Okay so I order cabinets for my kitchen remodel. We go ahead and splurge on some nice pantry cabinets 18″ by 24″ and 95″ high.
Well the cabinets are due to arrive today and I start to thinking about out EIGHT FOOT CIELINGS (96″) and I’m thinking how will I stand up these pantry cabinets—unless–hope against hope they are sectioned.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing (the cabinets are Thomasville..if that helps) or am I totally screwed?
cje
Replies
You might be okay. 95" cabinets often are shipped with a loose toekick. That is, the 4" or so that form the toekick is a separate piece of cabinet. The rest of the cabinet is only 91" tall, and can be tilted vertical in a room with an eight foot ceiling. You put the toekick in place and the boost the rest of the cabinet on to it. In some cabinet lines, you have to specify that you want a loose toekick.
Nothing a large sledgehammer won't fix......................(-:
Most 8' ceilings end up being a bit over 8' anyway. Around here, with 92 5/8" studs, you end up with 8' 1 1/8". So you might have an extra 1/2" to work with. And if the toe kick is shiped loose (As Jamie mentioned) you're O.K. anyway.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help. [Ronald Reagan]
Are they arriving assembled or knocked down?
If knocked down, assemble them vertically (in place).
If already assembled, measure the diagonals of the box, both lower front to upper back, and lower side to upper opposite side. To rotate them in place that's the measurement you need to beat.
One other idea...if neither of the above is an option, sometimes you can get lucky by trying to stand the box vertical as you bring it into the house.
With the house door held open, bring the top of the cabinet in first, right up against the inside face of the door's trim. Bring it all the way to the ceiling. You may have just enough clearance to get the bottom of the cabinet to clear the threshold.
In a pinch, regardless of which option you try, you may be able to remove the back and rack the carcass a wee bit. In a pinch. And, it depends on how the box is constructed. Face frame vs euro; rabbets and dados vs butt joints, etc.
I would offer the idea of messing with the ceiling's drywall and rotating the upper corner of the cabinet between the joists. The majority of the hole would be covered by the box, the front of the hole could be covered by crown molding...but that would be my last choice.
'Course, after all the worry, it'll probably slide right into place and even be plumb without shimming.<g>
They ship the toe kick loose.
That's if you get them In Feb 2002 American Woodmark press released they were no longer going to supply Thomasville?
http://www.irinfo.com/amwd/html/3q02.htm
Edited 11/1/2002 2:01:47 PM ET by GEOB21
You are TOTALLY SCREWED.
But if you use sheet rock screws the will not hold up.
Cabinets screws......
oh wait wrong thread!
Carry on.
T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Did my kit with Thomasville cabs (from HD) 2-3months ago. Did not get any 95" cabs, but the end panels for the refrigerator were fun.
Good company, helpful. Get the 800# from your store and call Thomasville direct. They will fill you in.
FYI--All euro boxes on my line. Had to add trim to bottom for under-cab lights. GReat hinges, you can pop them on and off with one hand, and easy to adjust. Also, (Mr T) they ship all the hardware (Not sheetrock screws) including a touch up kit with the cabs. Look in the sink base for them. Fit and finish were great on mine, wish you luck.
:~}
One of the first peices of funiture I built for someone was an 8 foot pantry that was to hold a mounted microwave. I did remember to take off a little bit but I just guessed at the amount. I didnt bother to take goood measurements. I just assumed it. Can you say "humiliating". It was a big room with commercial tile floors and uneven ceilings due to its age. I remember scooting that peice all around the room to find the highest spot in the ceiling and the lowest spot in the floor. I remember telling the client.."don't worry..I am a proffesional" I wonder if she saw me wince when I said that. Can you say "worried". I ended up planing off about a 1/2 inch off the heel of the unit and ended up putting trim over it. God!!! that was a memorable moment. I am still smiling at that one.
dont forget you can always do a little sheetrock patch if yuou need to cut the ceiling.
Bad news is that it is probably less than 96". Consider thickness of drywall ceiling and the flooring. Don't fret, just deal with it.
Round the back corners where it is hidden against the wall. Rotate them up, then get out the spackle. You could just gouge out one section of the ceiling in order to get em upright then walk them over. Or bring them up thru a basement stairwell and walk them over from there.
Spackle & paint rule.
Written from a guy with a basement shop
Just got a call from my wife they just delivered the units and the tall ones are standing up minus about 3" from the top of the cieling. So I guess they shippeed with out the toekick installed.
I've got a bit of painting to do tonight then will begin installation tomorrow sometime. I know I'm not out of the woods yet but after two months of no kitchen the cabinets feel like major progress.
Thanks for all the advice
cje
Post here if you get stuck. Will keep an eye out. I had no trouble with mine, all cabs installed in two days, with my sons (no experts here) helping. Be careful with the screws that hold the fronts of the cabs together. They can strip out if overdriven with a 14.4V screw gun.
Your next question should be Wall cabs or base cabs first? Open the can and stand back, lots of worms in that one.
FYI I did wall cabs first, don't like leaning over bases to work on them.
Hint. If you have filler strips in your design, check for a match with the doors. My fillers matched the printed sides of the cabs, not the actual finish on the doors. However, the laminated toe kicks do match the doors wonderfully, so if by chance you happen to run a toe kick through table saw "by accident", just go ahead and use the pieces as fillers. You can order and get new toe kicks in a week or two, and a missing one will not hamper the job progress.
Good luck
:~}