DIY Kitchen Demolition Basics

Even the most basic kitchen remodel will cost thousands of dollars. There’s the cost of materials, installation labor, and the cost of demolishing the current kitchen. To save money, you can do the kitchen demolition yourself. In as little as one weekend, you can tear out your existing cabinetry and countertops, lift out the sink, and get the room ready for your new kitchen remodel. As with any home improvement project, safety is key!

Here’s how a DIY kitchen demolition should be completed.

Before you begin…

• Take everything out of the cabinets
• Shut off the water supply
• Turn off the electrical supply.
• If you’re not replacing the floor, protect it with heavy drop cloths

Tools needed for a kitchen demolition

– Hammer
– Cordless drill
– Basin wrench (a.k.a sink wrench)
– Bucket
– Pry bar
– Screwdriver(s)
– Putty knife
– Goggles
– Dust mask
– Work gloves
– Dropcloths

What you can expect

Any kitchen demolition will be a messy project. There will be a lot of dust, loose screws and nails, slight water leakage, and possible wall damage to deal with. If you will not be replacing the flooring, protect it as much as possible with heavy drop cloths. Don’t bother cleaning up as you go, because there’s simply no point. Just work until the kitchen demolition is complete and then clean. Helpful tip – Your DIY kitchen demolition will be much easier if there are two people doing it. A second pair of hands are needed for lifting the heavy countertops, and removing base cabinets.

STEP 1 – Remove the supply lines from the bottom of the faucet. You will need to do this with a basin wrench. Place a bucket beneath the sink to catch any water.

STEP 2 – Unfasten the nuts that connect the faucet to the sink. If there are additional clips in place, remove them as well. Lift the sink out.

STEP 3 – Disconnect the water lines and connections to the dishwasher and remove it.

STEP 4 – Remove the countertop by unscrewing it from the base cabinets. Use a cordless drill to back out the screws and lift up the top with a pry bar. If you are working with extremely long countertops, you may need to cut them into sections with a saw before they can be removed. This will make them easier to maneuver and lift.

STEP 5 – Now comes the fun part of your DIY kitchen demolition – Remove the base cabinets. These are the cabinets that sit on the floor. The cabinets are attached to the wall and each other with screws. Back out the screws and remove the base cabinets one at a time. In the event you encounter cabinets that have been caulked in place, break the seal with a putty knife before removing the cabinets from the wall.

STEP 6 – To remove the wall cabinets, you will need one person to hold them in place while the other backs out the screws. Without this assistance, there will be no way to support the weight of the cabinets when they come loose.

STEP 7 – If there has been any damage to exposed walls, patch them with joint compound and sand smooth. However, if new cabinetry will be placed on top of the damage, there is no need to do so.

Once everything is out of the room, you will be ready to proceed with the kitchen remodel. By completing the kitchen demolition yourself, you will have saved several hundreds of dollars. Since this is a project you’ve done on your own, you will have to remove the debris yourself. This can be done by renting a construction dumpster beforehand.

More from Jennifer Wagner:

5 Ways to Save on Kitchen Remodeling

Extend the Life of Your Household Appliances

10 Home Remodeling Projects that Pay Off

SOURCE:

Personal knowledge

Jennifer Wagner – Yahoo! Contributor Network