Updated
Kitchen Plinth Keeps Falling Off
The kickboard along the bottom of the units drops off, bows away from the units, or has swollen at one end.
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What's happening?
The plinth is the board that closes the gap between the base units and the floor. It is not structural and it is deliberately removable, so it clips on rather than being screwed to the units — usually with sprung plastic clips that push into the plinth and grip a peg or leg on the unit. Those clips are the whole of the fixing, so anything that loosens them drops the board. The other half of the problem is length and floor level: a new floor laid over the old one raises the floor and squeezes the plinth, an uneven floor leaves the plinth bowed away in the middle, and any water reaching the bottom edge swells the core and pushes the clips out of their holes.
What usually causes it?
- Plinth clips loosened in their sockets or snapped, so the board no longer grips the unit legs
- A new floor laid over the old one, leaving the plinth too tall and forced against the units
- An uneven floor bowing the plinth outwards between the fixing points
- The bottom edge swollen from mopping, a dishwasher leak or a fridge defrosting onto the floor
- Clip sockets in the plinth stripped after being pulled off and pushed back repeatedly
- Too few clips along a long run, particularly across an island or a wide sink base
- The plinth kicked at while cooking or knocked by a vacuum cleaner, working the clips out
Is it dangerous?
No, though a loose plinth is a trip point in a kitchen and it leaves the gap under the units open to spills, crumbs and pests. The swelling that follows a wet plinth also spreads towards the unit ends if the water is not dealt with.
Can I fix it myself?
Yes, mostly. Pull the plinth off, look at the clips and replace any that are broken or loose — they are inexpensive and push into pre-drilled sockets. Check the floor level along the run: if the plinth is now fouling the floor, it needs trimming down, and if it bows in the middle it needs another clip or two. Where the bottom edge has swollen, seal or replace the board rather than clipping it back and hoping.
When should you call a kitchen fitter?
Call a kitchen fitter when the plinth has swollen, when a new floor means the whole run needs cutting down, when clip sockets have stripped, or when the plinth keeps dropping off despite new clips. Repeated failure along a run usually means the units are not level or the floor has changed, and both are fixed at the units rather than at the board.
What will the kitchen fitter actually do?
- Check the base unit legs for level and re-set them where the floor has changed
- Replace broken or worn plinth clips and repair stripped sockets in the board
- Trim the plinth to the new floor height where a floor has been laid over the old one
- Add fixing points along long runs and around islands so the board cannot bow
- Seal the bottom edge, or replace a swollen board, and seal where it meets a wet floor
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