Every kitchen renovation process, whether it be replacing the flooring or changing the entire kitchen, involves demolition first. While it may sound intimidating, demolition boils down to removing the existing elements of the kitchen so you can replace them. Maybe the idea of taking a hammer and slamming through your cupboards and walls seems exciting to the kid in you, especially if you’re not crazy about your existing cabinets or fixtures. However, it’s best to leave extensive renovation projects in the home to the professionals.
A professional demolition team can come in and strip down your existing kitchen, removing the old appliances, cabinetry, flooring, and drywall, depending on the depth of demolition your renovation requires. It’s important to perform the demolition process in one go to provide a smooth base for the renovation. A demolition service like ours at ABH Services Inc. also includes disposal of all of the renovation debris for you.
In preparation for the demolition, it’s important to clean out everything from all of your cupboards and cabinets, empty out the refrigerator, and take anything out of the room that you want to be out of the way, such as decorations. You should designate a place beforehand to put all of the items, like trim and appliances that you want to keep. Outlined below are the typical steps of a full demolition process, during which the room is completely stripped down. Every renovation is different, but these are the general stages to give you an idea of what to expect.
Baseboards & Window/Door Trim
The first or second step in the process is usually to remove the baseboards and the trim around the windows and doors. Often, the trim and baseboards can be reinstalled once the new drywall is done. To preserve them and make sure nothing happens to crack or otherwise break them during the demolition, the team will carefully remove your window and door trim and baseboards intact, setting them aside.
Floors
Next to go is usually the flooring, whether you have tile, wood, or carpeting. This gives the team a chance to assess the structural quality of the subfloor below and leaves a flat surface that makes it easier to work on. The process for carpet usually involves making slits in the carpet and pulling it up along tack points that are attached to a wall strip. For tile floors, usually one tile is broken to allow for an access point, and then the rest are removed one by one using a chisel or hammer. Wood floors are a bit more complicated and will require individual inspection. If there is underlayment beneath your wooden or tile floor, it will be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Fixtures & Appliances
At this point, lighting and sink fixtures are usually taken out. Depending on your individual kitchen remodeling plans, you may want to save some of these. You can have whatever you want to reuse taken out and kept in your predestinated safe zone. The fridge, stove, dishwasher, and microwave (if you have one built in) will all come out. Sinks are usually removed around this time, either before or after the countertops.
Cabinet Doors, Drawers, and Countertops
The demolition crew can start by detaching caulking around the countertops if that’s part of what’s holding them. They will then remove the screws that are attaching the counters and remove the countertops. Usually there are only a couple of screws holding the cabinet doors in place, so the demo team will remove them on each of the doors and take them down.
For the cabinets themselves, the base cabinets will be detached and pulled out first, and then the demolition team will take out the top cabinets, unscrewing them from the wall and each other.
After this, your drywall may be next on the list if your renovation includes the walls. Depending on your kitchen, there may be further steps required for your kitchen demolition. If any signs of damage are found, such as water leaks or pest infestation, those problems will need to be fixed before you proceed with the renovation. Otherwise, one the demolition is complete, you can soon move on to renovating.
If you’re planning to renovate your kitchen and you’re looking for an experienced home demolition team, look no further than ABH Services Inc. Give us a call at 781-941-2422 to discuss your existing kitchen and your renovation goals so we can assist you in formulating a demolition plan. In the meantime, visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/abhservices for more information about residential demolition projects.
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