Face frame meets wall

[Scott Welty]

Building a lower cabinet with a face frame that is to be installed between two walls. How to get good look where face frame meets the wall? Build small and add piece of trim on site? Attach the frame on site?

[Larry Edgerton]

Building a lower cabinet with a face frame that is to be installed between two walls. How to get good look where face frame meets the wall? Build small and add piece of trim on site? Attach the frame on site?

I always attach the frame to the case in place if it is in a spot that will not allow the whole assembly to be installed as one. That way it can be trimmed to fit with a hand plan, bevel the back of the side you want to slip in last so as not to scratch the wall. I usually attach with biscuits in this case, but you may prefer screws. I have an aversion to trim on cabinets to hide loose fits.

Larry

[peter gagliardi]

I'd have to agree with most of Larry's post, though we always fix the face frame to the cabinet before it leaves the shop. I can see the wisdom in his way though. We usually assess the area where the cabinet goes- checking for square corners and plumb walls etc... Long runs of cabs are easy, small vanities, not so much, especially if in a newer home with drywall, mud and cornerbead. A lot of the time in this instance the corner to wall is smaller than where the cabinet will sit. Pulling the side panels in toward the inner edge of face frame allows you to jockey the cabinet past the "pinch point" . Almost always, patience, enough scribe, and a super sharp block plane wins the day.

[Jerry Miner]

In our shop, we attach face frames in the shop before delivery, but in a wall-to-wall situation, we leave a scribe on one side, and a "knock-down" stile (also with scribe) on the other, to be scribed and installed on-site)

[Kevin Jenness]

Another approach with a different appearance which eliminates scribing is a recessed scribe strip. The face frame is built smaller than the opening, say by 1/2", and rabbeted on the back outside edges, typically 1/2"x 1/2".Strips with a finished front edge are attached to the wall and the cabinet is installed so the rabbeted face frame meets the scribe strips, leaving a nominal 1/4"x1/4" reveal. This is a real labor saver especially for tall cabinets and situations where the corner beads are well proud of the surfaces where the cabinet is set.

[Brian Henderson]

Always make the frame a bit larger on the wall side so that you can scribe an exact fit on site. Walls are notoriously not flat or square.

[Justin Ludwig]

Always make the frame a bit larger on the wall side so that you can scribe an exact fit on site. Walls are notoriously not flat or square.

+1. Oversized face frame and power hand planer then a block plane to fine tune it to fit the wall. I also hate scribe moldings for transitions cover-up. It's lazy work IMO.

[mark mcfarlane]

I'm curious what people do with a frameless cabinet against a wall. Add in a little stretcher and scribe it, making sure there is clearance for the door to open?

[Larry Edgerton]

I'm curious what people do with a frameless cabinet against a wall. Add in a little stretcher and scribe it, making sure there is clearance for the door to open?

Caulk. Who cares, its a frameless cabinet?:p

[Jerry Miner]

I'm curious what people do with a frameless cabinet against a wall. Add in a little stretcher and scribe it, making sure there is clearance for the door to open?

I don't do many frameless cabinets, but IIWM, I'd add a 1 1/2" or more "filler strip" against the wall, so the door can have a handle, open to 90 deg., and not knock a hole in the wall where the handle hits

[Fred Heenie]

Add on scribe moldings are common in tract homes but I refer a 1/2 X 3/4" rabbit on the back side of the stile or frame that goes against the wall. Tri, with a block plane to fit.

[Jim Dwight]

My frameless cabinets have been 3/4 plywood, mostly, and edged with solid wood about 1/4 thick. It isn't hard to make that a bit wide if the cabinet is against the wall and scribe it. If you are edging with veneer tape or something like that, I would add a piece a little back from the front edge and scribe that - assuming there is a gap too big for caulk.

[Scott Welty]

thanks to all! A combination of these ideas will serve me well.
Scott