First you’ll want to confirm you can remove it. Sometimes they hide ductwork or pipes. This may mean putting a few holes in it to see what’s in there.
Take the time to put a few holes in the drywall of the soffit, quite often they contain kitchen duct work, wiring, and plumbing, take a good look around.
The link is a guide on how to take down and remove a soffit (some of the difficulties people have had):
I was thinking this would be basically a full kitchen remodel. I found this article with questions to consider and that's what they are saying as well. If you do this, I hope you post the project.
If you knock the soffit at various places you will find out if it is hollow or not by the sound. As normally these soffits can hide duct work from the cooker hood or other pipework, proceed with caution! If happy to take it down, look to see if there are any fixing visible. If not drill a hole in one corner a little way up, to allow you to be able to leaver it out and away from the framework underneath. Proceed in that manner until all the face work is off and then remove the framework from the walls etc. Hope that helps!
The first thing you need to find out is if there is anything hidden inside the soffit. If not just remove it and install your new taller cabinets. A lot of times (if you watch hgtv shows) the soffit is hiding pipes.
Well to our surprise we drilled a small hole in the soffit. We cannot take ours down as the HVAC ducts and water pipes run thru it. We could have hired a contractor so that they could move all that and meet code but it was extremely expensive.
As everyone says it may be hiding electrical wiring, ductwork, piping. I wanted to remove mine so I cut a square hole above the sink and found wiring and the sink vent pipe going thru it. it can be done but that's a project for the future. Wiring will need to be rerouted. I can build out the wall a few inches to hide the vent pipe. Won't be noticed that much.
You'll need to follow a few steps to remove the soffit in your kitchen. First, ensure safety by turning off electricity and water sources connected to the area. Next, use a stud finder to locate and mark the studs in the soffit. Then, carefully remove any molding or trim covering the edges of the soffit. Use a reciprocating saw or utility knife to cut along the edges and detach the soffit from the studs. Finally, any holes or damage left behind should be patched up and repainted if necessary. While doing this, consider how the removal might affect the gutters because when I replaced my soffit, I didn't install my gutters back correctly and suffered severe consequences.
Hi Kathy! To remove the soffit in the kitchen, you may also need to take down the cabinets. If you don't plan to purchase new ones, you can rehang them after the soffit is gone. However, consider partnering with an experienced home remodeling contractor for this task to eliminate the risk of damaging the cabinets. Hope this helps!
A kitchen renovation is about to happen (yikes) and there is an 18" high granite backsplash to be replaced with brick tile. Any one know how to remove the granite wi...
See more
First you’ll want to confirm you can remove it. Sometimes they hide ductwork or pipes. This may mean putting a few holes in it to see what’s in there.
Take the time to put a few holes in the drywall of the soffit, quite often they contain kitchen duct work, wiring, and plumbing, take a good look around.
The link is a guide on how to take down and remove a soffit (some of the difficulties people have had):
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/remove-wet-ceiling-drywall-after-leak-43233.html
Hello Kathy,
Do you mean the hollow fill in between the cabinets and the ceiling?
First, cut a small hole to see if the soffit is hiding any wiring or ductwork. If not, here's a link to how one person did it:
https://www.prettyhandygirl.com/how-to-remove-soffit/
I was thinking this would be basically a full kitchen remodel. I found this article with questions to consider and that's what they are saying as well. If you do this, I hope you post the project.
https://www.riversideconstruction.com/can-you-remove-your-kitchen-soffit-4-careful-considerations-blog/
Hello again Kathy,
If you knock the soffit at various places you will find out if it is hollow or not by the sound. As normally these soffits can hide duct work from the cooker hood or other pipework, proceed with caution! If happy to take it down, look to see if there are any fixing visible. If not drill a hole in one corner a little way up, to allow you to be able to leaver it out and away from the framework underneath. Proceed in that manner until all the face work is off and then remove the framework from the walls etc. Hope that helps!
The first thing you need to find out is if there is anything hidden inside the soffit. If not just remove it and install your new taller cabinets. A lot of times (if you watch hgtv shows) the soffit is hiding pipes.
I found this for soffit removal, which should be helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdTpczXotxI
Well to our surprise we drilled a small hole in the soffit. We cannot take ours down as the HVAC ducts and water pipes run thru it. We could have hired a contractor so that they could move all that and meet code but it was extremely expensive.
Here's a post that might help https://sebringdesignbuild.com/what-is-a-kitchen-soffit-and-can-i-remove-it/
As everyone says it may be hiding electrical wiring, ductwork, piping. I wanted to remove mine so I cut a square hole above the sink and found wiring and the sink vent pipe going thru it. it can be done but that's a project for the future. Wiring will need to be rerouted. I can build out the wall a few inches to hide the vent pipe. Won't be noticed that much.
I agree, it’s probably there to hide something. You might open up a small area first and take a look inside before you proceed.
You can remove it, but this will take time and meticulous effort.
You'll need to follow a few steps to remove the soffit in your kitchen. First, ensure safety by turning off electricity and water sources connected to the area. Next, use a stud finder to locate and mark the studs in the soffit. Then, carefully remove any molding or trim covering the edges of the soffit. Use a reciprocating saw or utility knife to cut along the edges and detach the soffit from the studs. Finally, any holes or damage left behind should be patched up and repainted if necessary. While doing this, consider how the removal might affect the gutters because when I replaced my soffit, I didn't install my gutters back correctly and suffered severe consequences.
Hi Kathy: This is a pretty big job. However, here is a site that shows several ways to do this. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+remove+kitchen+soffit+without+damage&qpvt=how+to+remove+kitchen+soffit+without+damage&FORM=VDRE
Good luck
Hi Kathy! To remove the soffit in the kitchen, you may also need to take down the cabinets. If you don't plan to purchase new ones, you can rehang them after the soffit is gone. However, consider partnering with an experienced home remodeling contractor for this task to eliminate the risk of damaging the cabinets. Hope this helps!