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Removing kitchen cabinets is an essential part of a kitchen renovation. The good affair is that cabinets attached to the wall can usually be taken off without any damage, meaning you can reuse the cabinets if you lot desire to. First, prepare the room by removing all your dishes, pots, and pans from the cabinets. Then, plough off the water and the ability to your kitchen. Remove the trim, disassemble the cabinets, and disconnect them from the walls 1 at a fourth dimension. With some patience, you tin can remove these cabinets easily without hiring a professional person.

  1. 1

    Empty all your cabinets. Plates, silverware, pots, pans, and anything else stored in your cabinets must go before you beginning the job. These could break during the removal process if they aren't stored away safely. They will also add extra weight to the cabinets and make them much harder to remove. [one]

    • Don't just put these items off to the side. Move them into a different room entirely so they won't arrive the way.
    • Cover these items with a sheet if you're doing a lot of construction in your habitation. This prevents dust and droppings from getting on your belongings.

  2. 2

    Turn off the h2o to the sink. Base cabinets are ordinarily connected to the countertop, significant you'll accept to remove the counter. The first stride in removing the countertop is pulling out the sink, so turn your sink's water supply off to forestall floods.[2]

    • Expect under the sink for a close-off valve. This is a metallic knob on the side of the pipe leading to your sink. Plow this knob clockwise until it stops to turn off the water supply.
    • Always double check that the water is off. Turn on your kitchen sink and make certain no h2o flows out. Plow the valve further if water still flows from the sink.

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  3. iii

    Cut off the electricity to the room. While removing the counters, you'll be working around electrical outlets and may have to motion some wires out of the way. Go along yourself safe by turning off the electricity to this expanse. Get to the breaker box in your home. Open up it and find the excursion breaker that controls your kitchen electricity. If it was installed properly, the breakers should be labeled. Turn the fuse that powers your kitchen to the "Off" position.[3]

    • Billow boxes are commonly in the basement or laundry surface area.
    • If the billow for your kitchen isn't labeled and yous don't demand ability in the rest of your business firm, plow off the main breaker to turn off the electricity for the whole dwelling house. This billow is a double-broad switch on the superlative of the service console.
    • If your kitchen is old, you lot may discover hidden wires and outlets during this job. If you see wires, cover them with rubber plugs. You can observe these at a local hardware store.

  4. iv

    Cover the countertops if yous're keeping them. If you program on keeping your countertop and reusing information technology with your new cabinets, make sure information technology'due south protected. Put a thick sheet over it to keep dust and debris off it. Also, lay a flat piece of wood on top of the coating to protect the counter from dents if yous drop a tool.[4]

    • If you're not reusing your countertop, and then no need to protect information technology. Let information technology get muddied and damaged while you lot piece of work.

  5. 5

    Remove any trim or molding on the cabinets. Decorative trim and molding is usually loosely-fastened with staples or pocket-size nails and should come off easily. Use either a crowbar or the hook of a hammer to remove these. Insert the blade in between the trim and chiffonier. If the space is tight, give the crowbar a few taps with a hammer to drive in into the crack. And then pry until the trim comes off.[five] [6]

    • Check the wall and base of operations cabinets for trim. Sometimes this wraps around corners and can be difficult to spot.
    • Trim and molding can't exist reused, so don't worry virtually damaging these pieces. They sometimes crack while you pry them off.
    • If yous plan on reusing the cabinets, be careful when prying the trim off. You could paring or scratch the woods.
    • Article of clothing gloves when handling the trim to avoid splinters or staples.

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  1. ane

    Place support blocks under the wall cabinet you're working on. These prevent the cabinet from crashing to the floor if your hand slips while you remove it. Mensurate the distance between the countertop and the lesser of the cabinet. So cut 4 pieces of lumber to that length and identify 1 under each corner of the cabinet yous're removing.[7]

    • For the lumber size, use something thick enough to back up the weight of the cabinets. Blocks measuring 2 in × 4 in (5.one cm × ten.two cm) or 4 in × 4 in (10 cm × 10 cm) should practise the trick.
    • These supports are easily removable, so but move them from chiffonier to cabinet equally y'all piece of work.
    • These supports are only meant to concord the cabinet momentarily while you regain your grip. They aren't stable enough for you lot to rest the entire weight of the chiffonier on it.

