Island Cabinet Install

not2late

Hi again everyone,

I'd like to bounce this off the professionals here.

Working as a sub on a cabinet install. Everything is fine until it is time to set the island. Unpack the island cabinets. Three 48" long base cabinets. 12' continuous run. Door openings and toekicks on both front and back sides. Toekick bases are not an integral part of the cabinets. Held to the cabinet carcass with lots of poorly applied glue and two 3" long cleats. Width of the base is 17 3/4". Base material if 3/8" ply.

The countertop for the island is 3cm granite. 12" overhang on front and back sides for eight feet of the 12' length. The last 4' narrows done to 30". So essentially a 48" wide piece of granite on 2/3 of the island length. Large radius on this end also.

I told the PM I refused to install the island without modifications. I stated that there was insufficient base width to support these overhangs. Also said that these cabinets were for peninsula use and were designed to be attached to a perpendicular run of cabinets. No hollering or yelling. His response was that they have done this before. I also put all these concerns into an email to him. I can envision a cabinet failure and this huge hunk of granite tipping over on one of the HO's kids.

Even if I could get a proper anchor of the base to the slab the weak joint of the base to the carcass would then probably fail. I meet with the PM on Monday to go over this again.

I'm going to suggest tearing off the original base and building new ones
23 1/2" wide. Anchor these to the slab with tapcons and PL and screw 1/2" ply on top. Set the cabinet on the base and fasten down. Butt the loose finished toekick cover material up tight to the face frame to finish off the new base. There is no other finished material on site.

Was I wrong to refuse to do this? Was I being overly cautious? Should I have ignored it? ( My conscience wouldn't let me) Another way to handle it? Better ideas, criticism or advice to fix the problem?

Thanks and I'll let you know what gets decided.

KentWhitten

Being overly cautious and concerned is a good thing. I don't think you should have said you wouldn't do it with those cabinets. Unless they are super duper cheap cabinets with 1/4" side panels, you need to find a way.

I usually make a sub base frame to screw to from the sides with great holding power.

You aren't going to tip over that big of a slab, no way. Need to anchor it strong.

I've seen a 32" wide top put on 12" wide cabinets, 48" tall. It hung over 15½" and I thought the same "it's going to tip over" Not after they silicone it in place, it goes nowhere. If it tips over, it's because you did not take the necessary precautions to secure it good enough.

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Salmon Falls Cabinetry

Bergstrom

Yikes...that's about a 900 pound top! I wouldn't install the island as is either.

I don't really understand the concept of putting a toe kick on the side of the island with the overhang...it doesn't really serve a purpose except to cantilever the weight transfer and cause a stress point. The islands that we build have integral kicks on the front and none on the sides or back. We use this method whether or not it has door openings or a paneled back.

I would really look at modifications to that base...the 3/8" ply would be the first thing to go.

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Gus Dering

I would probably make some quick modifications to the toe assembly.
If they are only 3/8" thick and held with some little corner blocks or something then I would just take it upon myself to beef them up in a few spots and quietly move on.

Sounds like you could rip some 3/4" material to width and cut to length so it fits in the bays of the toe assembly running parallel with the cab face.
Use a Kreg jig to fasten them up into the deck of the cab.
Place the cabinet on layout and mark the floor where the toe is going to live.

Slide the cab out of the way and screw some sleepers to the floor to the inside edge of those pieces you put on the toe assembly. Leave just a little wiggle room.

Then get some help and lift the thing over the sleepers. Shim level and shoot your screws through the side of the toe and into your sleepers.

Use glue everywhere if you're gonna sleep better.

If there is a loop vent involved for a sink then invent something similar that will work

Just get it done without a bunch of meetings and e-mails and junk. I can't think of 1 builder I work for that even wants to talk about crap like this. They want it done and they want you to be confident in your methods. Period..

But thats just me, your peeps may be different