Removing a Cast Iron Kitchen Sink From a Plastic Laminate Counter

There’s not much to say here about removing a cast iron kitchen sink. If it’s a really old one with a stainless steal rim that rests on the Formica countertop, you are going to need two people to remove it. Irregardless of what kind of design it has your going to need four hands in the project. Those suckers are heavy man. Read

One person must get underneath it and support the heavy thing and remove the mounting screws. The other person needs to be up top holding on for dear life. I recommend that you cut some type of prop sticks for underneath.


The first thing that you will need to do is cut the caulking line. If there’s a stainless steel rim on the sink you should not have to do this step. If the original plumber used an overage on the caulking get ready to put on a lot of patients.

If you cannot get the sink to budge after cutting the caulk line, you my have to take a very thin, but firm putty knife and hammer it all around the sink. The idea here is to separate the countertop from the underside of the sink without tearing the plastic laminate apart. If you’re planning on junking the top anyway then don’t worry about damaging the Formica.

There’s no way around it. You must have two people when you are removing a cast iron sink. Don’t even think about pulling that thing out by yourself. It’s way too heavy for one person to handle.

I attempted to remove one on my own without any help and I could hardly get it up high enough to clear the countertop. Once I did lift it and got it out of the sink hole, there was immediate danger of me hurting the floor, the existing cabinets or even my back. I learned my lesson the first time and never attempted it again. It was a stupid thing to do, but what can I say I’m a man with an ego.

If you are trying to salvage the existing countertop, be extremely careful pulling the cast iron sink out and putting it in. The slightest bump or rub against the plastic laminate, during the sink removal or installation, will create a chip that will probably beyond repair.