Kitchen wall cabinet in an alcove

[shagster]

If I want my bespoke cabinet to be an exact fit I think I need to screw the sides and back to the walls first, then offer up the bottom shelf from below and screw it into position from below. This leaves the bottom shelf resting on the screw heads, and is obviously not how most kitchen cabinets are made.

I'm just wondering if I'm missing something here, is there a better way? FWIW I'm using 18mm ply.

Thanks,
S.

 

[big-all]

the trouble with exact fit requires all walls to be flat'parallel' level and at right angles and they 100% will not be

 

[shagster]

the trouble with exact fit requires all walls to be flat'parallel' level and at right angles and they 100% will not be

But that's not my problem. Walls are exactly vertical and the angles are within the realms of what a standard cabinet hinge will correct. I checked this before I started or I wouldn't even be thinking about it.

 

[Notch7]

If you are using birch plywood, the holding strength will be sufficient. There are special carcase screws available that scree into a 5mm hole and are very strong.

Confirmat screws is 1 example.

If I was making a tight fitting cabinet in an alcove, I would probably make a face frame cabinet, and then scribe in just the face frame, leaving the carcase smaller.

If you are making an overlay door cabinet, I would make the lippings wider and scribe those in.

What you are proposing could lead to a lot of frustration. If you dont get the sides perfectly plumb and square you may struggle to get the doors to hang nicely. Less of an issue with concealed hinges of course.

 

[RichA]

You can glue too. And can always add battens underneath bottom/side as required.

 

[foxhole]

Exact fit in an alcove will usually result in the door or/and handles fouling on the walls.?

 

[shagster]

You can glue too. And can always add battens underneath bottom/side as required.

Yes, I think glue would be a given, in addition to any fixings I use. I was just trying to avoid the battens underneath, otherwise that would have been a way better solution. I considered to have battens underneath and then cover them from below like a floating shelf but my challenge is to not lose any cupboard space in that critical part of the cupboard around eye level. It's where all the useful stuff will be kept.

 

[shagster]

Exact fit in an alcove will usually result in the door or/and handles fouling on the walls.?

Yes, there is a chance of abuse, however it's the same problem I have with another wall cupboard next to a fridge. I suppose it's one of those things some can live with and others can't but the good news is that it's too high for small children to bash about!

 

[shagster]

Confirmat screws is 1 example.

Interesting, hadn't thought about these, thanks. I guess aligning the holes will be tough as I need to drill the uprights before fixing to the wall but it can be done.

If I was making a tight fitting cabinet in an alcove, I would probably make a face frame cabinet, and then scribe in just the face frame, leaving the carcase smaller.

My plan was:
for the sides: about 150mm wide vertical strip of ply adjacent to the door to provide a laminate 'edge' for the front,
For the bottom: horizontal ply screwed to side pieces.
For the rear: Ply positioned wherever I need shelf supports.
For the centre divider: vertical ply screwed to the wall and to the bottom shelf so the twin doors have something to close against.
For the top: Optional? .

NB: Depth is around 340mm, width around 1100mm, height about 700mm.

What you are proposing could lead to a lot of frustration. If you dont get the sides perfectly plumb and square you may struggle to get the doors to hang nicely. Less of an issue with concealed hinges of course.

You are bang on the money (about frustration). But this is DIY, so I'm allowed to make it as challenging as I want . I will be using standard kitchen cabinet cup hinges. I know from past experience they have a lot of play as I have made some right cock-ups of kitchens I've fitted in the past and got away with it, so I think this will be OK.

I think what bothers me the most is what I can put on that bottom shelf with the screws still holding. I'm not sure the confirmat screws you referenced have enough of a washer head to hold the ply. At least I've heard screws normally pull into the material at the head rather than pulling out at the thread part in this kind of scenario.

Thanks for the comments

S.

 

[foxhole]

Yes, there is a chance of abuse, however it's the same problem I have with another wall cupboard next to a fridge. I suppose it's one of those things some can live with and others can't but the good news is that it's too high for small children to bash about!

Well if you are happy to scrape the paint off the walls then no problem.