Can you cut on an existing bar?

I have a long bar in my kitchen that has a countertop as wide as a buffet table. I'm wanting to shorten the bar and possibly cut back the countertop....can I just cut it back, cabinets and all? How could I go about changing this existing bar without having to take the whole thing out?


  13 answers
  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Jul 01, 2020

    A picture would be very helpful, could you post one?

  • William William on Jul 01, 2020

    Countertop can be removed and cabinets can be removed. Depending on the material the countertop can be screwed from the underneath and/or caulked onto the cabinets.

    • Jennifer Briles Alford Jennifer Briles Alford on Jul 02, 2020

      The home was built I would guess in the early 70's . The countertop is just plain jane....I would say formica. I thought of just replacing the countertop completely.....but really would like to save some of the cabinets because I want them all to stay matching and I am going to paint all the cabinets and add new hardware. The problem is...they built this bar coming right off the wall and takes up I would say 6ft!!! I will post a picture this afternoon.

  • Seth Seth on Jul 01, 2020

    Jennifer,

    It can be done, but there is a lot to it. What material is the bar? Most materials can be cut, shaped, and polished smooth. It could be a DIY project if you have the right tools and you are willing to tackle it yourself. A countertop company can do it for you, but I have no idea what the cost would be. Either way it will be very messy. The other part is the cabinetry. What type of cabinet is it? Does it have a face frame and/or overlay doors? Where are any doors and shelves located in relation to the piece you want to remove? You may need to make a new face frame and a new door (or buy one online) and move the hinges, cut shelves, and drill new shelf pin holes. The side you cut will be retrofitted with a new 3/4 inch piece of plywood and you can buy end panels to cover the plywood. You will have to stain or paint to match. What about the back side of the cabinet? Do you see it or is it up against a sheetrock wall the bar sits on? If you see the back side of the cabinet, It will have a seam if you cut it and you may need to hide the cut with trim. You may be able to buy a smaller cabinet from the same manufacturer and just replace it instead of trying to modify the one that is there. Can you post a couple pictures?

    • Jennifer Briles Alford Jennifer Briles Alford on Jul 02, 2020

      I'm wanting to do whatever I can on my own. Remodeling on a budget. The house I'm sure was built in the early 70's. I want to try to keep some of the cabinets that are in the bar area so they match all the existing cabinets. I just don't want them as long as they are....they take up prob 6ft of space!!! I was hoping that maybe I could cut some out of the bar area and salvage them to make a cabinet next to my stove. I wasn't sure if that's do-able though. LOL The back side of the bar is exposed, and my couch sits up against it...because once again it's WAY too wide and takes up ALOT of space. This is why I want to try to modify it. I will post pictures this afternoon. :)

  • Ken Erickson Ken Erickson on Jul 01, 2020

    Yes add a photo.

  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Jul 01, 2020

    Hi Jennifer yep you can cut just about anything down and modify it. Just take your time and have a decent plan before you tackle it. I'm assuming the cabinets and countertops are wood/laminate that you can use wood saws on them.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Jul 01, 2020

    It is hard to offer suggestions on what might reasonably work in your situation without first seeing pictures of what you are starting with.

  • If your counters are laminate or wood, you can cut them but laminate would need new edging attached. Any other counter would need to be cut by a professional. It sounds though that you've got a lot going on with cabinets in the area and such. You can remove these things but have a plan in place to tidy it all back up. You can't just take a saw to everything and hope for the best!

  • Dee Dee on Jul 01, 2020

    It also depends on what the countertop material is made of. If it is granite, silestone or quartz you can cut it, but the ends would need to be sanded down and polished. That can be DIY but using a fabricator is the best bet.


  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Jul 02, 2020

    To Seth's point, you'll need a router with a laminate trim bit, to have a clean cut and to cut the cabinets, holding a saw "in the air" for those vertical cuts is going to be difficult.

    I'd remove the cabinets and then they can be cut cleanly on a table saw, or at least attach a fence to it for a circular saw.

  • William William on Jul 03, 2020

    Been waiting for a photo. But i have a question. What it sounds like is you have a peninsula. Is it part of the kitchen countertop or is it separate. If it's separate you concept can be done. Countertop can be cut down but cabinets would not since they are screwed to each other. The countertop would need to be removed tho

  • Mogie Mogie on Jul 03, 2020

    A picture would be very helpful so we could see exactly what you are working with.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Jul 04, 2020

    Hello Jennifer,

    First of all release the countertop from the cabinets. Then you should be able to remove one cabinet from another. Then cut back countertop to suit new arrangement, and fix back in place. If you have any raw edges, you should be able to sand them down and paint them to tone in with rest of item. NB. You may find you have no flooring under removed cabinet, so be prepared to have to replace floor finish too.