SOT: Removing kitchen cabinet

[Bill Stock]

I have to remove a kitchen cabinet over the stove to redo a range hood. I've removed all of the screws (that I know of), but the bitch won't come out. I can practically hang of the top of the cabinet, but it won't budge. The bottom will swing out from the wall, but not the top. Could the adjoining cabinet be putting that much pressure on this small cabinet?

WTF is the secret here? I'd prefer not to remove the adjoining (BIG) cabinet, as it's probably a two man job and it has recessed lighting in it.

TIA

[Pounds on Wood]

It's probably got a screw you are not finding, and it could be from the side through the adjoining cabinet. It's common to connect through the face frame or the carcase with screws. If it swings out at the bottom, then taking note of the pivot point can help locate a screw (or brad/nail).

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[Eric Johnson]

Bill is right, many times when cabinets are hung they are screwed together as an assembly before they are hung as it is generally easier to get one big'un straight square and plumb.

EJ

[Hitch]

"Pounds on Wood" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

What he said.

Or if you're lucky, you can do what I did.

I removed all of the apparent screws from my upper cabinet over the counter. It didn't move. I looked for more screws, but couldn't find any. I tugged at it, but it didn't move. I looked all around the edges to see if it was painted in. Nope, no paint buildup around the edges. So I stepped back to think.

BANG!

The darn thing fell off the wall, just like that! Fortunately, I wasn't under it, or I could have wound up with a pretty good headache.

[Charles Spitzer]

is it hung on a french cleat? you might have to lift up and away from the wall to get it off.

[Swingman]

If I ever find a wall plumb, flush and square enough to hang a _row_ of kitchen cabinets on french cleats, you'll see it here as a "gloat" :)

[Leon]

Besides the other advice, On many occasions it is easier to keep the tops of the cabinets aligned by attaching a piece of wood to the top of a cabinet that will stick out where the next cabinet will go. You simply jam the next cabinet up against that piece of wood and the tops are even. Your cabinet could also be attached to that piece of wood if one was used. Look on the top to see if any screws were used.

[Leon]

[Gary]

One word.... sawzall!!

Gary

[Mike Patterson]

Do you have any room to lift it a couple inches at the back? It may be hung on a french cleat:

Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me. "I always wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific..." - Lily Tomlin

[Brad Bruce]

It may be screwed to an adjoining cabinet (Don't forget to look behind hinges)

[Eric Ryder]

If that cabinet is still hanging. As posted, look for a screw between adjoining face frame members. As posted by Brad, look under hinges. If it's still there, a common occurance when fastening hardwood face frames with drywall^H^H^H^H^H^H^H *ahem* Multipurpose screws is a sheared screw. The shanks can and do hold things together as you describe. Sacrificing a good quality finetooth sawzall blade is the only sure salvage plan I have.

[Trent©]

Wrong word. RotoZip

A recip saw would be difficult to work near the ceiling...without damaging the wall.

Have a nice one...

Trent

Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!

[bridger]

a rotozip would be *impossible* to use for a flush cut against the ceiling. with a sawzall you can put in a long blade and flex it into the gap.

rotozip is a perfect example of a tool that does nothing well but sells for a great deal more than it's practical value entirely because of agressive advertising to a gullible amateur tool buying public.

[JohnD]

Not sure if yours is like this, but a friend's cabinets were held at the top with a hooked ledge on the wall and a tongue that engaged. Have you tried pulling the bottom out slightly and pushing up?

J

[Bill Stock]

After cursing and swearing at this thing for an hour and then posting here. My brain kicked in after I relaxed a bit. I took a piece of paper and slid it between the cabinets to find the hang up. Turned out someone replaced a couple of stripped hinge screws with longer ones that bored into the neighbouring cabinets.

I also discovered the missing wiring for the range hood buried in the wall behind the cabinet. It had no electrical box and no Marr connectors on the end of the wire. How much you wanna bet this thing is live. This saves me doing the wiring, but was just a tad unsafe. I have no idea which fuse this might be, guess it's time to make all the clocks flash. :)

[George]

Check the fuses for the stove first, the may be stealing the 120 from there.

George

[Bill Stock]

I was considering that when I thought I would have to do the wiring. Although I understand it's not kosher.

It wasn't too bad finding the fuse, just turned them off in groups until I found it. It actually had it's own breaker, one less mystery in the panel.