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Cabinet Basics:
Installing Kitchen Wall
Cabinets:
Part 3
Tall Divider Panel, Cabinets
Over The Fridge & Stove
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In This
Article:
A tall divider panel is connected to a
run of wall cabinets. An over-the-fridge cabinet is attached to the
divider and the adjacent cabinet.
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Related Articles:
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Skill Level: 3
(Moderate)
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Time Taken: A While
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By
Bruce W. Maki, Editor
Installing A Tall Divider Panel:
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This kitchen had a divider panel on one side of the refrigerator.
I clamped the panel to the wall cabinet and the base cabinet
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I located the point opposite the wall cabinet face frame, and drove in
a few screws.
Down below, I pre-drilled a couple of holes in the cabinet face frame
and drove screws into the face frame of the divider panel.
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A small 12" deep cabinet was installed above the refrigerator, between
the divider and a tall, full 24" depth pantry.
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(Looking up, towards the ceiling)
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I used a block of wood as a cleat, to connect the back of the
cabinet to the divider panel. The front face frames were connected in
the usual manner.
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(Looking up, towards the ceiling)
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At the other end, I slid a block of wood (ripped to width on a table
saw) into the gap between the cabinets.
Another view of the over-the-refrigerator cabinet.
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This cabinet is a little unusual because it is not mounted against the wall.
Wall cabinets are 12" deep and base cabinets are 24" deep. This cabinet had to
be securely attached to the cabinets on each side.
Wall Cabinet Over The Range - A
Tight Fit:
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There were 3-unit cabinet assemblies installed in two
corners of this kitchen. In between, above the stove, was a short wall
cabinet. This is where the kitchen designer's assumptions caused our biggest
headaches. He (or she) assumed
that the room would be built to the exact dimensions on the blue print,
and specified an arrangement of cabinets that fit precisely into the 108"
dimension between walls.
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But that is a very unsafe assumption. The room was the right size at the
floor level, but not at the wall cabinet level. The plan specified a 30" cabinet
above the stove. After installing the two sets of corner cabinets, I had a space
29-1/2" wide. So I did the obvious. Using a table saw I removed the 1/4" face
frame overhang, so the face frame was flush with the side of the cabinet. It
took only a few minutes and then the cabinet fit perfectly. Brilliant, I
thought.
A few weeks later the homeowner called me. The range hood would not fit under
the modified 30" cabinet. So I had to cut away a little wood from the taller
cabinets on each side. Aaaugh!
Did I mention that Nothing Ever Goes As Planned.
Attention Kitchen Designers... Read This Rant !
You cannot assume a room will end up exactly at the dimension on the
blue print. So if a wall has corner-to-corner cabinets, and the blue print
dimension just happens to to allow a nice series of cabinets to fit with no
filler strips, DON'T DO IT. You may not like filler strips, but finish
carpenters
need them, because the framing carpenters are not likely to care enough
to ensure that the kitchen dimensions are exactly to plan. You and your customer
are better off specifying a run of cabinets that includes one or two small
filler strips, strips that give the cabinet installer some leeway, because
nobody in the new home construction business can possibly keep
dimensional tolerances as accurate as the cabinet manufacturers do.
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When It Was All Done...
In spite of the minor but annoying problems, the kitchen turned out well. The
homeowners are happy. Once the kitchen was loaded with appliances and all the
things that occupy counters, the little flaws were hard to notice.
Photos of the final cabinet and counter installation
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Tools Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Drill Bits
- Table Saw
- 4' Level, 2' Level
- Stud Finder
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Materials Used:
- Wall Cabinet
- Cabinet Screws
- Shims
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