KITCHENS

Replace a kitchen end panel

Swap a damaged kitchen end panel for a new one, fixing it securely to the cabinet and wall where needed.

EP-01Check the job and gather your toolsMeasure the old end panel's height, depth and thickness, and check the new panel matches your cabinet's colour and finish. Clear the floor space and lay down a dust sheet to protect the worktop and flooring. Look for extra screws or a batten line near the wall side of the panel — this tells you if it's fixed to the wall as well as the cabinet.
1 each · Dust sheet
1 each · Tape measure
1 each · Pencil
EP-02Remove trims blocking accessTake off the kickboard by unclipping or unscrewing its fixings, and remove any cornice, pelmet or end-of-run trim covering the panel. Keep the screws and clips together in a small tray so you can refit them later. This gives you clear access to the panel's fixing screws.
1 each · Screwdriver set
1 each · Small parts tray
EP-03Take off the old panelOpen the end unit's door and find the screws holding the panel to the cabinet, usually driven through corner blocks or a rear batten. Undo these and ease the panel away from the carcass; run a filling knife along the front edge first if it's stuck with a bead of old silicone. Check behind the panel for a wall batten — if there is one, note how it's fixed, as you'll deal with this later. Keep the old panel to use as a cutting template.
1 each · Filling knife
EP-04Work out what's behind the wall, if the panel fixes to itIf the old panel was screwed to a wall batten, work out what's behind the plasterboard before you drill anything new. Run a stud detector or a strong magnet along the wall — a magnet catching on a line of screw heads means timber studs, while an even hollow sound with no metal response can mean dot-and-dab or metal studs. Drill a small pilot hole in an inconspicuous spot: timber dust means a timber stud, fine grey swarf means a metal stud, and solid resistance with brick or block dust means masonry. A springy, ridged feel under the detector usually means lath and plaster, which is old and brittle.
1 each · Stud detector
1 each · Small magnet
EP-05Find your stopcock and check the circuit before you drillBefore drilling into any wall, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns, so you can shut off the water fast if you hit a pipe. Use a cable and pipe detector along the drilling line, but still assume something could be there — detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed plasterboard, or outside the normal safe zones, and a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors further. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and turn off the water at the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry water.
1 each · Cable and pipe detector
EP-06Fit the wall batten with the right fixing for your wallCut a timber batten to match the old one and hold it against the wall in the same spot. In solid brick or block, drill 6mm, fit a Rawlplug, and drive a 40mm screw; into a timber stud, skip the plug and screw straight into the stud's centre after a pilot hole; into a metal stud, use a self-drilling metal-stud screw or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor, never a plain plug or wood screw, as it strips straight through the 0.5mm steel. On dot-and-dab, use a 60-75mm fixing that passes through the board and air gap into the masonry behind; on lath and plaster, aim for the timber behind the laths rather than the laths themselves.
1 length · Timber batten 18x35mm
1 pack · Rawlplugs, pack of 20
1 pack · Wood screws 40mm, pack of 20
1 pack · Self-drilling metal-stud screws, pack
1 pack · Toggle-type hollow-wall anchors, pack
1 pack · Long dot-and-dab fixings 65mm, pack
EP-07Cut the new panel to sizeUse the old panel as a template, or measure the gap directly, and mark the cutting line on the new panel with a pencil and straight edge. Score along a laminated face with a sharp knife before cutting to stop the finish chipping, then cut with a fine-tooth saw or jigsaw just outside the line. Sand the cut edge smooth and check it fits the gap with an even, snug reveal all round.
1 each · Kitchen end panel, matched finish
1 each · Craft knife
1 sheet · Sandpaper, fine grit
1 roll · Iron-on edging tape
EP-08Screw the new panel to the cabinetLine the panel up flush with the cabinet front and clamp it in place. Drive confirmat-style panel connector screws through the inside of the cabinet's corner blocks into the panel, spacing them roughly every 300mm. Check the panel is square to the worktop and floor before fully tightening.
1 pack · Confirmat panel connector screws, pack
1 each · Bar clamp
EP-09Fix the panel to the wall battenWith the panel held in place, drive short screws through the panel into the wall batten fitted earlier, keeping them just below the surface so they don't show. If the panel only fixes to the cabinet, skip this step entirely. Check the panel doesn't bow away from the wall along its length.
1 pack · Wood screws 25mm, pack
EP-10Refit trims and seal the edgesRefit the kickboard, cornice, pelmet and any end-of-run trims removed earlier. Run a thin bead of kitchen-grade silicone sealant along the join where the panel meets the wall or worktop, then smooth it with a wet finger. Wipe away any excess sealant straight away.
1 tube · Kitchen silicone sealant
1 each · Sealant gun
EP-11Tidy up and check the jobVacuum up dust and offcuts, and wipe down the panel and worktop. Open and close nearby doors and drawers to make sure nothing catches on the new panel. Leave the silicone to cure for the time stated on the tube before wiping it with a damp cloth.
1 each · Damp cloth

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