How to Safely Remove Your Kitchen Cabinets?

So perhaps you are looking for a way to renew your kitchen decoration but lack the funds or want to simply remodel a part of it. Removing your old kitchen cabinets to replace them with new ones is a great idea! Our guide here will help you learn how to remove kitchen cabinets without removing countertops!

 

While replacing new kitchen cabinets might not be your thing due to the potential damage you may cause to them and your surroundings, removing kitchen cabinets is far easier. But don’t worry, we will teach you how to remove your kitchen cabinets without damaging them as well. All you need is a little bit of preparation to avoid unwanted harm to your kitchen vanities, such as your kitchen countertops or backsplashes, and yourself, which is obviously the most important aspect here.

 

We will first start with our preparation phase and that includes both the necessary tools and the arrangement of your work area.

 

Tools for Removing Your Kitchen Cabinets

• Utility knife,

• Hammer,

• Drill,

• Screwdriver,

• Pry bar,

• Wrench,

• Ladder,

• Gloves,

• Goggles,

• Tarps,

• Sturdy trash bags ie. yard waste bags,

 

Preparation of Your Work Area and Tools

• Empty out your cabinets,

• Make sure everything is cleared from your countertops,

• Close off all utilities such as electricity, gas, and water,

• Cover up your countertops, floor, and any immovable appliance within the perimeter with tarps,

• Use goggles and gloves to cover your mouth and face,

 

Now that you are ready to begin removing your kitchen cabinets let’s start with disassembling them. To do this you will need to begin with doors, drawers, and shelves.

Disassembling Kitchen Cabinets

We will first start with anything that we can move or simply get in the way of the process when removing the body of our kitchen cabinets. We have a useful tip here; labeling all of your kitchen cabinet pieces. This way you will know which one belongs to which when needed. To do this we go with the following order of instructions:

Doors

• To ensure that the hinge remains with the door unscrew the brackets from the body of your cabinets,

Drawers

• Either pull your drawers all the way out, lift and then continue pulling them or unscrew/detach the sliding bracket from the drawer,

Shelves

• These either come off by simply lifting them from the support pegs or you need to unscrew them from the body of your cabinets,

 

Next, we have the trims and seals. For caulk, you can use a utility knife to cut the connection between the cabinet body and other surfaces. For trim and molding, you can use a hammer and a pry bar to do the trick by wedging your pry bar behind trims. This way you can pull them out with ease.

 

Now that we are done preparing, we can begin removing our kitchen cabinets without damaging them!

Removing Your Upper Kitchen Cabinets

This is where the heavy work begins. So pick up your hammer, screwdriver, and drill to begin the process. Our next useful tip for here would be to get an extra pair of hands on deck. For instance, a ladder would be great with someone supporting you. As they say; teamwork makes the dream work.

 

• Start by locating the screws. Not all of them may be visible to the eye as they might have been covered for aesthetic purposes. Look for particular discolorations, stickers, and any other signs that might indicate their location. The sides are also worth checking into,

• Detach each cabinet from one another. This way you can plan which ones to unscrew first and avoid unwanted situations such as having to remove a heavy cabinet that is connected to others,

• Check how your cabinets are attached to the wall. They might either be glued or screwed. If they are glued, use a hammer to wedge your pry bar towards the back of your kitchen cabinets. If they are screwed, check all surfaces to detect every one of them, then simply unscrew them with a drill or screwdriver,

• Once the cabinets are ready to remove, lift them in a gentle manner. Always try to lift your cabinets firstly upwards then towards yourself. Doing this will ensure that if you missed a screw or any section of the cabinet is still glued you will minimize damage.

 

Removing Your Lower Kitchen Cabinets

Now that we are done with the upper ones, it’s time for your lower kitchen cabinets! Thanks to gravity laws, removing your lower cabinets are easier even though many think of it as harder, as you have to deal with the sink, dishwasher, and any other appliances. Fret not! Doing these steps are also very easy.

 

• Recheck if you closed off all utilities such as gas and electricity. Safety always comes first!

• Start with your handy wrench and utility knife. Use your wrench to unhook all the pipes that lead to your sink, and the utility knife to cut away the caulk,

• Unscrew the sink and lift it off. Make sure to place it away somewhere out of your working zone,

• Check whether your countertops are attached to your cabinets or not. If they are, simply unscrew their connections and use your utility knife to sever the caulk away,

• Detach piping. This process is sometimes not necessary for all types of kitchen cabinets, however, if it is make sure to use your wrench to detach every single piping before removing your kitchen cabinets,

 

Now all that’s left is to remove your kitchen cabinets and voila, you are done! Make sure that their adjacent cabinets and countertops are not damaged when pulling them out. Replacing kitchen cabinets without removing countertops will be far easier if you safely remove the old ones!

 

Hopefully, our guide helped you safely removing your kitchen cabinets. If you are looking to renew them with new ones feel free to check our vast collection of kitchen cabinets to renew the decoration of your home. With our wide array of products, we are sure that you will find the perfect choice for your kitchen. You can check for traditional, modern, and perhaps a little more exotic transitional kitchen cabinet options.

 

This is the end of our blog post for “How to Safely Remove Your Kitchen Cabinets”! If you are interested in following out popular trends for kitchen designs and our new kitchen products, make sure to check our other blog posts such as “Beautiful Blue Kitchen Ideas for Your Home” & “How to Design a Small Kitchen?”, "What are the Diffirent Types of Kitchen Cabinets"

 

We’re sure you’ll find more attractive ideas for styling purposes and select out the most suitable products for renovating your kitchen with our future blog posts as well. Until next time, be safe and in good vibes!