How to Remove a Laminate Backsplash That Goes Up to the Cabinets

Laminate backsplashes reach from the bottoms of wall cabinets to the tops of countertops. They make it easy to keep surfaces clean behind countertops. When it comes to remodeling, removal of backsplashes can be frustrating. With only the sides of the laminates exposed, you can’t get behind the backsplashes from above. Removing backsplashes causes minor damage that you must repair prior to painting, tiling or wallpapering.

Utility knife
Painter’s pry bar
1-by-2-inch piece of lumber
Handheld rotary tool
1 1/4 inch diameter rip and crosscut blade

Instructions

- 1
  Cut through the caulking along the edge of the laminate backsplash where the backsplash meets the wall by using a utility knife. Don't cut into the wall.
- 2
  Slide a painter’s pry bar between the backsplash and the wall. Push the pry bar behind the backsplash slowly with your hands. Do not hammer the pry bar because that may gouge the wall behind the backsplash.
- 3
  Position a 1-by-2-inch piece of lumber between the wall and the pry bar for leverage. Place pressure on the pry bar to pry the backsplash from the wall.
- 4
  Work your way down the exposed edges of the backsplash until you can carefully pull pieces of backsplash from the wall.
- 5
  Cut through wider pieces of laminate backsplash with a handheld rotary tool. It must be equipped with a rip and crosscut blade that has a diameter of 1 1/4 inches. The blade will make a cut that's about 3/4 inch deep, which is about the depth of your backsplash.
- 6
  Remove each piece of cut laminate backsplash with the painter’s pry bar.

Dimensions of a Sink Corner Base Cabinet

Can You Tile Backsplash Over a Semi-Gloss Drywall?

Kitchens