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belfastbound_gw

Show me how you finished the top of your kitchen cabinets Please!

BelfastBound
10 years ago

I am stumped on how to finish the last 12-18 inches of kitchen cabinets to ceiling. We are lowering the wall cabinets to 16 inches from counter (thanks GWebbers) so there is more blank space to deal with. Glass display cabinets are pretty and pretty expensive. What clever ideas have you guys come up with? We have 9 ft ceilings. Let me know your height so I can put it in perspective. Thanks in advance.

This post was edited by BelfastBound on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 7:33

Comments (9)

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    10 years ago

    Hi,
    My ceilings were/are 9'9", so had a bigger gap to fill, and I built these bulkheads designed to emulate the cabinets that would be sitting beneath. The uppers are 42", BTW, so they run to 8ft above the floor.
    I obviously decided for contrasting treatment (paint as opposed to the oak of the cabinets) and chose simple but effective moldings to outline and cap off the assemblage. Had I more time and money, I would have used real raised panels, and had I won a lottery, it would have been another bank of matching cabinets up there, but as they are, they conceal a lot of ducting and wiring and some plumbing, so they are useful for that. They do need to be thoroughly cleaned every year, which takes all day, as greasy dust settles on the horizontal bits of the moldings, ugh.


    Casey

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    Unless you're very short, I'm not sure why you are lowering your cabinets. Have you checked code for your area? I just finished designing a kitchen for my son's basement rental and came across a provincial code that limited how low/close the cupboards next to his stove could go. I gather you have thought this through, but as I have a coffee maker, toaster oven, and mixmaster all on my counters, I am glad to have enough space for those items to fit UNDER the cupboards.

    I assume you are going with at least 42" cupboards? I agree with HollySprings...even storage that has to be accessed by a stepstool is better than no storage! :>)

  • friedajune
    10 years ago

    I agree with other posts here. The distance between counter and uppers should be 18", which allows 2" for a light rail. I have 9' ceilings, and on one wall did 42" cabinets with open space to ceiling, and on the opposite wall did 36" cabinets with 12" cabinets stacked above them touching the ceiling. My crown molding throughout is 3". I am not a fan of big fussy moldings in a kitchen, and I wanted mine to be no more than 3".

    If you are shortening the distance between the counter and uppers because you are short, frankly that 2" won't help you. You'll still need a stepstool regardless. But you will be hindering your workspace at the counter, and aesthetically giving a cramped appearance to that area.

  • BelfastBound
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thx everyone.

    Raehelen - Appreciate the code heads up.

    I just tried out a lowered cabinet and it didn't look cramped and it felt right being able to grab a glass without looking or reaching up. However, it did not have a light rail which would bring the look even further towards the counter. I am 5'5 and we are building with aging in place principles. We will have a walk in pantry for appliances. But certainly, not lowering the cabinet, does solve somewhat what to do above the cabinets. I am leaning towards a molding to hide a string of lights or pucks and placing my vases and/or green depression glass collection on blocks (so you can see the entire piece). All comments appreciated.

  • live_wire_oak
    10 years ago

    Aging in place doesn't equate with getting on a ladder to dust glassware. If you want display space, do the stacked cabinets with glass in them so it keeps the majority of dust out. Then you can hire a housekeeper twice a year to get on a step stool and open the glass doors to dust the glassware.

  • kompy
    10 years ago

    My ceilings are around 99" to 99 1/2 " tall. I used 45" high, all one piece upper wall cabinets....hung 53" from the finished floor. That is one inch lower than the 54" standard. I used a 3/4" ogee light rail. I like that it's a tad lower and I have no problems with my counter gadgets fitting. My quartz tops are 3cm which helps me gain about 3/8".

    Here's the math:
    99.25" ceiling
    less 53" (where the bottom of the wall cabinet hangs"
    less 45" (height of wall cabinet)
    which left me a 1 1/4" gap at the top.

    I used a 1 7/8" high crown molding on my INSET cabinetry.....so the crown filled the gap and covered about a 1/2" of the top rail.

    Here's my kitchen photo, still unfinished. I'm waiting for my painter friend to slow down so he can paint my kitchen :-)

    I did the smaller uppers for a more vintage, old house look to match my 1930 Colonial.

    Kompy

  • BelfastBound
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    LWO - Good idea on House Keeper. While he :) is up there, I guess he should wash the glass windows on cabs as well.

    Kompy - Is a light rail molding at the bottom of your cabinet to hide the lights? I don't see it in the photo. Also, I am doing white inset and was going to do all slab drawers with bead board doors, but I like the punch of your shaker.

  • BelfastBound
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    LWO - Good idea on House Keeper. While he :) is up there, I guess he should wash the glass windows on cabs as well.

    Kompy - Is a light rail molding at the bottom of your cabinet to hide the lights? I don't see it in the photo. Also, I am doing white inset and was going to do all slab drawers with bead board doors, but I like the punch of your shaker.