How to Remove Cabinets: A Step-by-Step Guide

The tools and materials you’ll need to safely remove cabinets from the wall include:

Before you begin removing cabinets, follow these steps to prepare your kitchen:

• Shut off the electricity in the kitchen at the breaker box.
   
• After ensuring the power is off, remove the range hood and any inset lighting in your cabinetry.
   
• Remove countertop appliances and other loose items, such as your coffee maker, knife block and toaster.
   
• Cover your countertops and lower cabinets with furniture pads or blankets to prevent scratches and other damage.
   
• Make sure you have plenty of room to work. Move any unnecessary furnishings, like tables, chairs and barstools.

If you’re doing a full remodel or have appliances built into your cabinets, you’ll need to remove them as well. Again, if you’re unsure how to do that safely, contact a professional to disconnect and remove those appliances.

Before you remove your kitchen cabinets:

• Empty your cabinets.
• Check your cabinets for any hidden electrical connections and make sure they are disconnected. If you’re unsure, it’s a good idea to cut power to your kitchen to be on the safe side.
• Remove cabinet doors. Use your drill or screwdriver to unscrew the hinges from the cabinet so the hinge stays connected to the door. If you aren’t trying to reuse or donate your old cabinets, you can speed up the process by using a crowbar to remove the doors, but you’ll want to wear gloves and goggles.
• Remove shelves if possible.

If you plan to reuse your cabinets, take these additional steps before moving on to cabinet removal:

• Gather loose screws or hinges from each cabinet in a plastic bag or container.
• Once you’ve removed the cabinets from the walls, attach the container of hardware to the cupboard to keep materials together.
• If you plan to reinstall them in the same space, label the location or number the cabinets with tape before removing them. This will help you keep them in order.

This is easier if your cabinets are prefabricated. Locate the screws connecting the cabinets on the inner side panels. Use your drill or screwdriver to remove them. This lets you remove your upper kitchen cabinets one at a time.

If your cabinets are older and were built as one unit, this doesn’t apply. You’ll need a helper to remove the unit in one piece if you plan to reuse your kitchen cabinets in the garage or elsewhere.

If you’re tossing the old unitized cabinets, carefully use your reciprocating saw to make cuts from the front of the cabinets to the back, cutting the unit into sections. Be sure to check for hidden wires or plumbing before making cuts. Wear the appropriate safety gear as well.

Have your helper hold upper cabinets steady before you start taking out the screws anchoring the cabinets to the wall. Or, use pieces of scrap wood under the cabinet to support its weight. Otherwise, you may drop your cabinets, damaging them and your countertops. Be sure to wear your safety gear during your project.

1. If your countertop has a backsplash, you’ll need to remove that before taking off the countertop. Cut the bead of silicone adhesive along the top and side edges of the backsplash with your utility knife.
    
2. Wedge a paint scraper between the backsplash and the wall by tapping it with your hammer. Doing this loosens the adhesive holding the backsplash to the wall. Start at one end and work your way down the backsplash until it comes away from the wall.
    
3. Use a pry bar if you need more leverage to remove the backsplash. Remember to use your stud finder to locate the structural stud before applying pressure to the wall with a pry bar. Applying pressure to the stud prevents damage to the wall itself. For added protection, use a piece of plywood under the pry bar’s lever.
    
4. Look at the top of the inside of your cabinets to locate the screws securing the cabinets to the bottom of the countertop. Use your drill or screwdriver to remove them.
    
5. Larger sections of the countertop may be held in place with silicone adhesive in addition to screws. As you did for the backsplash, use a hammer to wedge your paint scraper between the bottom of the countertop and the top of the cabinet. You’ll only need to wedge it in about an inch to break the seal.
    
6. Use a pry bar to gently lift the countertop from the cabinets. Have your helper lift the countertop while you pry to make the process easier.
    
7. Lift the countertop from the lower cabinets and remove it from your work area.

1. To avoid damaging your wall, start with a cabinet that has open space instead of one that’s flush against a wall.
    
2. Use your drill or screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the first two cabinets together.

1. Use your utility knife to score any paint that’s between the cabinet units.
    
2. Starting with the first cabinet that you separated, locate and remove any screws anchoring it to the wall. Don’t work ahead and start removing the anchor screws for the other cabinets. Doing so will allow them to move freely, and they could damage the wall while you remove the other cabinets.
    
3. Gently pull on the first cabinet until it comes free. Remove it completely and set it to the side.
    
4. Continue these steps until you’ve removed the lower kitchen cabinets. Note the final cabinet may have screws anchoring it to the back wall and the side wall.

Have a single cabinet installed between a wall and an appliance, like your refrigerator? It might seem like a tight spot but removing a corner cabinet isn’t tricky as long as you’re careful.

1. Remove the four screws holding the countertop to the cabinet. Smaller sections of countertop usually don’t have the adhesive underneath, so this one should be easier to lift away.
    
2. Remove screws anchoring the cabinet to the back and side walls.
    
3. If the side against the wall has been sealed with paint, you’ll need to score that seal with your utility knife.
    
4. Gently work the cabinet loose so it comes free. Take care not to scratch your wall or appliance while pulling out the cabinet.

Pipes and water lines going through the wood can make cabinet removal tricky, even with prefabricated cabinets. Cabinetry built around plumbing will likely need to be cut unless the installers left space between the pipes and the wall.

If the bottom of your cabinet was drilled to fit the water intake lines, you’ll need to cut the wood. Use your reciprocating saw to carefully cut a large enough piece around the pipes so you can easily remove most of the existing cabinet. If the bottom of the cabinet is nailed to the base, use your pry bar to lift and remove it, leaving the small remaining piece that still surrounds the pipes.

Using your saw, carefully cut slits in the remaining piece where the installer drilled holes for the pipe. Be careful not to let the saw rub against or cut the water pipe.

The materials used to make kitchen cabinets can safely go in a landfill. But odds are, you’re going to have way more debris than will fit in your garbage can. If you have a pickup truck and want to haul the load yourself, research your local landfills to see where you can throw away your old cabinets.

Renting a roll off dumpster is a simple solution if you have more debris than you can haul yourself, or if you just want someone else to deal with it.

Nonprofits like Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity will take your used kitchen cabinets if they’re in good shape. Habitat’s ReStore sells used furnishings, appliances and building materials at affordable prices for people who need them. Along with helping a member of your community update their living space, you’ll benefit from the tax receipt for your cabinets’ estimated resale value.

If you want to make a little extra coin on your cabinets, you can always try selling them. See if any of your neighbors want to take them off your hands. Or list them on Craigslist, OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace.