Removing kickboards in my kitchen (to put down new flooring)

[Christina4]

Hello, I am getting floating floorboards put through my main living spaces including my kitchen. In the kitchen I need to remove the kickboards but am running into some difficulty. The kickboards appear to be metal plating attached to some sort of wood - I'm unsure how thick the wood backing is. I have removed the screws holding them in place at the top from within the cabinets and tried using a suction cup to pull them off but they aren't budging! There is no space at the top/bottom to insert an Allen key.

We would really like to reuse the existing kickboards after replacing the flooring. How else might the kickboards be attached? What other suggestions do you have for trying to remove them? Thanks! 

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @Christina4 

Thats the eternal question I have about kickboards Wish xray vision was a thing.

If you happen to know the type of kitchen that was installed you could hit up the installer and ask.

When I have sat theer and puzzled over the same. I have come up with some ideas.

-The kickboard could be attached with clipons to the legs of the cupboards, the trim you have removed could be to help keep it in place.

- The kickboard could be screwed to timber blocks that are attached to the underside of your cabinets then metal glued over them (worst case) Check inside cabinets for screw heads going down.

- You could screw a handle to the existing kickboard in a corner or someplace it wont be seen when reused to give you something to pull on. If its clipped on to the legs it may pop off, it could also have a bead of caulking so that could be why its hard to budge.

Just came across this as one example of how a kickboard can be installed.

How To Install Kickboard - DIY At Bunnings 

For clips

Installing Toe Kicks around the 1:50m mark.

Id also like to offer a warm welcome to the community Its a great place for these questions and even better if you are installing one down the track!

Dave

[JacobZ]

Hi @Christina4,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

It is likely they have used either clips or adhesive to help keep the kickboards in place.

If you can get a chisel or prybar in behind the kickboard, you should be able to gently lever them off.

If glue has been used, it will likely be more difficult to keep the kickboards intact, but not impossible if you work from one side to the other and are as gentle as possible.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob