How to remove cabinets
There is a proper way to remove old kitchen or bathroom cabinets when you are doing a renovation. I have pulled out many sets of cabinets over my many years of remodeling. The tips that I am going to share with you will help you to remove them safely and efficiently. When undertaking a project like this, it’s best to enlist the help of a friend, family member, or co-worker. The cabinets and countertops are heavy and quite difficult to handle on your own.
Tools needed:
- hammer
- saber saw
- Alternative saw (Salzsaw)
- pry bar
- Electric drill
- Phillips bit number 2
- Number 2 square drive bit
- Razor blade
- Spatula
- two wheel hand cart
- channel locks
- leaderboard
You should make some support sticks that are adjustable to fit under the upper cabinets when you are ready to unbolt them from the wall. Take two pieces of wood that are three feet (3′) long, three-quarters of an inch (3/4″) thick, and two and a half inches (2-1/2″) wide and screw them together. You will need two of these adjustable accessories.
Start by removing the space-saving sink, stove, range hood, dishwasher, or microwave.
- IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the hot and cold faucet handles after you have turned off the valves under the cabinet to make sure they are turned off. DO NOT forget to turn off power to appliances before removing them. Cover all electrical wires with stripped ends with wire nuts, even if you plan to leave the breakers off.
Cut all lines of caulk with a utility knife where the countertop and cabinets meet the walls, ceilings, and floors.
Remove all decorative trim if you have them.
Take out all the drawers and unscrew the screws holding the countertops in place. If you have solid surface counters, such as Corian or granite, there may not be any screws to remove. If that’s the case, there’s likely a bead of caulk holding the top of the cabinets together. Use your putty knife and hammer to break the cord. If you have a large Formica top that you won’t be salvaging, you can cut it into smaller pieces with your saber saw. Large granite counters will need to be removed using several pry bars and several people. Token tiles cannot be recovered and must be destroyed.
Take your reciprocating saw and cut a square in the cabinet around the plumbing pipes coming out of the wall. This must be a very shallow cut. Do your best to cut just the cabinet and be sure NOT to cut the drywall. There may be electrical wires inside the wall. So be careful!
Remove all screws from the back, sides, and bottom of the base cabinets that secure them in place. Remove cabinets carefully if you plan to keep the existing flooring.
Adjust the support sticks so they fit snugly under the wall cabinet to be removed. With the help of another person, begin to remove the screws from the back, ceiling area, and side of the wall cabinet. Set your drill aside. Once you have a good handle on the upper cabinet, remove it from the wall.
- Important: Before you begin this project, make sure there are no pictures or mirrors hanging in the outer rooms that share the kitchen walls. You’re going to be doing a lot of banging and rattling off the walls. This could save you a lot of money by keeping a three hundred dollar ($300) mirror from falling over while removing cabinets.
Even if you plan to destroy your cabinets, you should follow this expert advice for safety reasons. Throwing a ten-pound mallet is not the right way to demo a set of kitchen or bathroom cabinets. If you try to remove them this way, you might “literally” create yourself a headache. The method I have described is the safest and best method I know of for removing kitchen or bathroom vanity cabinets.