Another Cabinet Thread, Deep Wall Cabinets

[Peter Stahl]

Anyone do their wall cabinets deeper than 12 inches? Was thinking of doing some for the laundry room to get my feet wet in making a cabinet. Was thinking 16 inches with face frames included and probably 42 inches tall. Would either use several cleats or 1/2" ply backs. Will use 3/4" birch/oak ply for the carcass. How much can you hang on a 2 X 4 wall? The only deep cabinets I've ever seen were pantry beside base cabs of course.

thanks for any/all replies, Pete

[Sam Layton]

Hi Peter,

I will start out by saying that I have built one kitchen. All of the uppers are 13 1/2" deep, and one is 14 1/2" deep. I think 16" would be fine as long is it is built strong. I used 3/4" backs as well. It seems to me that the cabinets are much stronger with solid 3/4" backs. It will cost a couple of dollars more for more ply, but I think it is a good investment. I also think the cabinet looks so much better when you open the doors and the cabinet has a back.

I think the standard 12" cabinet is to shallow for large plates, etc. So, if you do your kitchen check it out...

Your stud walls should hold your cabinet just fine. You don't say how wide they are. You should have several studs to anchor to.

Sam

[Peter Stahl]

Hi Peter,

I will start out by saying that I have built one kitchen. All of the uppers are 13 1/2" deep, and one is 14 1/2" deep. I think 16" would be fine as long is it is built strong. I used 3/4" backs as well. It seems to me that the cabinets are much stronger with solid 3/4" backs. It will cost a couple of dollars more for more ply, but I think it is a good investment. I also think the cabinet looks so much better when you open the doors and the cabinet has a back.

I think the standard 12" cabinet is to shallow for large plates, etc. So, if you do your kitchen check it out...

Your stud walls should hold your cabinet just fine. You don't say how wide they are. You should have several studs to anchor to.

Sam

Sam, I would make sure each one would have at least 2 studs to mount them too. 3/4" backs sound like a good idea too. thanks.

[Richard McComas]

I build uppers deeper than 12 inches all the time. The ones in the photo are 15-1/2 inches deep. 3/4 inch backs.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/Remodel%202/remodel24.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

My personal experience has been that, with deep cabinets, there is stuff that is pushed to the back, with other stuff in front of it............so the stuff in the back kinda disappears from access/sight/use. I use this experience in shop and general stuff storage units. Same theory applies to drawer depth [vertical and horizontal].

Having said that, the one kitchen I built........SWMBO, aka gourmet chef, has "valuable things" [as distinct from "generic stuff" that I have] that can be larger in dimension than run-of-the-mill things, so that influenced the cabinet depth.

The point: make them deep enough for intended use, but no deeper, because of the "vanishing stuff" phenomenon.

Just my experience, not a "rule" or anything.

[Peter Stahl]

Beautiful cabinets Rich! What kind of wood and stain are they?

[Peter Stahl]

Kent know what you mean. Need the depth for Laundry stuff & storage. We hoard in out cabinets & closets, lol.

[Richard McComas]

Beautiful cabinets Rich! What kind of wood and stain are they?No stain, clear coated blood wood.

[Michael Weber]

I've only built one set of kitchen cabinets also, but later was kicking myself for not making the uppers deeper. I was thinking 15 to 16 inches would be great. Nothing like hindsight.

[Alan Lightstone]

I built my garage / workshop cabinets to 21" depth. Big mistake. Too deep. Would have been far better off at 17", as my friends are. The upper cabinets become impossible to get things out of without a ladder once I got deeper than that.

[Bill Trouard]

I build uppers deeper than 12 inches all the time. The ones in the photo are 15-1/2 inches deep. 3/4 inch backs.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/Remodel 2/remodel24.jpg

Rich,

Can I ask the wood type and finish/stain used on the cabinets in the photo ?

Thanks
Bill T

[Richard McComas]

Bill t, the wood is Blood Wood. The finish is Target Coating EM 2000. There is no stain involved.

[Don Jarvie]

I'm building a over the refrig and tall cabinet 30 inches deep. I added a piece of 3/4 ply along the inside top then added the 1/2 back. The 3/4 ply got a few screws from the side since this will be holding most of the weight.

This is a custom job and the client wanted the cabinets to come out almost to the edge of the refrig. I am also painting them so I don't have to worry when I putty over the screws.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I built some storage cabinets for a local Y several years ago. They were 32" high and 32" deep. Run was 14' over soda machines in an alcove in block wall. Cabinets are used to store printed goods. Total expected stored weight was over 4000#. I build a steel frame from 1/4" 2 X 2 angle, laggged to the wall, and cabinets just slide in. So yes wall cabinets can be deeper than 12" The reason for 12 " deep cabinets is that was the widest normally stocked boards were 12" (actually 11 1/4".) Add a 3/4" face frame and you get 12".

[Mike Davis NC]

Yeah, I know...Bloodwood - no stain. Just wanted to say these are the nicest cabinets i have ever seen. And the pic is worth seeing again, and again.



I build uppers deeper than 12 inches all the time. The ones in the photo are 15-1/2 inches deep. 3/4 inch backs.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/Remodel 2/remodel24.jpg

[Steve Griffin]

Those are some nice cabinets!

I'm not sure I have ever made a shallow 12" cabinet. My standard uppers are 13 or 14" (11.5-12.5 interior). Many modern plates need that depth.

Laundry cabinets are nice at 16", as you can fit soap boxes/jugs in them which comes in handy in a laundry.

I'm also a fan of 27-30" bases, but I can't seem to talk clients into them...

-Steve

[John TenEyck]

The depth of cabinets for your laundry room should consider what you have to reach over to get to them. If there will be base cabinets below them, or a washer/drier which projects out even further, then you will want to make the cabinets deeper so that you can open the doors without having to lean way over. Above a washer/dryer I would guess that 16" or so would be about right, but 12" seems too shallow.

[Gary Curtis]

For a laundry room, a 14" deep cabinet will feel limited. In my new house, the cabinet maker was worried about clearance between a toilet an cabinets on an opposite wall. I suggested that we needed something and threw out a figure of 14". That was a mistake. Towels and linens require a lot more.

[frank shic]

rich, those double raised end panels are beautiful and make more sense as it avoids having to glue up multiple boards. love the finish too, what did you use? did you miter the end panels to the face frame?