Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Has anyone removed a fitted kitchen themselves?

13 replies

AlpacaPicnic · 09/07/2016 15:56

I'm planning on doing just that on Monday... I've got a professional coming to disconnect the hob and the sink but after that it's just little old me and my toolbox.

Any tips? Anything to avoid? How bad can it be?!

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 09/07/2016 15:58

I removed a fitted display kitchen from a shop once. I don't recall it being at all difficult although it wasn't just me, I had a friend to help. You might struggle with wall units for example.

SoupDragon · 09/07/2016 15:59

I would suggest removing the doors from the wall units and remove all the shelves (less important for base units)

JT05 · 09/07/2016 16:12

How old is the kitchen? We removed a 1960s kitchen to find that the worktop was fitted into the wall and the tiles put on top.
Also pipe work ran behind the back of the cupboards, so when DH made a hole to put his crow bar in he pulled at the copper pipe! It all became very wet!!

SpaghettiMeatballs · 09/07/2016 16:21

I have. It was very, very easy but it was a terrible, very poor quality kitchen which may have helped.

Original poster
AlpacaPicnic · 09/07/2016 16:53

Ooh! Hope to avoid a waterfall! It's a crappy 80s cheapo job so hopefully won't cause too many upsets.
That's a good call about taking the doors and shelves out, thanks! It's that kind of thing I'd figure out halfway through...

OP posts:
civilfawlty · 09/07/2016 17:05

Yeah. It's easy. You'll be fine. The wall cupboards usually just hang on wall fittings and lift off.

SoupDragon · 09/07/2016 17:10

It doesn't take more than one unit before you realise the wall units are easier with no doors or shelves!

The only issue is height and whether you can easily lift them off. I think I would struggle. Do them before you remove the work top so you can out the on there if you have to climb a ladder to get them off. You'll need to remove any decorative plinth/cornice part first.

AnnieOnnieMouse · 09/07/2016 17:27

Yes, Dh and I gutted our old kitchen and fitted a new one a few years ago. The wall cupboards will be a lot heavier than you expect, so strip everything out of them. Take them down before taking out the base units, so you have something to lower them onto.
Plan ahead carefully for washing up, cooking, etc. Make a food station area in another room - microwave, kettle, somewhere for dirty pots, etc.
Be prepared for a fair bit of dirt and dust

OurBlanche · 09/07/2016 17:41

Yes, and I will be doing it again in a year or 2.

  1. Set up a temporary kitchen area: kettle, water, microwave, chopping board, box of food, fridge
  1. Empty everything. Remove the white goods.
  1. Shelves and doors off wall cupboards.
  1. Kickboards, check the kick boards.
  1. Check plumbing, know where all pipes are, turn off the water, drain the pipes.
  1. Decide whether you are keeping the tiles...it makes a difference to how you take the worktop out.
  1. Worktop.. wiggle, jiggle, chase out the back, wiggle and jiggle some more... just before you lift it check you can get it out of the room/house: doorways, other furniture may need to be removed, that stuff can be long and have a wide turning circle Smile
  1. Each base unit in turn: check whatever might be attached to the back, threaded through holes, tacked on. Take the kickboards off if necessary and remove each unit in turn
  1. Stare in absolute horror at the state of the walls/floor behind and under the units: the filth, the filth!!

  1. Remove anything else, including tiles, being careful about sockets...

  2. Realise you have a big cleaning job to do before you do anything more.

  3. Look down and hate the flooring Smile

  4. Rebuild it, almost in reverse...

Original poster
AlpacaPicnic · 09/07/2016 20:42

That's brilliant! It's so filthy already... Luckily DH has packed up most of the cupboards, just an odd bit to box up now. I've stocked up on paper plates and plastic cutlery, we've worked out to put the kettle, toaster and coffee pot in the front room so we can have takeaways, pot noodles and hot dogs healthy nutritious snacks for the next week.

No tiles to consider, it's really not that fancy! Flooring is currently a proper manky carpet, it's bring replaced by a lovely wipe-clean vinyl. And the wallpaper is being stripped as well. I'm going to be so mucky for the next few days...

OP posts:
Obeliskherder · 09/07/2016 23:30

We kept a few units once they were down, put them in the dining room and used them to store the plates etc. while we were kitchen-less.

SpaghettiMeatballs · 10/07/2016 08:43

Are you fitting the new kitchen yourself and will that include fitting the worktop?

Keep a couple of the old base units in the garden to rest the worktop on when you cut the sink hole.

Original poster
AlpacaPicnic · 10/07/2016 09:10

New kitchen is freestanding and being delivered all assembled so I don't have to worry about that, thank goodness!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page