tops for pre-made wall cabinets?

[Stephen Tashiro]

Are there pre-made tops for pre-made wall cabinets? The typical wall cabinet sold at hardware stores is designed to have the top touching the ceiling, so the top isn't finished to be a good shelf. However, there are cases when wall cabinets might not touch the ceiling - for example, if they are mounted to make them usable by someone in a wheel chair. Is the simplest solution just to make a top out of a 1x12 ?

[Wayne Lomman]

Finish it in a way that matches the rest of the cabinetry taking into account whether it is seen or just utilitarian. Your 1x12 will work but you can also laminate with a colour, veneer with ply and polish or whatever. The key is to ask what will it be used for, how is it seen, and what matches the appearance of the rest of the job. Other than that, there are no rules, only preferences. Cheers

[Julie Moriarty]

A 1x12 would be 11-1/4" wide on a 12" wide wall cabinet. You could set it back and add trim in the front but 3/4" solid woods seems overkill for anything that might be placed on top. You might consider 1/2" plywood. If you don't want to install a trim piece, you could recess it into the top of each cabinet and place spacers underneath to make it flush with the top of the face frame.