Child Item

How to remove kitchen kickboard?

Hi,

I want to replace a kitchen kickboard due to water damage. From what I understand it seems fairly straightforward - the board next to the damaged one is under the dishwasher and was glued in place and came away when I pulled it, but I'm not sure the one I want to remove is the same as most others - it is joined at the corner somehow to another board, which seems fairly fixed in place, rather than being able to just pull it away, and I'm not sure how to remove it. There are no screws inside the bottom of cupboards down into the boards.

It is also glued along the bottom with some kind of caulking/sealant - I assume I can just chip this away.

See photo for details - any questions let me know. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Gareth

Find more posts tagged with

Tools and Materials

Repairing

Flooring

Accepted answers

All comments

Akanksha

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @garethbishop. We're delighted to have you join us and we look forward to seeing and assisting you with your home improvement and garden projects.

Thanks for your question. Our resident DIY expert @EricL will be online later this afternoon to assist with your question, but let me tag our knowledgeable members @Brad, @TedBear, and @diy_hausdesigns to check if they have some advice.

In the meantime, you may also want to check out this similar discussion: How to replace kitchen cabinet kickboard?

Hope this helps.

Akanksha

EricL

Hello @garethbishop

Thanks for sharing your question about removing your existing kickboard. If you are not planning on recycling your kickboard, I suggest using a Craftright 380mm Wrecking Bar. Place the flat tip of the bar between the joint of the kickboard and slowly lift the corner out. Once the corner has been lifted you'll be able to determine if it has been glued in or it's just being held by clips.

However, if you wish to recycle the kickboard, I recommend removing the small corner piece at the end. Remove the screws attached to it and slowly pry it loose with a flat head screwdriver. It looks to be water damaged so take care when disassembling it.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

garethbishop

Hi @EricL ,

Thanks for the advice - I'll give it a go with the wrecking bar. The current board is about 85mm in height - I don't suppose Bunnings offers a service to cut them to size (height and length)?

Thanks,

Gareth

MitchellMc

Hi @garethbishop,

We do offer an in-store cutting service, and you might like to chat with a team member when you're purchasing the replacement board. They'll be able to let you know if that 85mm height can be cut off a full board.

Mitchell

garethbishop

Hi @EricL ,

I've been using the Craftwright wrecking bar and trying to lift out the corner of the kickboard, but no matter how hard I try I cannot get it to budge. I've uploaded a picture just to show where I'm putting it. There are no screws inside the cupboard down into the kickboard that would be holding it in place. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Gareth

MitchellMc

Hi @garethbishop,

Are you able to pull the dishwasher out to see how far back this sideboard extends? Typically, kickboards are installed last and clipped onto the cabinet legs. In your case, the kickboard could have been attached to the cabinetry before installation. It might be affixed with angle brackets from behind. If this is the case, simply trying to remove it from the front might not be possible. If it was loosely attached, I'm fairly certain you would have been able to remove it with ease.

Touching on your original reason for removing the board, to replace a water-damaged section, do you actually need to do this? If the water leak has been resolved and the timber is still structurally sound and dry, then there might not be a need to replace it.

Mitchell

garethbishop

Hi @MitchellMc ,

Thanks for the reply. I had tried removing the dishwasher (for a different reason) but am also having issues. I've removed the wooden blocks that would prevent it from being removed and I have lowered the feet and can see a gap along the top now. There are no screws holding it to the underside of the countertop - I'm not aware of anything else that would be holding it in place, but it also won't move (the bottom shifts a bit, but it seems like it must be attached further up somewhere) - I'm not having much luck!

Re: the reason for removing the kickboard - I can live with it as it is, but a water leak I had has caused bubbles to form and it just doesn't look very nice. I've attached a photo to show you.

Thanks,

Gareth

garethbishop

Hi @MitchellMc ,

Ok, I finally got my dishwasher out - there were screws inside the dishwasher that went out and into the cabinet alongside (not very practical - I'm going to have to make sure the dishwasher is in exactly the same position to screw them back again!)

I've attached a picture - the kickboards go all the way to the back of the cupboard. It sort of seems like they are an integral part of the cabinets - what do you think?

Thanks,

Gareth

MitchellMc

Hi @garethbishop,

There is a good possibility that the panels are an integral part of the cabinetry. It could have been constructed with the kickboards being the base of the cabinet instead of them being removable panels and having a leg systems behind them.

Mitchell

garethbishop

Thanks @MitchellMc .

Can you recommend any way to cover the kickboard up? I'm not sure that sticking another kickboard in front would be that good as it wouldn't fit neatly round the skirting board at the end, and I'd have to do the same to the kickboards on the other side as they wouldn't be in line.

Thanks,

Gareth

EricL

Hello @garethbishop

I'm sorry my suggestion did not allow you to remove the kickboard. I suspect that the kickboard is being held in place by adhesive. It's possible that the kickboard was glued in place after the kitchen was installed. This would effectively wedge the kickboard in place and make it extremely difficult to remove.

If you are not keen on placing a very thick kickboard in front of the existing kickboard, I suggest using 2400 x 1200mm 9mm MDF Panel cut into strips so that they fit under the kitchen cabinets. I recommend using either a heavy-duty Staple Gun or Paslode 20 x 1.25mm 100g Bright Bullet Head Nails to keep the MDF in place. I only suggest mechanical fixings as glueing it in place might produce bumps in the MDF surface.

However, before installation, I suggest painting the MDF in Dulux 1Step Prep Primer, Sealer & Undercoat 1L in combination with Dulux 4L Interior Paint Wash&Wear +PLUS Kitchen & Bathroom Low Sheen Vivid White as topcoat. I suggest using Parfix 500g Ready To Use Multipurpose Filler to cover the nail and staple heads.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

garethbishop

Thanks @EricL , I'll give that a go.

Gareth

Child Item