3 Easy Ways Of Removing Cabinet Plastic Shelf Clips
Many cabinets have shelf clips, which are fantastic since they're cheap, simple to adjust, and best of all, they keep the shelf in place. However, occasionally cabinet shelf clips need to be changed to a higher level, cease operating, or break off at the peg. A cabinet shelf clip is simple to remove so long as the peg is not damaged. Removal is a little more challenging if the peg on the shelf clip is damaged, but it is still feasible with just a drill, hammer, and small screw. To hold a shelf in place within a cabinet, a plastic peg called a cabinet shelf clip is inserted into a hole that has already been drilled. Each shelf uses four clips. A locking mechanism is present on a cabinet shelf clip to stop the shelf from rising.
Way 1: Removing A Cabinet Shelf Clip Without Taking Off The Doors
- Open the doors to both cabinets.
- Activate the first clip. Start on the shelf's opposite side. Press sideways on the back clip's hinged lock with one hand. Place the second hand underneath the shelf on that side and raise it just a little bit until it clears the clip. Hold on tight. Up to the completion of the following step, keep applying pressure to the shelf.
- Push the front clip's hinged lock. Your other hand should continue to push upward. Both clips on that side should now be free to rest on the shelf. From the cabinet, remove the shelf.
- Gently turning the shelf clips back and forth will cause them to become loose. Then, to remove the clips, simply pull them apart.
Way 2: Removing A Cabinet Shelf Clip By Taking Off The Doors
The doors can be readily taken out and replaced without affecting the door's pre-set swing adjustment as long as your cabinet has hidden hinges.
- One cabinet door should be opened and held firmly open with one hand.
- Open the Hinge. Reach into the cabinet with the other hand. On the metal lever at the back of the hinge, apply sideways pressure. Continue with the other hinge. The hinges ought to now separate from the hinge plates. Keep the cabinet box's hinge plates in their current positions. Take the door off. Continue with the opposite door.
- Slide Out the Shelf. Slide the shelf outward while maintaining its levelness by using both hands to slide it towards you.
- Take the shelf clips off the cabinets. To remove the pegs from the holes on the cabinet's side, carefully twist the shelf clips.
Way 3: Removing A Broken Cabinet Shelf Clip
Try to first remove the peg using needle-nose pliers if the cabinet shelf clip has broken off and the peg is still in the hole. You will need to drill into the peg and install a small screw if this does not work.
- Into the Peg, Drill. Install the 1/16-inch drill bit in the drill. Drill the peg with a 1/4-inch bit.
- Put a Screw Through the Peg. Set the drill's Phillips driver bit in place. Drive the #4 or #5 screw carefully into the peg by 1/4 inch.
- Remove the Shelf Clip. Try hand-pulling the peg out first. If it doesn't work, try the hammer instead. Hook the claw of the hammer onto the screw head by placing a thin piece of wood or cardboard between it and the cabinet box. To remove the screw straight out, pull back on the hammer's handle.
How Cabinet Shelf Clip Removal Works?
- The shelf is securely held in place by common, non-locking cabinet shelf pegs. They can't hold the shelf down, which is one of their flaws. Reaching for anything on a lower shelf could cause the higher shelf to wobble. Or incorrectly positioned shelf pegs can make a shelf fall over.
- The hinged lock of a cabinet shelf clip keeps the shelf in place. The shelf can be unlocked by pushing the lock with your finger until it clears the top of the peg. To remove, simultaneously depress two clips and raise one side of the shelf. It happens quickly with an aide. It barely takes an extra minute or so without a helper.
- You could also take the cabinet doors off. If your cabinet has hidden (also known as inset or Euro-style) hinges, you can easily remove and swap out the doors. The solution is to insert a small screw into the peg and remove it with a claw hammer if a clip has broken off and cannot be pryed out by hand.