Removing an old kitchen island is a great and cost-effective way to breathe new life into a home during.
However, it can also be highly stressful if you don’t know what you are doing and don’t have professional help. But, hiring professional help means increasing your remodeling costs.
Thankfully, removing a kitchen island can be done with relative ease and on the cheap, as long as you know how to properly do it. So follow me after the break to learn all you need to know to remove a kitchen island.
Table of Contents
How Do You Remove A Kitchen Island?
To remove a kitchen island you have to clear the area and remove any drawers & molding, disconnect all plumbing and electrical connections, remove the island top, the island walls, any installed hardware or fixtures, and legs.
Sound like fun? There will also be a big mess once your island has been removed so we can also add tidying up to that list.
Tools and Supplies Needed To Remove A Kitchen Island
To do all of this you may need the following tools and supplies:
- Pry bar
- Hammer
- Utility knife
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Saw
- Gloves
- Googles
- A dumpster for disposal
Prep Time!
To remove the kitchen island successfully you should prep your kitchen before you begin any demolition work. This includes doing things like shutting off the power to the entire kitchen from the breaker box and shutting off the water by turning the main water shut-off valve.
You may also want to either remove your appliances or cover them with furniture pads or bags to protect them from unwanted scratches and types of damage.
You will also want to clear your kitchen of any items that may end up getting in your way and hindering your demo work.
Drawers & Molding
Once you’ve properly and thoroughly prepped your kitchen, it’s time to begin the actual demo work. The first things you should remove are all drawers and molding.
Removing drawers is easy enough, just make sure to empty them first for convenience and ease.
To remove your island’s molding you will need to use a hammer and pry bar and work your way around the island.
Prepping the area will allow you to work more quickly and finish more easily.
Electrical & Plumbing
Some kitchen islands provide extra storage and countertop space and nothing more. Other kitchen islands, however, provide far more convenience in the way of sinks and electrical outlets. If your island has these extra features, you will have to disconnect and uninstall any electric and plumbing components before you completely remove the island itself. Start by shutting off the power at the electrical box,
Make sure your water is off before you remove the water lines that connect to the sink’s faucet, as well as any fasteners that hold the sink itself.
Next, you will have to remove the drain fitting and, ultimately, remove the sink. Keep in mind that even though you have shut off the water to your kitchen, some residual water will leak out as you remove the plumbing fixtures.
For the electrical hookups and outlets, make absolutely sure all power to the kitchen has been disconnected at the breaker box. Then disconnect any wiring from the hookups and pull all of the wires out. If you have any concerns consult a professional.
Remove The Island Countertops & Island Walls
Now that your kitchen island is free of electrical and plumbing connections, as well as exterior molding and storage drawers, it is time to remove the countertop away from the island base.
The island top is likely secured with screws, so unscrew them with the help of your screwdriver or drill.
Some kitchen islands have tops that are glued to the base, in these cases, removing the countertop is as simple as prying the top using the pry bar.
If you have a granite countertop be sure to get a hand to help you remove it, as it will be heavy. You may even want to cut the countertop into pieces with a reciprocating saw into smaller pieces.
Once you remove the cabinets and counter, the exterior side panels and interior supports should be all that remains. Methodically disassemble and remove these sections that you have left attached to the floor using your hammer and pry bar when needed.
This is about the time that having a dumpster will come in very handy. After all, you will have to haul away all the debris from your demo job.
Last Step, Promise.
After you’ve taken care of all of the above, there may be some final pieces of hardware stuck to the floor, such as fasteners. Remove them with pliers or carefully pry them out and dispose of them as you have done with the other components.
Following that, you will likely have to do a bit of cleanup, including sweeping for dust and the odd bit of wayward island paneling.
And, that’s it.
Removing a kitchen island is a simpler job than you might initially think. It just requires a bit of planning, care, and time.
