

I believe you'll find the removal a fairly simple procedure. I would follow the instructions @AprilGrim has provided as it seems to have worked well for them. 

Start by unscrewing the plumbing work under the sink. You'll find a pair of Craftright 250mm Multigrip Pliers will come in handy for undoing the large nuts. You'll find one nut under the sink waste and the other midway up the downpipe under the S bend. Once these are unscrewed, see if it releases the bowl. You might find the bowl has a lip at the wall which has been tiled over. If so, you need to remove the tiles. A hammer and chisel will make short work of that. The bowl should now be released and you can remove it from the cabinet. If it is still stuck, check for clips inside the cabinet holding it in place. Once the bowl is removed, have a look to see if and how the cabinet is fixed to the wall. If you are lucky, it will just be free standing and not fixed to the wall. My cabinet is not fixed at all. When you have undone any screws the cabinet should be free, it's just a matter of lifting it up and out of position then.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'd encourage you to give it a go and let us know if you get stuck. We're here to help.

Mitchell

[kathryn78]

My sink is same as pictured.

I Want to remove it completely as it don't get used, we have separate taps for washer. Can I remove taps an put plugs or something in? Can u show what to buy?

[Tyro]

You. Are. A. Legend @AprilGrim ! 👏

Having that level of  confidence and know-how is a bonus!  I hope your easy-to-follow instructions are of benefit to @Renomum .

Did you turn the water off before you started?

[Tyro]

Hi @Renomum 

I too have the same sink.  And like you, I've never tried anything like that.  But I have learned to first put a couple of large water-thirsty towels on the floor and then a bucket under the white winding pipes (that's my technical knowledge there!).  It's just a precaution as the waste pipes might go oopsie all over the floor!

Might pay to also have a second person on hand to help with lifting the sink ... I imagine they are rather heavy?

Good luck! 🤗

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kathryn78. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about removing taps.

Removing the taps and plugging the pipes would be considered plumbing work, so you'll need to enlist the services of a professional to complete the job. The bonus is that they'll be able to remove the taps and cap the pipes within the wall, allowing you to repair the wall so the tap's previous position is unnoticeable. You can then paint the wall or even tile over the area.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell