Are you looking to renovate your kitchen and add some visual height to the room? One way to achieve this is by eliminating the dead space above your short stock cabinets and building upper kitchen cabinets. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of constructing plywood boxes for your upper cabinets and adding crown molding for a polished look.
Instructions for Building Upper Cabinet Boxes
To get started, you'll need to gather the following materials and tools:
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- ¾-inch plywood for cabinet boxes
- 1 ¼-inch coarse thread pocket hole screws for assembly
- 1x2x8 boards for stiles and rails
- 1x3x8 boards for lower cabinet rails
- 1x6x8 boards for cabinet face frame
- Crown molding
- Cabinet doors
- Glass for door openings
Let's dive into the step-by-step process:
Step 1: Measure and Cut Plywood Strips
Begin by ripping a sheet of plywood to match the depth of your cabinets, excluding the face frame. For example, if your upper cabinet boxes are 11 ¼ inches deep, you can get four strips from a 4-foot wide piece of plywood. Next, measure the width of your cabinet boxes, excluding the face frames or filler strips on each side. Use a miter saw to cut the strips to length.
Step 2: Drill Pocket Holes and Assemble the Box
Lay out the parts and drill pocket holes around the back wall's perimeter and at the top and bottom of the side walls. Then, use wood glue and pocket hole screws to attach the back to the bottom board, followed by adding the side walls. Cap the assembly with the top board and flip it over to check the box.
Step 3: Repeat the Process
Repeat the previous steps to build boxes for the rest of the cabinets. If you have cabinets along the fridge wall, create individual assemblies with dividers to mimic their width. Install the boxes by screwing through the back wall, sinking one or two screws into the cabinet's frame below.
Step 4: Build the Face Frames
Create face frames to cover the front edge of the boxes using wood glue and pocket hole screws. Adjust the width of the stiles to accommodate filler strips or where two cabinets meet. Once complete, glue and nail the frames to the boxes.
Step 5: Finalize the Look
To complete the overall look of your kitchen, consider adding a corner shelf and topping the room with crown molding. These finishing touches will give your space a polished and airy feel. Don't forget to remove the raised countertop and build two end caps to make your peninsula resemble an island.
And just like that, your kitchen will go from dark and cramped to bright and spacious. You'll be amazed at how much bigger the space feels with these simple upgrades. Complete the renovation by widening the pantry opening, installing new flooring and backsplash, adding floating shelves, and finishing off with beautiful shaker French doors and pendant lights.
Now that you have the knowledge and steps to build upper kitchen cabinets, it's time to bring your vision to life. Good luck with your kitchen renovation!
Materials:
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- ¾-inch plywood to build the cabinet boxes
- 1 ¼-inch coarse thread pocket hole screws to assemble the cabinet box and face frames
- 1x2x8 boards to make the stiles and rails of the face frame
- 1x3x8 boards or sized to the width of lower cabinet rails
- 1x6x8 boards for the cabinet face frame
- Crown molding to cover the gap between the cabinet boxes and ceiling
- Cabinet doors
- Glass sized to fit cabinet door openings
Tools:
- Miter saw
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Nailer
With these materials and tools, you'll be able to tackle your kitchen renovation project and create beautiful upper kitchen cabinets. Enjoy the process and the transformation of your space!
Note: The original article and image were sourced from Sanaulac.vn.
