Tearing out a kitchen is the messy first day of every remodel. The cabinets are screwed to the wall and to each other, the countertop is heavier than it looks, and there's plumbing and wiring tucked behind all of it. Two things to settle before anyone picks up a drill.
Check the year your home was built
Homes built before 1978 can have lead paint, and taking out cabinets disturbs painted surfaces behind and around them. EPA's lead renovation rule requires anyone paid to do that work to be lead-safe certified, and its small-job exemption never covers demolition of painted surfaces. Your county's property records or Zillow will show the build year. If an older home has been tested and found lead-free, keep the report.
Get the lines capped by a licensed pro
The sink, the dishwasher, a gas range and under-cabinet lights all have to be disconnected and capped before the cabinets come out. In KC-metro cities like Independence and Blue Springs, plumbing and electrical work needs a permit pulled by a licensed master, so book your plumber or electrician first.
The order that works
- Empty everything and take off the doors and drawers. Cabinets get much lighter.
- Take off the countertop. Laminate lifts off once you find the screws underneath; granite and quartz need at least two people.
- Take down the upper cabinets. Find the screws into the wall studs and the ones joining cabinet to cabinet.
- Pull the base cabinets, then the toe-kicks and filler strips.
Leave the walls alone
Expect screw holes and a line where the cabinets sat. That's patch-and-paint work for the remodel. Pulling drywall or a tile backsplash is a separate job with its own rules, so plan for patching rather than tearing out walls.
Where old cabinets go
Solid cabinets in good shape can sometimes go to a reuse store; call first, because most only take complete, clean sets. Everything else, including countertops, goes to the landfill as construction debris. Stone tops are the heavy part of the load.
When to hand it off
If your home was built in 1978 or later and the lines are capped, our cabinet removal takes out the cabinets, countertops and vanities, hauls them away the same visit and sweeps, so your contractor starts with an empty room. If your cabinets are already out, we just haul them, in any home.
This guide is general information for the Kansas City area, accurate to the best of our knowledge as of its last update. Facility hours, fees, accepted items, and city programs change, so confirm details with the facility or your city before you go. Nothing here is legal or professional advice. See our Terms.