Hiding Kichen Cabinet Seams

[Andie Wilson]

Hi all, I'm in the design phase of my first full kitchen remodel. I am doing a beaded inset face frame style with simple shaker doors. All cabinets will be painted (probably white). I am trying to build all the cabinet runs as single units so that there are no seams where cabinets meet. These will be built at my home shop, so they won't have to move far and I don't have any runs over 5 feet. My question is, what is the best way to achieve this seamless aesthetic between the corner cabinet and the adjacent runs? Is the seam inevitable here or are there ways to use just one stile between them without install being a nightmare? I'm planning to build carcasses out of 3/4" plywood with 1.5" stiles, so I suppose if I went totally flush with the insides I could do a single stile, but I'm thinking a gap between cabinets might be necessary to account for out of square walls and such. Another option would be to have a wider stile at that location which might not look perfect, but better than a seam. Anyone have a favorite method?
corner_seam.jpg

[Frank Pratt]

Build & install the cabinets with no face frame, then measure & build the face frames. One frame for each entire cabinet run. You can use pocket screws to attach them, or biscuits/dominoes, but the layout for them will be a little more tricky.

[Bill Orbine]

The corner cabinet does not need to be the full 24" deep.... so making it slightly shallower (about 1/2-3/4") can help compensate somewhat for the OOS walls. Since delivery isn't the major issue, build your cabinets one big frame onto two or more cabinets to eliminate seams cabinet to cabinet. You build the corner cabinet and attach it to adjoining cabinets before applying the frame, preferably before "delivery and installation" but sometimes if a single large cabinet is "too big" to move on site and in place, then build it into sections with the emphasis of one big frame/multiple cabinets so that it can be neatly assembled on site. One of the biggest factor that helps with bringing in larger cabinets is to place the cabinet on separate toe kick base. It's so easy to level and secure the separate bases before putting large cabinets in place.

[Martin Wasner]

Don't put a seam/joint there. Make the face frame one piece on the sink section, add the return wall a separate unit, assemble on site.

[Andie Wilson]

The corner cabinet does not need to be the full 24" deep.... so making it slightly shallower (about 1/2-3/4") can help compensate somewhat for the OOS walls. Since delivery isn't the major issue, build your cabinets one big frame onto two or more cabinets to eliminate seams cabinet to cabinet. You build the corner cabinet and attach it to adjoining cabinets before applying the frame, preferably before "delivery and installation" but sometimes if a single large cabinet is "too big" to move on site and in place, then build it into sections with the emphasis of one big frame/multiple cabinets so that it can be neatly assembled on site. One of the biggest factor that helps with bringing in larger cabinets is to place the cabinet on separate toe kick base. It's so easy to level and secure the separate bases before putting large cabinets in place.

That's an excellent point about building the corner shallower, seems like good advice regardless of construction technique. My concern with joining multiple cabinets with 3/4" material is that I have no breathing room with a 1.5" stile, and having some stiles flush with the insides and others overhanging seems like it would complicate drawer/door install. This is why I planned to build larger cabinets with single partitions as opposed to joined side walls. Though I suppose I could increase my face frame width instead. I do plan on constructing a ladder base for all cabinets and leveling them prior to install. Either that or leveler legs. Integrated toe kicks just seem like the worst of all worlds.

[Adam Herman]

use 1/2 plywood there?


think about how your hinges and slides mount with the inset doors, they have to mount to the ply so you need the inside to be consistent or use different hinges for that one cabinet.

[Andie Wilson]

I hadn't really considered it until now, but I think a blind corner cabinet would make the stile placement quite a bit simpler. That way the corner cabinet is broken into two orthogonal cabinets that are built into their respective cabinet runs and one stile would just butt into the other. Just need to be careful about door clearances. Then need to buy some of those goofy pullouts like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8u6A0PzRQ

Being able to use standard doors would be another plus, as I never liked the idea of the bi-fold door sitting nicely in an inset application, though I'm sure many of you have done it successfully.

[Wayne Lomman]

Or, you could build what you guys call Euro style cabinets and I call just ordinary kitchen cabinets and the problem does not even exist.

Definitely build a ladder-frame kicker and scribe and level it to the floor before installing cabinets. Installation after that is a breeze. Cheers

[Kevin Jenness]

Build the main run face frame with the rails extending into the corner, butting into the corner cabinet rails at a right angle. Attach the overhanging rails to the corner cabinet at installation using biscuits plus pocket screws at the top and creative edge clamping at the bottom.

When you have to make a field joint in plane with face frames the best approach is usually to have a stile attached to one box overhanging the next partition and meeting the rails from the other box. If the rails and stile are dry joined with a tight spline (domino or similar) and sanded and finished together they can be detached and reassembled with a minimally obvious seam. To get it perfect they may have to be touched up on site but the feasibility depends on your finish system.

I usually make a separate box for every opening to simplify hardware installation. A 1 9/16" stile allows for a 1/32" overhang on 3/4" box material and a continuous back ties the boxes together.

[Dave Sabo]

I’d design the sink cab to have doors only so that it matches the corner cabinets better. They have no drawers as drawn.

The dishwasher on the left breaks the drawer line if there is one on the cabinets to the left of it.

If you decide to keep the false drawer front, I’d suggest adding another rail between the doors and that drawer front. doesn’t look like there is one in your rendering.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, separate face frames. That provides two benefits...you can easily "lose the seams" as you want to do and you can also build the cabinet boxes with more modularity so they are easier to set. I personally do separate toe-kicks which get leveled first, then set the boxes on top and lastly, install the face frames. The face frames can be pre-assembled and finishes and through a combination of things like pocket screws, creative clamping and a few 23 gage pins, they can be held in place while the glue does its intended work.

Be sure you carefully calculate things for your corner relative to drawer and door clearances...

[Jim Andrew]

When I worked in a cabinet shop, was instructed to never sand the edges of face frames, as it tends to round them off and when the cabinets are butted together, leaves a gap.

[Patrick Walsh]

Get rid of the double style to right of sink cab. Make the face hang off the side of the box like a giant c open on the right. Use dominoes to connect it to adjacent box or corner box.

Or make corner box fully face framed and leave far right style off sink box so it only the left style and top mid and bottom rail and carcass side.

If you just attach it all in the shop and sand the face frames together it will all go together in the field perfectly again.

[David Stone (CT)]

In addition to all the good advice above, assuming the corner unit is a lazy susan, I'd suggest buying samples of the hinges you plan to use and acquiring the lazy susan hardware at the design stage, so you can figure out the corner door details, reveals and required clearances--which can be somewhat confusing (DAMHIKT) and might, depending, interrelate to the issue you raise of stile widths and projections. Also, if you haven't already, download the hinge manufacturer's detailed spec sheet showing construction details and limitations. Blum's is here:

https://www.blum.com/file/concealedh...US&language=en