  2. 2

    Remove the cabinet doors. The doors are connected to the chiffonier with screws through their hinges. Open the door and discover the hinges. Then use a screwdriver or drill to remove all the screws fastening the door to the cabinet. The door volition and so come off easily.[8]

    • Agree on to the door when you remove the final screw. If it falls, information technology could harm your countertop or country on your foot.
    • If you don't plan on reusing the cabinets, and so there's no demand to be gentle. On about cabinets, if y'all open the doors as well far and push, they'll simply break off. Save time by using this method if you're getting rid of the cabinets anyhow.
    • If yous program on reusing the cabinets, salve the door hinges and screws you lot remove. Place them in a plastic bag or container to keep all the pieces together.
    • Wear goggles and gloves if y'all use a power drill to avoid injuries.

  3. three

    Have out the shelves. These shelves will get in the way when removing the cabinet, and so accept out all shelves before y'all start. Different cabinets accept different mechanisms for securing their shelves. In nigh cases, the shelves residue on top of plugs in the chiffonier wall. In this case, just elevator the shelves off these supports and guide them out of the chiffonier.[9]

    • If the shelves are screwed in identify, then find all the support screws property the shelf downwardly. Use your screwdriver or drill and remove all the screws. Recall to concord on to the shelf when you remove the last spiral then it doesn't fall out.
    • You lot'll need the plugs and screws you remove hither if you desire to reuse the cabinets. Keep track of all the pieces past storing them in a plastic purse or container.

  4. 4

    Remove the screws holding the cabinets together. Cabinets are sometimes screwed together after they're installed. Look inside the cabinets and see if in that location are one or more screws in the sides. These concord the cabinets together. If you see these screws, remove them before detaching the cabinets from the wall.[x] [xi]

    • Screws attaching cabinets are normally placed effectually the door hinge, and so look here first.[12] However installers don't ever follow directions, so in that location may exist screws in unlike locations. Utilize a flashlight and feel around with your hand to locate any remaining screws.

  5. five

    Unscrew the cabinet from the wall. The chiffonier should exist attached to the wall with drywall screws through the back. Look for a row of screws inside the chiffonier running across the meridian. This is the nearly common place where cabinets are fastened. Employ either your power drill running in contrary or your screwdriver and take out each screw. If using a screwdriver, call up to turn screws counterclockwise to remove them.[13] [14]

    • Besides look on the bottom of the cabinet, every bit extra screws are sometimes here as well.
    • If you lot have a partner, have them agree onto the cabinet while y'all unscrew information technology to prevent the cabinet from falling to the ground.

  6. vi

    Lift the chiffonier off the wall and motion it out of the way. When all the screws are removed, the cabinets should simply slide off the wall. Hold onto the cabinet tightly and begin pulling it towards yous. When y'all've gotten information technology out, move it somewhere out of the manner.[15] [16]

    • Exist set for a sudden drib when the cabinet comes off the wall considering yous'll then be holding its full weight. Brace yourself then you lot don't get injured or drop the cabinet.

  7. 7

    Repeat the same procedure for each wall cabinet. If you take several wall cabinets, follow the aforementioned steps carefully for each one. Remove each cabinet 1 by one and put it in a safe place where no ane will trip on it.

    • You may be tempted to start working faster or less carefully as y'all remove more cabinets. Resist this temptation, because a incorrect move could effect in an injury.

