Shelves are useful for storage, but occasionally they might need to be taken down or replaced. Depending on how it was installed, a kitchen cabinet shelf can be removed in a particular way. For shelves that are adjustable, the procedure just entails detaching the shelf from its support pins. There are two fundamental methods for installing permanent shelves: one uses inside runners to attach shelves, and the other uses outside nails to secure shelves.
2 Easy Methods To Remove Permanent Or Built-in Shelves From Kitchen Cabinets
Dadoes or channels are generally included on both sides of cabinets to support shelves and keep them in place. Another design attaches the shelf using screw studs. Once the cabinet has been put together using one of these techniques, it is nearly impossible to take out the shelf intact. It is a problem that arises while remodeling bookcases, closets, and linen cabinets, as well as cabinets for microwaves, refrigerators, and other appliances. With the use of a few hand tools, fixed or built-in shelf removal can be completed.
Method 1: Dado Channel
- Open Cabinet Doors
The cabinet door or the doors should be opened. The doors don't need to be taken out. - Cut Through The Shelf
Hold a reciprocating saw upright, with the front of the shelf serving as the blade's center. Cut through the shelf from front to back as closely to the shelf's center as you can after turning on the saw. Cut on either side of the center stile if the shelf has one. The shelf won't let you cut all the way through it. Cut as far as you can or until you can no longer cut with the saw's base. - Tap The Shelf Upward On One Side
Using a rubber mallet, tap the shelf upward on one side. If the piece is obstinate and won't budge, make a second cut on the shelf from front to back, 4 inches away from the first, and angle it back diagonally in the shape of a pie so that it crosses the first cut line. - Remove Pie-shaped Section
Tap on the pie-shaped section in order to break it off, if necessary, before removing it from the cabinet. - Loosen The Remaining Sections
The remaining portions on the left and right can be loosened by tapping upward on them. Grab them with your hands if they don't fall out on their own. Pull the parts out of the dado channels and through the front of the cabinet by wriggling them up and down until they become loose. Use a pair of diagonal pliers to remove any nails or staples.
Method 2: Cleat Method
- Remove 1 1/4-inch Vertical Screws
Using a drill or screwdriver, remove the 1 1/4-inch vertical screws that are located around the top of the shelf. The screws hold the shelf to the cleats or wooden slats below it. From the cabinet, remove the shelf. Use the reciprocating saw to cut the shelf in half if it is too wide to fit through the cabinet opening. Move on to Step 2 if the shelf is nailed to the wall. - Loosen The Shelf
Between it and the cleat, hammer the pry bar's point beneath the shelf. For the shelf to come off, pry upward. To release the shelf from the studs, repeat along its length and on both sides. From the cabinet, remove the shelf. - Remove 1 1/4-inch, Horizontal Screws
Using a drill or screwdriver, remove the 3/4-inch thick strips or cleats that were underneath the shelf's 1 1/4-inch horizontal screws. There will likely be four screws on each side, and eight-inch screws running around the back. The studs are nailed on and need to be removed differently if there are no screws. - Pry & Remove The Cleats Away From The Cabinet Walls
Between the cleat and the cabinet wall on both sides, slide the point of a pry bar beneath the cleats. Use a mallet to lightly tap it upward. Remove the studs by prying them out from the cabinet walls.