Replacing a Single Kitchen Cabinet

September 3, 2015 Replacing a Single Kitchen Cabinet

We recently received a question from one of our viewers, N., about whether or not she could replace a single, damaged kitchen cabinet, without disturbing the cabinets around it or the counter top.

Here is her question:

“I have a kitchen cabinet that is in REALLY BAD SHAPE! The bottom is rotted & has fallen away, one of the doors has fallen off, the face frame is pulling away from the carcass, and it’s no longer joined in the back…as you can read, spit, a miracle, & prayer must be holding this thing together! So, I would like to know if I can build and replace the cabinet while keeping the counter top intact.”

The answer, believe it or not, is yes, absolutely, 90% of the time. Cabinets are individual, even though they may look like all one piece when they are installed. So all you need to do is to remove the screws that are holding the cabinet to the counter top, the other cabinet(s), and the wall, and then you should be able to remove the cabinet.

The one caveat to this is that if you didn’t install the original cabinets, you don’t know exactly how they were installed. Occasionally a builder may have done something different or “non-traditional” that may not be obvious.

Nevertheless, 90% of the time, it is entirely possible to remove and replace a single kitchen cabinet.