Shelf support for dining room cabinet
We’re renovating/restoring two cabinets in our dining room. They do not appear to be original to this dining room. In fact, I think they may be the top of an old style closet, the type where you hung things facing out.
Anyway, they are now “built” in place. The backing was T-and-G bead board, and there were some shelves just sitting on nailed in cleats. The outside and the doors are very nice, and have been refinished.
The problem is that they are against an outside wall, and the bead board has twisted, warped, and all kinds of bad things. And the shelves looked really bad.
So we are tearing out the shelves, the back, and the bottom plank, which is about 10″ above the floor. Our plan is to replace the back with a piece of oak plywood, which will sit on a new bottom plank. And have some slots at the top and bottom to allow air circulation.
The question is how to do the shelves nicely. I have two ideas. One will work for sure, and one will look better:
For sure: Use shelf supports on the back. Recess the standard into the back and use a matching (dark) shelf bracket.
Better looking: Dado the back panel and glue plywood shelves in place, probably with biscuits too. Use a stiffener piece across the front. But no support on the sides. It will be difficult, though not impossible, to put in side supports that don’t look ugly. Cleats will not be hidden by the door frames, and the doors are glass.
The general measurements are about 48″ width, 9″ depth. Probably about 4 or 5 shelves in each unit. Height is about 5′ total.
This is a dining room, and we would probably display the nice china in the cabinet.
So, would dados and biscuits hold? Or would the fronts of the shelves begin to drop over time? Anyway to test?
I’ll try to post some pictures.
Replies
48" wide is a long shelf for anything heavy, even if only 9" deep.
If you are going with fixed shelves, I'd be sore tempted to cut the finish side panels as well as the back, to provide support around three sides of each shelf.
But, I tend strongly to belt-n-suspenders (and a skyhook) anyplace Great-second-Aunt Edna from the Old Country's china is likely to go, too.
Dang, need to go poke numbers into the sagulator . . .
Thanks, but no decent way to dado the sides. The sides are already fixed in place, I forgot to mention that. The best I could do would be to insert shelf pins once I had the shelves in place. And even that has some difficulties that the pictures might show.It does sound like I should go with the shelf standards and brackets.
So no support other than at the back, is that right?
If so, line the bottom with foam for when Great Aunt Edna's china decides it's todays subprime mortgage company and takes a dive.
IMO, FWIW (gotta love inter-speak), you need some sort of side support.
What type of wood is the cabinet constructed of? Any chance of adding faux interior sides, complete with predrilled shelf pin supports? Make the sides of matching wood, finish it so the color an sheen are similar, then screw it into the existing sides, counterbore and plug.
Maybe others have a better comfort zone for such a cantilever, but I wouldn't trust it with heavy china.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
no decent way to dado the sides
Truth be told, I was assuming adding in side pieces matched to the new back piece.
BUt, from your description, there's not a face frame of front trim, behind which to put a side panel.
That being said, have you thought about "sub-dividing" the space? Instead of the one 48" spanning shelf, maybe put in a divider or two, for a center space of 23-26" wide, with narrower shelves on either side.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
You got it - not sufficient face frame on the sides to hide new sides of any significance. But a center support, that might be doable.Still, shelf brackets are looking like the obvious choice.Thanks!