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How To Build Cabinets

Learn how to create cabinets yourself to save lots of you money on your next remodel.

By Nancy ThigpenPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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How To Build Cabinets

Learn how to create cabinets yourself to save lots of you money on your next remodel.

Building cabinets for your kitchen, bath or built-ins seems like it should be hard, but it isn’t! Most cabinets are just easy boxes. and therefore the joining is often hidden on the surface of the cupboards that are then hidden when the cupboards are installed.

Last year I took on the task of building all the cupboards for our DIY kitchen renovation. I saved thousands of dollars making top quality cabinets with basic tools. you'll read all about the cheap tools I wont to build my cabinets here.

So if you would like to find out the way to build cabinets for your own remodels, I'm getting to break down all the knowledge for you.

Why do you have to Build Your Own Cabinets?

There are many reasons why building your own cabinets is much better than buying pre-fab cabinets or paying hug price for custom cabinets.

  1. You will save tons of money! albeit you've got to shop for 1 or 2 tools to create you cabinets, you'll save thousands of dollars over pre-fab and an entire lot more over custom cabinets.
  2. No unsightly spacers. you'll build your cabinets to any dimension, unlike pre-fab cabinets that typically are available increments of 3″ leaving gaps that require to be crammed with spacers.
  3. You can get a very custom kitchen. Want drawers on the bottom? Extra tall base cabinets? Vertical pull outs? you'll build your cabinets to suit anything you'll think up.
  4. You will feel really amazing! People are going to be shocked, impressed and awed that you simply built your own cabinets. And you'll desire you'll accomplish anything after you're done!

Types of Cabinets

There are two main sorts of cabinets you'll see once you are watching buying or building: face frame cabinets and frameless (or Euro-style cabinets). Both of those cabinet styles are often built by you.

Types of Cabinets

Which one you select is up to the design you're trying to find. Each has their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Pick which one you favor supported these and therefore the style you're going for in your space.

What is a face frame cabinet?

Face frame cabinets are cabinets that have a frame covering the front of the cupboard box. The box is formed from plywood then the face frame is formed from solid wood (typically 1x2s) and attached to the front to hide the sting of the plywood. Face frame cabinets are more traditional within the US and therefore the ones we utilized in our kitchen remodel.

The face frames are made with rails and stiles round the perimeter and extra rails for framing around drawer openings. When choosing drawer slides, you would like to remember that the face frame are going to be within the way typically and wish to feature blocking to the edges to bring the drawer slide even with the face frame or use special slides for face frames.

What is a face frame cabinet?

You can use overlay cabinet doors (they sit on top of the face frame) or inset cabinets doors (they sit inside the face frame and are flush with the front). Overlay cabinet doors can leave an outsized reveal of the face frame or a smaller reveal for a more modern look, supported the hinges you select.

Benefits of a Face Frame Cabinet

  • In the US it's easy to seek out hinges for overlay doors on your face frame cabinets.
  • Cabinet doors don't need to be absolutely perfectly aligned to seem great (the face frame offers some wiggle room).
  • You can make the cupboard box out of pre-finished plywood and only the tiny face frame would wish finishing which saves a lot of time.
  • The cabinets are often easier to put in since you've got a 1/4″ tolerance on the sting of the face frame. Very helpful for uneven walls (which all of them are).

What is a frameless cabinet?

A frameless cabinet may be a cabinet that's only made up of plywood. The plywood edges are covered in edge banding to end them. they're sometimes called European style cabinets and were made very fashionable by Ikea. it's a really simple, modern design for cabinets.

One of the challenges with frameless cabinets is keeping the cupboard box perfectly square. If it's not square, you'll struggle with installing a row of cupboards and with hanging doors to possess a good reveal.

You can use either overlay or inset cabinet doors for a frameless cabinet also. the sole overlay option for frameless may be a full-overlay which covers the whole (to around 1/8″) of the cupboard sides.

Benefits of a Frameless Cabinet

  • There is no frame on the front to make a lip round the fringe of the cupboard for banging items on when loading or unloading cabinets.
  • There are cheaper to form since you are doing not need the solid wood for the face frame.
  • Once the box is finished, it's ready for install rather than the second step of building and finishing the face frame.

How to Build a cupboard Box

Since there are numerous differing types of cabinet boxes, this post is going to be a general overview of the way to build cabinets. I will be able to attempt to cover all aspects of all kinds of cupboards. If I missed anything, leave a comment and that I will answer it there.

