Another Bathroom Cabinetry Project

[Matt Meiser]

After I did our master bath, my parents decided they need their bathroom redone as well. We redid it about 15 years ago and they had some plaster repair painting done about 5 years ago so it won't be as extensive as my project, but we are taking out their vanity and replacing it with a pedestal sink, replacing the wainscoating, replacing the floor, new shower valve and a new toilet. They also have a really dated looking cabinet over the toilet that I'm building the replacement for and I'm building a small furniture-type cabinet for next to the sink. The floor cabinet is going to have a faux marble top for durability (they didn't want to spend the money for real marble.) I'm off the hook for any painting as they are paying someone else to do that.

[Matt Meiser]

Today I got started on the wall cabinet which consists of two boxes. I got the boxes and face frames done today. The boxes are melamine which I am reluctant to use again at this point. The stuff just chips too easily. Next time I'll go for something like a prefinished maple. Actually the boxes themselves turned out fine but I'm not very happy with the shelves. I might rip 1/4" off the front and back of each shelf and replace the white edgebanding with a solid wood strip which would elimnate the problem areas.

[Rob Wright]

Matt - they look great so far. From your other threads on the backs- what did you settle on?

What was the major problem with the melamine? I have found if I use John Lucas' method for cutting it with my TS55 that I get very little to no chip out. I have also found that buying melamine from the BORG is significantly different than the stuff I have purchased from a lumber yard. The BORG stuff chips a lot easier!

- Rob

[Matt Meiser]

Rob, I eneded up moving the backs in so that there was 3/4" behind them and then used some scrap blatic birch to make reinforcements at the top and bottom of each cabinet to screw through. We'd already bought the 1/4" material. I'll try to remember to get a pic when I run out to the shop in a couple hours. As can be seen in the pictures, I'm using pocket screws to attache the face frames. Even with just 6 screws holidng each FF for now they seem very sturdy. There will probably be 4x that many on the big cabinet. I'm just putting in a couple for now because I plan to remove them for finishing.

The main problem with the melamine was chipping. I'll have to look at John's method as I was getting chipping with my TS55 and even with my Forrest Plywood/Melamine blade with a ZCI in the TS I did discover that taping the cut line before using the Forrest would eliminate it. Most of the edges are actually hidden and on the TS I was getting good cuts on the top side. However the shelves have two visible sides. When I did the dados for the backs, I just used the Forrest blade and taped the area and they came out perfect. This stuff came from the local plywood supplier. The 1/4" stuff seemed to be better quality than the 3/4" stuff. For one thing it had an MDF core which I think gave a more cosistent surface for the melamine layer to bond to. The melamine also seemed thicker. Overall though, the edges are just so fragile and any damage is really visible. If you ding the edge of a plywood panel it will typically dent and that dent won't be visible. With this, the edge chips and the brown core shows through the white. I suspect I can touch it up any chips with some white automotive touchup paint (I have some in my toolbox from a white car I used to have) and make them nearly invisible.

[frank shic]

matt, the cabinets are looking pretty promising so far! the blade that john lucas used was the "Fine Tooth Saw Blade" 491-952. i have found that trying to cut melamine with anything besides a modulus 2000 scoring attachment on a tablesaw is just an exercise in frustration and patience. frameless cabinet makers will often edgeband the shelf with the same species of wood as the doors since the white will often show through the gap between doors.

[Matt Meiser]

Last weekend and part of the week before I was out of town for my company's annual all-hands meeting and holiday party but I finally got some time later last week and heavily this weekend to make some significant progress. All the panels are now glued up. Four of these become doors for the wall cabinet and the other four become the sides and door for the floor cabinet. Tomorrow morning I'll pull them out of the clamps, but then it'll probably be another 2 weeks before I get back to them.

[Jim Becker]

Nice progress, Matt!

[Ellen Benkin]

Quick question. Why did they decide to replace a sink with a cabinet with a pedestal sink and a cabinet next to it? I know pedestal sinks are "in", but wouldn't they have had more storage with a bigger sink cabinet using both the space below the sink and next to it?

I have a pedestal sink in a very small bathroom and I don't think I would ever choose one again. Not only do you lose the storage, but getting to the plumbing hidden in the pedestal is a major problem.

[Matt Meiser]

Hey, they've already tried to drag me into that argument! :D

We put a pedestal sink in their first floor bathroom about 10 years ago which really opened up the room. My mom decided she wanted the same in this bathrroom. The cabinet will be lower than a counter so it should help accomplish the goal.

They actually aren't loosing that much storage because there was a baffle in the existing vanity that blocked most of the usable area to protect the plumbing. The new wall cabinet is bigger than the old one too.

[Matt Meiser]

We were on vacation for the past week but I finally got back to work tonight. I got the floor cabinet assembled. I need to make the adjustable shelf and put an edge treatment on all the doors and then it will be time for finishing. Demo on the bathroom itself starts tomorrow night. Hopefully I'll get most of it done tomorrow night so I can do the plumbing on Saturday and spend Sunday with my family. My parents will be home in just under 4 weeks and the goal is to have the bath back in service then.

[Jay Brewer]

Looking great Matt.

[Luis Oliveira]

Hey Matt, how are you doing those door, are you using a shaper, are you using a power feeder?

[frank shic]

matt, have you considered getting a 23 gauge pinner to tack the raised panels together to free up some of those besseys? although it doesn't look like you're suffering from a shortage of them!

[Matt Meiser]

The raised panels were done on the router table, fed by hand. I never thought about pinning them. Eventually I'll be building a kitchen full of cabinets and will definitely remember that!

[Matt Meiser]

I just finished spraying the final coat on everything. The finish is Sealcoat followed by two coats of Minwax Polycrylic. I just need the faux painter to do the room and then its back to work over there doing the floor (Linoleum) and wainscoting.

[Jim Becker]

Very nice, Matt!

[Matt Meiser]

And 4 hours later the pieces are cured enough for light handling so I finished up the floor cabinet so I could send pictures to my mom. The top is the typical faux marble bathroom counters are made of, but they special ordered a piece for this. We decided that a wood top wouldn't hold up since this will be next to the sink and wet stuff will get set on it. Only the big box stores had real marble available locally and they were all very expensive.

[Matt Meiser]

One more of everything installed.

[Rob Wright]

Matt,

The entire project and install looks great and professional. I am sure that they are very happy.
-Rob

[Joe Chritz]

Looks good.

I always wanted to try some 1/2 pins on doors but I normally remove them after 20 minutes and set them aside so it has never happened.

When I read pedestal sink and cabinet I was thinking what you accomplished. It looks very nice.

Joe

[Jim Becker]

Super work, Matt!