Counter-deep over-fridge panel....no side panel support. How?

[scott vroom]

I'm building kitchen cabs for a friend and am looking for advice on a 24" deep over-fridge cabinet design. The refrigerator is at the left end of the run and the fridge cab would be anchored to the wall...no problem. The issue is that the guy prefers no supporting side panel on the right side of the cabinet. Basically he's asking if I can use the adjacent 12" deep wall cabinet to support the right side of the 24" deep fridge cab, which would protrude 12" proud of the 12" wall cab. I've build a few kitchens with the deep fridge cab but always with a full 24" deep panel or wall on both sides for support. I'm concerned about the 12" cantilever on the right side of the fridge cab...just seems it's asking for trouble.

Has anyone done this? At a minimum, this design would require finished end panels on both the fridge cab right side and the adjacent 12" wall cab left side since they would both be partially exposed. Hopefully I'm explaining this clearly. These are face frame cabinets.

Similar to this except without that tall side panel:

[Scott Buehler]

Yes, I've done this many times with no problem at all. If the cabinet is built good and sound, you should not have any problem at all

[scott vroom]

Scott, I'm assuming when you did this you used finished end panels on the 12" wall and 24" fridge since both of those ends would be partially exposed?

I build my cabinets with 3/4" ply, 1/4" back panels with 4" overlaid with 4" wide nailers top and bottom...should be sturdy enough.

[Tim Bueler]

I've done this many times too Scott. Your construction is more than adequate. I don't use a screw rail across the bottoms of my uppers. I do use mondo screws on the upper screw rails. Surprisingly, in "the old days", before good, high quality screws were readily available, we would attach with 3" "drywall" type screws. Maybe we just got lucky but we've never had a failure. Some of those cabinets were installed close to 30 years ago (and still in service). There's a lot of shear value in that adjacent 12" deep upper. And, yes, finished end panel on both ends.

[Jeff Duncan]

I haven't done it but more b/c the side of refrigerators is pretty ugly to look at. Can't imagine why anyone would forgo a panel to look at the side of a fridge.... but to each their own I guess

As far as support goes, if your well fastened in the back and the wall side, and the cabinet is built well it should be fine. And if your building them as it sounds like you are, you could always make the side panel integral to the frame..... that's how I do side panels on more expensive projects

good luck,
JeffD

[scott vroom]

Thanks guys...my confidence is growing . Something else I need to consider: the bottom of the fridge cab will be 72" off the floor so the bottom edge of the plywood cab side (on the right side mostly) will be visible to all but tall folks. I'm thinking a thin solid wood edge band would be a good treatment and easy to do.

[scott vroom]

I haven't done it but more b/c the side of refrigerators is pretty ugly to look at. Can't imagine why anyone would forgo a panel to look at the side of a fridge.... but to each their own I guess

As far as support goes, if your well fastened in the back and the wall side, and the cabinet is built well it should be fine. And if your building them as it sounds like you are, you could always make the side panel integral to the frame..... that's how I do side panels on more expensive projects

good luck,
JeffD

I do the same. Alder veneer ply is $91 in my area. If I forego the side panel it saves $ for mat'ls and installation (I have enough veneer ply off cuts from another job to do the 2 cab ends). As for the appearance, it's a rental and I don't think he really cares. Expediency trumps aesthetics (that's a lower case "t").

[Scott Buehler]

Yes, usually finished panels on both, and your construction should be more than good 👍

[Jim Becker]

I don't see any issue at all with two sides (one on the wall and one on the back) fully supported and the 12" cabinet side also supported well at the half-way point. But do try to get your customer/friend to rethink the 12" upper thing...those are way too shallow for a modern kitchen. I made that mistake when I did ours back in 2003 and just corrected it by replacing the 12" uppers with ~15" uppers and it's made a HUGE difference.

[scott vroom]

I don't see any issue at all with two sides (one on the wall and one on the back) fully supported and the 12" cabinet side also supported well at the half-way point. But do try to get your customer/friend to rethink the 12" upper thing...those are way too shallow for a modern kitchen. I made that mistake when I did ours back in 2003 and just corrected it by replacing the 12" uppers with ~15" uppers and it's made a HUGE difference.

It's a low cost job for a rental he owns and I can get 4 slices out of a sheet instead of only 3 with deeper cabs.

[fRED mCnEILL]

As I see it you can do it construction wise- But why?
I think the exposed side of the fridge will look awful.
After all, isn't that why you build the fridge into the cabinetry in the first place?.

[Rich Engelhardt]

As for the appearance, it's a rental and I don't think he really cares.

Personally....while I have seen it done the way he wants, IMHO, it's a bad idea in a rental. That end panel covers the gap between the counter top and the fridge. W/out the panel, there's going to be a big gap that is going to allow all kinds of stuff to fall into. That's going to result in the tenants having to roll the fridge in and out in order to recover the fallen stuff.
Ask the landlord if that's something he's going to want. (as a landlord myself, I can tell you that tenants are not the kindest and most gentle people in the world, when it comes to moving things around)

[Jim Becker]

Rich makes a really good point...and the client should be asked about that.