Tools needed (here may be a detailed list of the cheap tools I wont to build my cabinets):

  1. Table saw or buzz saw with guide tracks
  • I cannot break down an full sheet of 3/4″ plywood alone on the table saw so I highly believe my circular with the Kreg Accucut and Ripcut to try to do it. you'll roll in the hay all with these two tools, just confirm to require the time to live accurately whenever. The advantage of employing a table saw, you'll set the fence once and make multiple cuts which will be an equivalent length.

2. Pocket hole jig

  • You can build your cabinet boxes the more traditional way with rabbets and dados, but pocket holes are quicker, easier, and really strong. Plus all the pocket holes are completely hidden so nobody will ever know you probably did it the straightforward way.

3. Miter saw

  • I like better to use the miter saw to chop my face frames. it'll not be needed for frameless cabinets.
  • Drill and impact driver
  • Measuring tape
  • Squares
  • Clamps
  • Optional: Shop vacuum

Parts of a cupboard Box

To start, let’s take a glance at the various parts of a cupboard box. These parts vary slightly supported whether you're doing a face frame cabinet or frameless cabinet.

Sides: Each cabinet carcass will have two sides made up of 3/4″ plywood. If you're building cabinets for a kitchen, all of your base cabinet side are going to be the precise same size and every one your wall cabinet sides are going to be the precise same. you'll make deeper cabinets for over the fridge and pantry if you would like.

Back: the rear of a cupboard is often either made up of 3/4″ plywood or use supports (3-4″ pieces of 3/4″ plywood) to stay the box square and durable, then cover the rear with 1/4″ plywood. this is often especially helpful for cabinets which will need plumbing holes drilled through them. Also you'll save tons of cash by using 1/4″ plywood for the rear on large cabinet projects.

Bottom: rock bottom is that the lowest shelf of the cupboard. For the bottom cabinets, it sits level with the highest of the toe-kick. For wall cabinets with a face frame, it sits level with the highest of rock bottom face frame rail so you are doing not have a lip on the shelf.

Toe-kick: Base cabinets typically have a toe-kick to boost the cupboards up off the ground slightly. The toe-kick is often dig the cupboard side. Or for larger sections of cupboards, you'll build a 2×4 box on the ground because the toe-kick then set the cupboards on top of it. this is often helpful when doing large spans of cupboards because you'll get more sides cut out of a 4’x8′ sheet of plywood when using the quality cabinet height, therefore saving money. And you'll level the 2×4 box easily before installing the cupboards.

Top: Wall cabinets will have a top piece, but typically base cabinets that are topped off with a countertop don't have a top piece. Instead, supports are wont to keep the cupboard box square and durable, then the cupboard is closed off when the countertops are installed. If you're making built-ins without a countertop, you'll add a top instead.

Supports: Supports are smaller pieces of plywood (typically 3-4″ wide and therefore the width of the cupboard carcass) that are wont to keep the cupboard box square and durable. you'll use 1 or 2 in situ of the highest piece on cabinets which will have a countertop on them. For frameless cabinets, you'll use a support between to filter the drawer sections.

Face Frame: If you're building face frame cabinets, you'll add the face frame to the front of the cupboard carcass. The face frame is formed from stiles (the full height of the cupboard face frame) and rails (running horizontally between the stiles).

Building the cupboard Carcass

The cabinet carcass is that the plywood that creates up the box. If you're building frameless cabinets, this may be the whole build. If you're building face frame cabinets, you'll build your face frame next then attach the 2.

Tips for Perfect Cabinet Boxes

If all of your pieces are square and cut at perfect 90 degree angles, you'll have perfect cabinet boxes. Then the sole challenges you'll need to overcome at install is your uneven walls.

Finishing the cupboard

For face frame cabinets:

If you would like to paint/stain/seal the face frame and cabinet box an equivalent color, you'll attach the face frame now. If you used pre-finished plywood, paint/stain/seal the edges and front of the face frame first. you'll examine the way to paint unfinished cabinets here.

To attach the face frame, add wood glue to the sting of the plywood cabinet carcass. Melamine glue isn't needed here because the plywood edges and back of the face frame are unfinished.

Clamp the face frame to the cupboard box ensuring it's square and therefore the face frame hangs over the sting 1/4″. Secure the face frame with 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws into the previously drilled pocket holes.

Now your DIY cabinets are able to install!

For frameless cabinets:

Cover the front exposed edges of the cupboard box with iron-on edge banding. Trim around the edge to form it flush. Now you'll paint/stain/seal your cabinets. you'll examine the way to get a smooth professional paint finish here.

And your DIY cabinets are able to install!

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About the Creator

Nancy Thigpen

I am Nancy and welcome. I am an individual who is positive about every aspect of life. There are many things I prefer to try to do, to see, and to experience. I prefer to read, I prefer to write; I prefer to think, I prefer to concentrate.

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