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Fitting Frameless Cabinets to walls

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30K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  Morning Wood  
M
#1 ·
I've only done face frame cabinets to walls, so scribing is easy. I've never done any frameless cabinet wall fitting. What do you guys like as a method for getting a tight fit against a wall with frameless cabinets? Thanks, Nick.
 
G
#5 ·
You really need a "filler" at the walls to build in some play.

1 1/2" is our standard. The cabinet has an unfinished end and the filler is shaped in an L with a piece of 3/4 on the side of the cabinet as a mounting surface for the filler that is flush with the door. So there is really only 3/4" available for scribe. Make sense?
 
L
#8 ·
1 1/2" is a little wide for a 3/4" faceless cabinet, imo. If you are only going to have 3/4" available for scribe anyway, why not just use a 3/4" strip, glued and fastened to the cabinet?

Just curious.
 
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L
#7 · (Edited)
3/4" filler strip. On commercial work we set the filler back from the front edge by 1/4" to 1/2" to give it a reveal/shadow line, especially if it's laminated cabinets. We don't do a lot of faceless residential stuff, honestly, but when we do we do a filler strip, sometimes flush to the front and sometimes set back. Scribe the filler to the wall, shim the back of the cabinet out accordingly, screw it and do it.
 
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M
#9 ·
Gus Dering said:
You really need a "filler" at the walls to build in some play.

1 1/2" is our standard. The cabinet has an unfinished end and the filler is shaped in an L with a piece of 3/4 on the side of the cabinet as a mounting surface for the filler that is flush with the door. So there is really only 3/4" available for scribe. Make sense?
Click to expand...
Yep. I like the fact that it is l shaped. Easy to install and scribe. Thanks. I suppose it could be as thin as needed as long as the wall isn't way out.
 
#11 ·
I build my cabinets with a scribe so all I do is cut the scribe to the wall.
 
J
#14 ·
I think you mean you do extended stiles on wall ends? This is old school but still used by some old time craftsmen. This extended stile can just be scribed by a compass then belt sand off the excess so it's a perfect fit.

Problem here is time. In a very high end kitchen it's fine but no installer wants to do this. They just want to level and plumb that end base to the wall and scribe the gap.

The last remaining production cabinet maker I knew who did extended stiles went under 4 years ago. That was Cabinet Tec out of Utah. They would do say a B30+L3 or base 30 + left stile 3". So you'd have a 3" wing stile to trim to conform to the wall.
 
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#15 ·
Yes the exposed end has a 1/4 or larger scribe. Apparently I am old school and damn proud to be in the club. If you have a flat (slab) end panel nothing will look better than using this method. It also gives full support to the cabinet so you can level and plum the cabinet a screw it to the wall using minimal shims. I like the nice clean look and I get paid for the time. And as long as it isn't a radical curve in the wall, as long as the cabinet is touching the wall at all spots your eye is fooled to thinking it is a straight line.
 
M
#16 ·
Thats exactly how I do my face frame cabs. I was thinking of only having a 3/4" scribed piece plus the cabinet side itself. So from the start I would have the 3/4" cabinet side and then another 3/4" to scribe to the wall. That is plenty of scribing material, but I need to look into the door clearance when opening. I think these are going to be 1/2 overlay doors.
 
W
#17 ·
LEVELBEST said:
. Scribe the filler to the wall, shim the back of the cabinet out accordingly, screw it and do it.
Click to expand...
:whistling
Some of that sounds good and all. But I hope you weren't talking about wood at the end (screw it and do it). I might love working with wood, but I know where to draw the line. :Woot:
:jester:
 
K
#22 ·
Leo G said:
Yes the exposed end has a 1/4 or larger scribe. Apparently I am old school and damn proud to be in the club. If you have a flat (slab) end panel nothing will look better than using this method. It also gives full support to the cabinet so you can level and plum the cabinet a screw it to the wall using minimal shims. I like the nice clean look and I get paid for the time. And as long as it isn't a radical curve in the wall, as long as the cabinet is touching the wall at all spots your eye is fooled to thinking it is a straight line.
Click to expand...
Same here Leo. I extend mine 1/2" though. I'll make the stile 2" wide so everything inside stays consistent. That 1/2" around here seems necessary with the way the walls lean and sheetrock tapers.
 
S
#23 ·
For Frameless cabinets next to a wall - you need a filler piece to allow the door to open without "knocking" into the adjacent wall. Filler really should be a minimum of 3/4" wide. This applies to any placement where the adjacent cabinet/wall is deeper. The filler should be set flush with the cabinet face frame not the door. The filler can be scribed on site to the wall.

For Framed cabinets - I usually design with extended stiles that can be scribed on site. The extended stiles are, like the other poster mentioned, like "wings" of extra material the cabinet was made with during construction. They can be ordered as thin as 1/4 " up to 12", with 3" and under being the norm. It's a nice option to avoid seams from filler pieces as the extended stile is one continuous piece. Almost all the medium to high end cabinet manufacturers have this option during the order process.
 
G
#24 ·
sevey01 said:
For Frameless cabinets next to a wall - you need a filler piece to allow the door to open without "knocking" into the adjacent wall. Filler really should be a minimum of 3/4" wide. This applies to any placement where the adjacent cabinet/wall is deeper. The filler should be set flush with the cabinet face frame not the door. The filler can be scribed on site to the wall.

For Framed cabinets - I usually design with extended stiles that can be scribed on site. The extended stiles are, like the other poster mentioned, like "wings" of extra material the cabinet was made with during construction. They can be ordered as thin as 1/4 " up to 12", with 3" and under being the norm. It's a nice option to avoid seams from filler pieces as the extended stile is one continuous piece. Almost all the medium to high end cabinet manufacturers have this option during the order process.
Click to expand...
I beg to differ. We set the fillers back on the economy jobs because it is easy. Commercial jobs, garage cabinets, some laundry rooms, or a cut throat blow and go job are all places to save a buck.

But when it comes to the higher end custom jobs, there is no place for the filler to be back at the box IMHO. These clients would not be happy with the break in plane that it creates on these grain matched jobs.







That detail is best served in places like this.

But everyone has their own way of doing things. As long as you are aware of the difference and are creating happy clients, it's all good :thumbsup:
 
L
#26 ·
I agree with flush fillers on frameless cabinets for continuity. I also hate seeing a nice kitchen with full overlay doors without an overlay on the filler to finish it off.
 
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