Wall cabinets enhance storage space while giving a neat look to your room or kitchen. Unfortunately, these cabinets have a limited life and you need to replace them. Wall cabinets are easy to remove if you know how to do them. However, you can hurt yourself or damage property if you don’t do it properly.
Unless you are confident that you can do it yourself, you can hire a removal service like this company. These companies have furniture removal experts who are trained to manage these tasks.
Getting the service will not only reduce your effort but ensure no damage to your property. It is more important if you want to reuse these cabins. The furniture removal expert will ensure that they are removed without any damage.
Let’s say you have decided to remove these cabinets yourself, here are few tips that will help you complete the task easily.
What You Will Need
To safely remove the wall cabinet, you need a set of tools. If you are planning to sell them or reuse them, it is more important to use these tools. It will ensure that you remove them with minimal or no damage.
- Gloves
- Goggles
- Drill
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Crowbar
- Utility knife
- Two putty knife
- Furniture pads or blankets
- Supporting wood (no need if you have a helper)
Prepare Your Room
Once you gather all the supplies, the next step is to prepare the location. Either it is a room or kitchen, the procedure remains the same.
Begin with shutting off the electricity from the breaker box. Once the power is cut, you need to remove any electrical items from the cabinetry. From electricity to range hood, remove everything to avoid any damage.
If you are planning to remove a few cabinets, cover the remaining with a blanket. Cover everything nearby to prevent scratches. While removing all the cabinets, you should remove appliances before starting the process.
Prepare Your Cabinets
Let’s get ready for your cabinets! Obvious but important, remove everything from cabinets. If there are any hidden electrical connections, remove them with care.
Are you using any decorative items to enhance the look of your cabinets? Well, you need to remove all these decorative items.
Remove Trim and Molding
Using a knife, remove any caulk attaching the cabinets to exterior elements like trim or wall. It will ensure that you don’t damage anything while removing them.
In case you want to use the trim again, be careful while removing them. Use the flat side of a screwdriver to detach it from the wall. If you don’t want to save it, you can use a hammer to pull it away.
Check if there are any nails. Remove them using the right tool.
Remove Doors
This step is very important. People often try to remove the cabinets directly and it never turns out to be a good idea. It will reduce the weight while allowing you to easily transport the cabins.
Unscrew the hinges to remove the doors. Using a screwdriver, carefully remove the door.
Gather Hardware
If you are not planning to reuse these cabins or donate, still you shouldn’t ignore this step. It is important for our environment to recycle everything.
While removing the cabinets, make sure you gather all the hardware in a plastic bag including the screws. After collecting all the items, you can leave the package inside a cabinet.
In case, you want to install the cabinets at the same place again, you should label the location. Before removing the cabinets, number them to avoid any confusion.
Cabinet Separation
Skip this step if you are removing one unit cabinet.
To ensure easy dismantle and repair, cabinets are not made as one unit anymore. They are usually made separate and then connected.
Get a drill and remove all the screws to disconnect the cabinets from each other. You may need to provide some support after you remove the screws. However, they will still be connected to the wall.
Remove From Wall
Finally, it is time to remove them. The cabinet removal process varies depending on how they are connected to the wall.
Connected With Screws
Maybe you were doing all the above steps alone; it is time to get some support. Ask a person to assist you by supporting the cabinets.
If you can’t find anyone to support, get some pieces of wood and place them below the cabinets to support the weight. It is more important if you are planning to reuse or sell them.
Remove screws from the bottom and then move to the top screws. When you remove the final screw, be ready to lift the cabinet and remove it from the wall.
If you can’t move the cabinet even after removing the final screw, they may be interconnected with nails or glue. You need to use a hammer and pry bar to separate them.
Connected With Glue
Wear goggles and get a pair of gloves to ensure your safety. Once the cabinet is supported with wood or a helper, you can start removing it.
Use a hammer and pry bar on the sides of the cabinet. To reduce the damage to the wall, pry over a stud directly. A wooden block is also a good option to reduce the damage.
Once you are done on the side, move to the bottom and then top. Continue the process until the unit is loose enough to dismantle.
Conclusion On Furniture Removal
Once you are done with furniture removal, it is time to congratulate yourself. Before you move to the rest of the project to install new cabinets or paint the wall, give yourself a treat.
While removing the cabinets, you should always put your safety first. Make sure that you are using quality tools. More importantly, you need to find a way to support cabinets while removing them.
Cabinets can cause some damages to either you or the counter, so be aware of your surroundings. Moreover, they will become useless if you don’t provide the necessary care.
If you are not a DIY person, you can hire a furniture removal company. They have professional staff who understand how to handle a job.