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  1. 1

    Pull out the chiffonier drawers. Base of operations cabinets usually accept drawers instead of shelves. Empty the drawers earlier removing them. In that location are several types of drawers. Free-rolling drawers should come up out easily. First pull the drawer all the way out until it stops, then elevator up. This should pull the cabinet out of its socket, allowing you to slide the drawer completely out.[17]

    • Unfasten drawers that use a different mechanism by unscrewing the brackets or pressing a release tab on the side.
    • Proceed any brackets or back up pieces you remove if y'all plan on reusing the cabinets and drawers.
    • Place the one-time drawers out of the way so you don't trip on them while you piece of work.

  2. 2

    Remove the kitchen sink . Removing base cabinets requires more than demolition than removing wall cabinets. The starting time pace is removing the kitchen sink. Outset by unhooking all the pipes leading to the sink. Then cut through the caulking and unscrew the sink from the countertop. Finally, elevator it out and move it out of the way.[xviii]

    • Double check once more that the water is turned off before doing any work on the sink. Any mistake can effect in a flood if the water is on.
    • Wearable gloves to avert getting cutting if the sink has jagged edges.
    • If you lot're getting a new sink, don't worry almost dissentious the sink. If you lot're reusing the sink, and then exist careful and avoid damage while you remove it.

  3. 3

    Elevator off the countertop . Base cabinets are ordinarily continued to the countertop, so remove this before moving on. Expect inside the base cabinets and meet if there are screws drilled through the top. These screws connect the cabinets to the counter. Take out each ane to complimentary the countertop. Test the countertop after to see if it lifts easily. If information technology feels stuck, you lot missed a screw.[19]

    • A kitchen counter may take a layer of caulk connecting it to the wall. If your counter has this, cutting through the caulk with a razor blade to gratuitous it. Wear gloves to avoid cutting yourself.
    • Be careful if y'all programme on reusing your countertop. Remove information technology gently and avert knocking information technology into anything when you carry it out of the room.

  4. four

    Unfasten any screws holding the cabinets together. It's less common for base cabinets to be screwed together than wall cabinets, but it'due south still possible. Look inside the cabinets along the sides and meet if there are any screws connecting the cabinets. Remove them if you encounter them.[20]

    • If you endeavour to pull the cabinets out later on and they seem stuck together, you may have missed a screw. Terminate working and look again. If you pull the cabinets out while they're still attached, you'll rip a hole in the wood.

  5. five

    Remove the screws connecting the cabinet to the wall. Look in the back of the base cabinet and find the row of screws fastening information technology to the wall. Remove all of these screws.[21]

    • Screws can be difficult to spot in the back of your cabinets. Stick your caput within if yous accept to, and use a flashlight to locate them all. Even if you miss only i, you won't be able to remove the cabinets.

  6. 6

    Slide the cabinet abroad from the wall. At present that the chiffonier is gratis, piece of work it out of position. At that place may all the same exist caulking holding the cabinet in place, and so pull difficult to become the cabinet abroad from the wall. Drag the cabinet into a new location when information technology'southward free from the wall.[22]

    • Yous might accept to lift the base of operations cabinets out of position. Sometimes they sit in a compartment on the floor and have to be lifted out.
    • If the chiffonier won't budge, you may have missed a screw in the wall. Stop your work and check again, removing any screws yous left behind.

  7. seven

    Repeat the same procedure for each base cabinet. Yous may take several base of operations cabinets to remove. Follow these steps to safely remove each one, and remember to put the loose cabinets in a condom place where no 1 will trip on them.

    • Proceed working carefully as you lot go along. Keep your gloves and goggles on, and concur the cabinets tightly so you don't drop them on your foot.

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  • Recollect to article of clothing whatever necessary safety equipment to avert injury. Wear goggles when using power tools and wear gloves when handling the cabinets.

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Things You lot'll Need

  • Screwdriver
  • Hammer
  • Power drill
  • Crowbar/pry bar
  • Flashlight
  • Grit sheet or towel
  • Gloves
  • Goggles
  • Lumber for support beams
  • Apartment slice of wood to protect the countertop
  • Razer blade or knife

References

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