With regards to learn how to take away kitchen cupboards there are a number of steps you may have to take in an effort to make sure the job is a whole success – whilst you may assume it’s only a case of taking a crowbar to your outdated models and tearing them out, taking this sort of gung-ho method may, in reality, trigger pointless harm to the area as a complete, add to your total prices and trigger irritating delays to the mission.
Whereas becoming a brand new kitchen is usually a job undertaken by eager DIYers, in lots of instances the elimination of the outdated one and the significance of getting this step proper, is missed – but, with the best planning and a sound data of the method, this stage might be carried out with none drama.
We requested some kitchen specialists for the 5 issues it is best to all the time examine earlier than ripping out kitchen cupboards for a secure and smooth-running mission.
1. What they’ve been concealing
If you’re renovating a kitchen and weren’t the proprietor of the home when the present kitchen was put in then you definately might be completely unaware of what’s going on behind them.
“One of many largest errors householders make earlier than eradicating an present kitchen is assuming the cupboards are merely furnishings that may be lifted out with out consequence,” picks up Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport. “In actuality, they typically conceal excess of simply storage.
“We frequently uncover plumbing, electrics and uneven flooring which have been hidden behind models for years, significantly in older properties the place companies have been added regularly quite than deliberate as a complete,” continues Richard. “Understanding what sits behind the cabinetry earlier than work begins permits you to finances correctly and avoids the disruption of getting to pause a mission whereas sudden remedial work is carried out.”

Richard Davonport is a luxurious cabinetmaker, designer and the founder and Managing Director of kitchen specialists, Davonport. The corporate designs and makes bespoke kitchens from its workshop within the coronary heart of East Anglia. He has an enormous wealth of expertise in kitchen design, structure and creating lovely kitchens for all kind of properties.
2. Whether or not or not they’re holding up your worktops
Earlier than you go pulling out your outdated kitchen models to make method for brand new you could be completely sure of what else they’re holding up – simply as you’ll’t go flattening a wall with out first investigating what it was supporting.
“Worktops deserve specific care when taking out kitchen cupboards – particularly stone or composite surfaces,” warns Richard Davonport. “These are ceaselessly supported not solely by the cupboards beneath them but in addition by timber rails, metal brackets or fixings which can be bonded into the wall.
“Eradicating base models with out first understanding how the load of the work surfaces is distributed could cause cracking attributable to sudden motion. Even if you’re changing kitchen worktops, harm to partitions, flooring or adjoining finishes can rapidly escalate prices. Taking the time to evaluate how the worktop is mounted and supported ensures it may be eliminated safely and with out compromising the material of the room.”
3. How they’re connected to the wall
There are many other ways to safe kitchen cupboards to the wall and the strategies most frequently used lately is not going to essentially be the identical as these employed by the earlier house owners of a home – briefly, if you’re renovating a home anticipate to be shocked at what you could discover.
“It’s actually necessary to look carefully at how cupboards are connected to the wall, as this typically determines the situation of the wall area behind as soon as they’re gone,” explains Richard Davonport. “You’ll typically discover that older kitchens have been screwed immediately by means of plaster into masonry or studwork, leaving partitions that want in depth making good earlier than a brand new kitchen might be put in.
“Figuring out this upfront helps create a practical schedule of works, permitting for stripping out, preparation and refitting to move easily quite than turning into a sequence of reactive fixes as soon as the kitchen is already dismantled.”
5. What the ground is like beneath them
With regards to the commonly-asked query, ‘do you have to put flooring beneath kitchen cupboards?‘ there isn’t a clear-cut reply, which means you may not be fully sure what you’re going to discover beneath your models as soon as they’re gone.
The final recommendation lately says that, if it’s a streamlined, polished look you might be after and a easy set up course of, it is smart to proceed your kitchen flooring beneath you models, becoming them on high. The one time this isn’t such a good suggestion is if you’re laying a floating ground, reminiscent of LVT which wants to have the ability to freely broaden and contract.
Principally, anticipate the more severe. Be ready to search out unfinished flooring beneath outdated kitchen cupboards and you will not end up having to search out matching kitchen flooring or specifying a completely new ground on the final minute.
4. Their present situation
Along with contemplating what you may uncover behind or beneath your kitchen cupboards, it’s nicely value what you have already got earlier than you rush in and rip them out. You may simply discover you may save a bit cash by reusing what you’ve, reminiscent of carcasses in sound situation.
“Earlier than you start spending an excessive amount of cash, you’ll want to examine if the cabinets are in fine condition and worthy of a do-up,” suggests Helen Parker, artistic director of deVOL Kitchens. “I might start with the kitchen worktops, as these are essentially the most outstanding a part of a kitchen. If they’re wooden, get them sanded again and re-oiled, and they are going to be nearly as good as new. Remember, when deciding in your worktops, to additionally have a look at your faucets. For those who determine to decide on one thing totally different, they could want a distinct cutout within the worktop.
“If the cupboards should not in too dangerous situation, I might have a look at the knobs and handles subsequent,” continues Helen. “Actually lovely {hardware} makes an unlimited distinction to the completed look of a kitchen. High quality is dearer, however it additionally makes a mean kitchen immediately really feel far more bespoke. These three jobs may very well be sufficient to present your kitchen a very new lease of life with out ripping out all the cupboards.”

Helen Parker, artistic director at deVOL Kitchens, is the visionary behind the model’s timeless aesthetic, award-winning designs, and iconic items just like the Sebastian Cox Kitchen and the Curiosity Cabinet.
FAQs
How do you take away kitchen cupboards?
The elimination of outdated kitchen cupboards is a job typically undertaken on a DIY foundation in an effort to save on the value of a brand new kitchen – though the job is greatest carried out by two individuals. Work must be undertaken within the following order:
- Disconnect companies to kitchen home equipment which are being eliminated or repositioned.
- Take out home equipment, together with the sink.
- Take away worktops (they are going to normally be mounted from beneath).
- Take off cupboard doorways and take away drawers and any cabinets.
- Unscrew fixings from the again of base models and any which are holding models collectively. They need to pull out simply.
- Take off wall models by unscrewing them on the brackets and eradicating fittings holding double models collectively. They need to then raise out and up off the brackets.
Earlier than you tear out your outdated cupboards it is crucial that you’ve already began to look into designing a kitchen – ideally, you’ll have a agency plan in place and have ordered your new fixtures and fittings. This manner there can be no delays which means you will not have to put up with a short lived kitchen for too lengthy.

