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fenick

HELP! Problems with Cabinet install or design?

fenick
10 years ago

Thank you in advance for any advice or sympathy :) I am really stressed right now.

My cabinet doors and molding are in the process of being installed. My cabinets are espresso stained and the inside of the cabinets is unstained birth.

1. First issue is that the molding does not go to the ceiling. In my last kitchen the molding went to the ceiling and all the other molding in my house goes to the ceiling. There is a 1/4 to 1/2 in gap. It creates a shadow and looks horrible. Is this a new way of doing things?

2. Second issue is on the cabinets that have two doors. They don't quite meet and you can see the birch shelves when you look straight on at the cabinet. Again looks STUPID and horrible. Is this normal? The guy installing the cabinets says it's normal???

Comments (8)

  • debrak2008
    10 years ago

    What type of molding did you specify/order?

  • fenick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    ?? not sure what that means. What types are there? I know they did not ask me - do you want it to go to the ceiling or do you want there to be a gap?

  • debrak2008
    10 years ago

    So you ordered cabinets but it wasn't specifified what molding you were getting? Did you work with a KD?

  • Mrs_Nyefnyef
    10 years ago

    The molding sounds wrong, and I too want to know what was specified with the KD or cabinet company. But it sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to fix.

    As to the cabinet doors, they likely just need an adjustment to the hinges. Most hinges can be adjusted with a screwdriver so that the door will move slightly toward or away from the center, and another adjustment on the hinges will move the door up and down slightly. Your installer should know this - it's cabinets 101. Though keep in mind there should be a little space between the two doors to allow for swelling and contraction.

    I'll link a quick video about adjusting the hinges. My GC did it for all my cabinet doors, but he waited until the very end of the job when everything was in and installed.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Video about adjusting hinges

  • fenick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm looking at my contract and on the cabinet millwork section it just says 3 1/2 inch crown on backer.

    We worked with a full service kitchen company that does design/build/install everything.

    Thanks for the link on the video. I'll watch it. He says he can tighten in up a little but you'll still be able to see the light birch shelves behind the doors. This seems hokey to me??

    Thank you all for your responses!

  • _sophiewheeler
    10 years ago

    Gotta have pics of the elevations and what's being done to even remotely judge what's going on here. What's the ceiling height? What's the upper cabinet height? What's the molding height? What is the distance of the bottom of the upper cabinet to the finished floor? Are these stock cabinets? Semi-custom? Custom? Who did the design? Who did the ordering? What's the experience level of the installer?

  • fenick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Okay the installer just left. He said he can fix the crown molding. At first he told me he'd have to take all the cabinets down and hang them higher. Apparently he came up with another plan. Phew. One problem down.

  • xedos
    10 years ago

    "I'm looking at my contract "

    That's fine - but what do the drawings show ???

    " it just says 3 1/2 inch crown on backer. "

    Then it's installed incorrectly - unless the drawing or you agreed to have a gap above. The crown should abut the ceiling as closely as the sheetrock/plaster job allows. 1/4" is borderline - 1/2" is unacceptable.

    Re: the gap - that is not really an install issue and is conspicuous by your color choice. If you had white cabinets with white interiors - we prob. wouldn't be talking about it. It's mainly due to the cabinet DESIGN having no center stile. This makes for better access ,but has drawbacks like you've discovered.

    The doors may be adjustable with the hinges - and they may not be. Even so, they won't be adjustable to have zero gap and the interior will always be visible from some vantage.