First off, this is a goldmine of a site for me. Just started out on my own about six months ago after a short six year apprenticeship with a really fine custom home builder. I learned alot butalso missed alot of the fine details I never had to worry about. learn somethin’ new every day if I’m lucky, I guess.
Problem is a corner vanity in a bathroom remodel. Nice ( I guess) Strasser cabinets with a stacked cabinet on top in corner. Not so nice are the out of sq. and out of plumb walls. I remember when we framed kitchen and bathroom walls with my old boss he was very careful to use straight studs and triple check walls in kit. and bath. ,guess that was why, because we came back to hang cabinets and trim. What are the tricks to getting this right. Natural cherry finish on cabs. The only trim pieces I found were bridges and corners at abou $105 apiece from manufact. and I would need three ! out of the budget. This is my first post.
Replies
You are following existing conditions. You have two choices. Alter, fudge or cheat the walls and cabinets or buy the necessary fills that can be fit to the bogusness.
Best of luck and welcome to Breaktime.
edit: When I go to look at a job I take along a digital camera to be my memory. And I also take a small self leveling laser that I set up to check areas of interest-cab/wall juncture, ceiling and floor line, etc. These two things provide the information I'll need later to put together a realistic and accurate estimate. You need to know up front any thing that might try to stick it to you later. It won't be the end all, but it's a might better than dealing with all of it once you're on site.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Edited 1/28/2008 10:21 pm ET by calvin
Welcome to BT.
How much out are the walls?
I never could stand when someone would add 1/4 round to hide the gaps between the walls and the cabinets but you have to do something to hide that space.
Can you manufacture something to use as scribes? and incorporate it so it doesnt look like you're hidding something?
In lew of the scribes can you let the cabinet into the sheetrock?
Doug
manufacture something to use as scribes? tell me more
cant let into the sheet rock, the stack ontop of the vanity ends up almost 1/2" away
manufacture something to use as scribes? tell me more
Well now, there in lies the problem!
Somehow you need to create something that will hide the gap and adding 1/4 round is the cheap way out. I'd like to see a pic of the situation if possible.
Is the side of the cabinet your basic ply side? If so could you glue a strip on to lengthen the side and create a scribe?
I understand that you don't want to buy the extras at $100 + per but you can re-skin the sides of the cabinet for a lot less that the pieces that you're talking about. this would be an alternative to adding a piece on that may be difficult to hide. Where as you can add a piece on(not worry about it matching) and then skin over the whole thing.
This is all guess work on my part because I have a hard time seeing what others are talking about, I usually envision something and then cant get it out of my head - which is often times not the situation at hand.
EDIT; Ok I went back and as I thought, natural cherry cab. I need to re-ask, is the sides of the cab ply? If so I'd go with the add on, which means that you have to find a piece of cherry that will match grain wise and then use that as your scribe. If your wall is out by 1/2" over the lenght of the cabinet then I'd add 3/4" and scribe to the wall. OR, skin the whole side of the cabinet so you dont have to worry about hidding the add on. But in this case, just as the first one, you still have to scribe to that out of wack wall.
Doug
Edited 1/28/2008 11:03 pm ET by DougU
If the top is out by 1/2 ", possibly you could let the bottom IN to the drywall to compensate if it is a face frame cabinet
Yea good point.
I guess I'm having a difficult time(its probably obvious to others) seeing what is out. Is it the top edge of the cabinet or the vertical edge of the upper cabinet?
From your post I'm getting that its the top edge(laterally) and that would make your idea a good starting point.
I just took it to be the vertical edge of the upper, I need to go back and re-read for the forth time!
Doug
A suggestion from the "maybe obvious" file but, is the floor level? can you fudge at all by shimming the bottom?
could maybe put more shims under front, but I didn't want water collecting behind sink around the faucets, yes it's probably that bad
Okay, is there ceramic tile on the floor? Or something else that you can remove from the corner to essentially "lower" the back corner? This would kind of be the same as shimming without having your water pooling problem.
cmon guys just cause he's a newbie doesn't mean you can't tell him the way.
caulk,piffin screws ,d-mix and a little paint ,your ready to go.
hang around a while and you'll get these figured out.
welcome to bt. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Don't they make scribe molding for the cabs?
Try a wood flooring store for a natural cherry prefinished reducer. If you can find it to match it should be pretty cheap. Cut and rip to fit. Or buy one wide scribe strip from strasser and get all three out of one. Welcome to the business....Don't let yourself be the guy who gets every job he bids just because he's the cheapest... BTDT, Rich