Hi, I need a new dishwasher but can’t get the old one out; when we tiled our floor we never thought this would be an issue. The plinth goes right along the main kitchen units in one piece and is stuck in by the new tiles. I was thinking of just cutting out the part of the plinth that sits in front of the dishwasher but I’m not sure how this would go back on and be secured in place. I’m lucky to have two tiles left over from the pack when we had the floor done so we could get just remove the 2 half tiles in front of the dishwasher and replace with the left over ones. Here are some photos - any advice is welcome… really hoping not to have to remove the whole floor and replace.
Assuming the dishwasher can be removed over the tiles (ie there's enough clearance once you've retracted the feet fully) you could cut the entire length of the plinth along the top of the tiles with an oscillating multi tool and remove the whole plinth. When you come to replace it conceal the cut edge with a bead of silicone (not dissimilar to the grout line you have already). The cut will be thin enough not to matter.
Thanks - the entire length of the plinth is 3m, would it be easy to cut this length straight with an oscillating tool? I have a Dremel if that means anything…
A Fein Multimaster with a suitable blade is my preferred choice however I use them commercially. There are lots of cheaper alternatives. If you look up oscillating multi took you will see what I mean. Assuming you mean a rotary Dremel (I don't know if they even make oscillators) that would not work. Edit: 3m would be straightforward with a wide wood cutting blade. You run the blade flat along the tiles as a reference. Just check that the blade doesn't mark the tile and use a piece of paper in-between if it does.
Have you tried removing the plinth anyway? If it clips to the legs you might find that there's sufficient space to pull the top away first and 'roll' it over the tiles.
Yeah I’ve tried removing it - it’s wedged in place, I could probably attack it more but I’d kick myself if I broke it… decided to get a local handyman to do the complete installation and passed on your suggestion
Rather then messing around with a multi tool doing a long horizontal cut, I'd just simply make 2 neat vertical cuts either side of the dishwasher and simply pull the plinth out. After, providing you've cut neatly using a thin blade, applying a bit of matching or close enough filler will make the joint hardly noticeable. Completely invisible? No - but how much time do you spend lying on the kitchen floor staring at plinths?
I’m leaning towards this option thanks - it also makes it easier to remove in future should we ever need it serviced or repaired… we’re hoping to move house in the next year or two so thinking about future owners