Kitchen Cabinet Replacement

jimgepner

I wonder if anyone has any ideas on this.

I have a friend who installed a new Corian style kitchen countertop a few years ago. She realizes now she should have had the cabinets replaced at the same time. She now wants to replace the cabinets but keep the countertop.

Is this possible? My only thought was it might be possible to replace one cabinet at a time (take old one out, put new one in). It would be an exact replacement. New cabinets same size as old ones.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Colonel Hogan

I haven't personally used Corian but have done a lot of cabinets and countertops. How is the top fastened? Glue,screws, other? If you can remove the countertop in one piece I don't see why you can't replace the cabinets in mass and then reinstall the countertop. A photo or dimensioned sketch would help to visualize your scenario.

Hammatime

Yes this can be done. The new cabinets must be exactly like the old cabinets. If you look under the counter top it is reinforced where it is attached to the cabinet. If the new cabinet is different the reinforcement will not be on the cabinet and the counter top will crack. You have to be very careful when taking the counter top off, if you twist it while taking it off it will crack. The best thing to do is call the counter top company that installed it and ask them if they can do it. Since you would be calling them if something happened anyway.

jimgepner

Thanks for the info. The countertop company that installed the original counter is no longer in business. So my friend is going to do some more investigation and call some other countertop and kitchen contractors. Down the road we may try and lift the counter (it's big and heavy) and replace the cabinets. But she want's to have enough mony in her budget first for a new countertop in case someting goes wrong.

Krichton

Since the countertop is resting on the cabinets I don't see how you can remove the cabinets without taking off the countertop first.

troubleseeker

If the shape of the top is fairly simple(straight runs or short ells) you should have no problem. remove all appliances and the sink, as these cutouts are obviously the weak spot and you want as little weight as possible on the top. Coarian is usually just held in place with silicone, so a razor knife and carefull prying will get it loose from the bases after removing the splash. The material is brittle, so be careful. Also tilt it up and carry it vertically as it snaps easily if carried on the flat. If the top is trapped by it's shape, remove the splash and use a fine tooth blade in a reciprocating saw to cut it at the sink or cooktop cutouts. A corian installer can easily reseam this product and repolish the top while he is there...brand new top. Be sure to match the width of any fillers used in the cabinets, and a few pictures will go a long way to help remember things.

747

Your friend is thinking correctly concerning waiting until she has the money if things don't go as planned.

Ps. now that i think more about it. Things very rarely go as planned..