Quesiton on cabinet construction (end panel / ply)

[Brad Ridgway]

I'm still trying to iron out my construction methods for upcoming cabinet build. I was reading some other posts prefinished panels (and Norm's been brainwashing me on this too)...


Background:


1) i think i like the lighter interiors compared to the darker exterior

2) for the finish, after reading some other posts, i think i may go with cherry + BLO + Shellac + USL

3) i think i also would like to build frame and panel for the exposed ends (i would have 8 such panels (including top and bottom) and 4 non-exposed on the sides of the range / DW, and a full height panel between fridge and start of a lower / upper cabinet run (one side is exposed)

4) I have 9' ceilings and the mrs wants the uppers to be full height to the ceiling and we'll have glass square doors at the top above the longer solid doors (i.e. the glass would always expose the interior 8 sides mentioned above)



Concerns:

... revolve around how to best address the fact that those four points seem to be conflicting? I think it would be odd to use prefinished birch or maple of a lighter grade for the interior yet see dark panels on the exposed ends (wouldn't be an issue as much on the cabinets with solid doors, but seeing the difference through the glass up top would seem odd)

I feel like i could get around it by just build the carcasses entirely out of the same ply and anchor the end panels where appropriate (bringing the thickness to 1.25" on the ends)? If so, how best to anchor - maybe screws from the inside (and slots to allow for panel movement)?

Even if i get cherry ply, i feer my proposed finish would age differently then the prefinished and end up looking different anyway, but maybe that's minor?


Anyway, any recommendations are appreciated...



thx in advance
-brad

[frank shic]

brad, i'd reconsider running cabinets all the way up to the ceiling in a 9 foot high room since i'm not sure you'll be able to reach those top shelves without some assistance but i could be wrong since maybe you're wife is 6'8? anyways, screwing the end panels on separately to the cabinet from inside is a perfectly acceptable way to manage them although you have to be careful not to run the screws through the center panel. you could also glue them on with construction adhesive. prefinished plywood is the way to go! the lighter color will make it easier to see inside of the cabinet vs. a dark interior. good luck and post pics!

[Joe Chritz]

Often cabinets with glass doors often have interiors with similar wood while others have lighter interiors.

I'll second the advice about 9' ceilings. Cabinets to 8' high is pretty high, I have 9' ceilings in my place and the 8' cabinets look really good, especially if you add crown. I would definitely try a cab all the way to the ceiling before building 54" upper cabinets.

Construction adhesive, screws or pins are fine for an applied panel.

Joe

[John Carlo]

I'm building some cabinets for our laundry room. The cabinets can't be too tall because of the over sized washer and dryer below them. But it bothered me having all that wasted space above and what a dust catcher area.

I decided to put a long cabinet above the upper cabinets with a fold down door as a storage place for wrapping paper. Yes, it would not be what I would recommend for a kitchen. But for lightweight and rarely accessed items it seems a pretty good use of the space. It will also make a nice bridge between the taller cabinets above the washer and dryer and the shorter ones above the laundry sink cabinet.

[Bill White]

42" uppers with some stagger in height would be tops for me. Most often just use 36" plus stagger (6"). 18" to 24" above finished countertop. Pre-finished interiors are perfectly acceptable, aned applied end panels will work well. IMO.
Bill:rolleyes:

[Steve Clardy]

I agree with keeping the cabs only 96" on a 9' wall.

End panels, I screw them on. Only put screws in the rail and stiles of the applied end panels.

Usually whatever color the outside of my cabinets are, the insides are the same. Never had anyone want them different.


You could use 4-1/4" crown molding instead of 2-1/4 or 3-1/4.
This would make the uppers seem taller if that's what she prefers.

[Derek Lyons]

brad, i'd reconsider running cabinets all the way up to the ceiling in a 9 foot high room since i'm not sure you'll be able to reach those top shelves without some assistance

That's what step stools are for! :)

That unreachable-without-effort space is great for rarely used items.

[Brad Ridgway]

thx everyone!

Derek and my wife see eye to eye... The woman has wicker baskets sitting on top of the existing cabinets and she climbs up on the counters all the time to get them down (even when she's pregnant).

The kitchen is a little small, we have no pantry, and she wants storage. If i ever build a house 30+% of the floor space will be storage.

I do like the staggered look (and the fact i think they'd be way easier to hang), but she's being a little non-compromising - as she does 99.9% of the cooking, i don't have much bargaining room.

thx
-brad

[Kevin Barnett]

Brad,
For those cabinets with glass doors, match the exterior and interior ply. You might also consider glass shelves and interior lighting in those cabinets to keep it from getting too dark. I personally like lighter maple ply in the interior of non-glass doored cabinets. Plus, you can get it prefinished.

As far as taking cabs to the top...a staggered arrangement looks good and allows some storage (on top of some cabs) without exposing the whole cabinet interior.