Storing kitchen cabinets

[Bob Michaels]

I would appreciate some advice. I'm managing an extensive whole house gut & renovation job. The only thing that will be salvaged are nice natural wood custom built kitchen cabinets. The plan is to remove the cabinets and store them in an unheated garage for about 6 months and then reinstall them. Of course i want to have the carpenters wrap them in something so they stay clean. The question is what would you suggest to use for the wrapping...kraft paper so they can breathe and not cause moisture, tyvek, or what do you recommend? Thanks.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd use something breathable. Maybe shipping blankets -- I have tons. Or cloth dropcloths.

[Ellen Benkin]

You are in a cold climate and I will bet it's more than a few months before they are installed. I would definitely find a climate controlled storage unit if you want to preserve them. I would also cover them with something breathable.

[Jerry Bruette]

I'd plan for some pest control, too. The mice will love the new home you provide for them, and that'll leave you a smelly mess to clean up.

[Tom Ewell]

My biggest concern would be to protect the finish and big swings in moisture, cover with breathable stuff and control the moisture best you can, perhaps a little dehumidifier if excess humidity is expected

Bring them into your house a fair amount of time to acclimate before installing.

Expect to do some cleaning, if they've been used for a while you'll want to clean them up before storing. Skin/cooking oils, food stuffs, shelf papers, pet hair, dust bunnies and the like make for good fungus, mold and vermin habitat.

Clean again when you bring them back in to install.

[Lee Schierer]

I would wrap them to protect the finish and prevent damage during handling. Buy enough large rolls of microfoam packing material to wrap up each cabinet. Secure the foam with packing tape. The foam will keep off any dust and dirt and protect from rubs and scratches during transport. I don't think there will be any problems having the cabinets getting cold if they are stored in an unheated area as long as the storage area is dry, i.e. no roof leaks or wet floors. In your storage, place all the cabinets on 2 x 4 sleepers that have been placed on the floor which you covered with plastic sheeting. Buy some Tom Cat bait stations and place them around the cabinets in your storage area to eliminate mice.

[Prashun Patel]

Are the carcasses solid wood? I would remove the doors and drawers and keep them inside. If the carcasses are ply, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just take care to protect the face-frames.

[Robert Engel]

I would wrap them in stretchable plastic to seal off from environment.

I have to disagree with a few posters: You definitely don't want anything breathable the object is to seal them off from the vagaries of he environment.

[Bob Michaels]

Thanks for the replies. Has anyone actually stored kitchen cabinets under these conditions.

[Jerry Bruette]

Yes. When I was building my cabin I bought the cabinets way early because they were on sale. I stored them in the unheated building until I was ready for installation.

Yeah, mice got in the building and into one of the boxes that the cabinet was shipped in. I actually caught the invasion early so the mess wasn't too bad.

[Bill Orbine]

Thanks for the replies. Has anyone actually stored kitchen cabinets under these conditions.

In fact, I know a shop who did store their cabinets in the basement of a house being remodeled. The cabinets were ready for install but builder had code enforcement issues for several months before he was ready for the kitchen install. The plywood cabinets sustained mold damage. Fortunately, the doors and fronts were kept in environment controlled room back at the shop.

Keep your stuff in environment control.