Building A Base For Wall Cabinets

Begin with the right cabinet dimensions.

Building a base for wall cabinets.

The 3 4 plywood case eliminates panel jointing planing and glue ups. The best material for building cabinets is plywood 3 4 inch plywood for the box sides top bottom and shelves. In this post we will look at specific dimensions and assembly for base cabinets. Base cabinets have extra space at the bottom known as toe kick space as well as being between 24 and 30 inches deep.

Making base cabinets out of upper cabinets or wall cabinets is a fairly simple procedure. The two main differences between a base cabinet and a wall cabinet are the dimensions of the cases and the inclusion of a 4 1 2 inch toe kick on base cabinets where the cabinet meets the floor. This is a relatively simple process and only requires a few tools. Wall cabinets typically have one or more shelves not including the bottom of the cabinet and may or may not have doors.

Many people choose to do this as extra storage in a hallway a window seat in a child s room or in a bedroom in lieu of a chest of drawers. Overlaps on the sides let you fine tune the cabinet width during installation. Face frames cover plywood edges. The lower cabinets which rest below your countertops are base cabinets while those that are at eye level are wall cabinets.

Upper cabinets are shallower from front to back do not have bases and typically are built with a solid top versus the open cleat construction found in most lower cabinets. You may not notice it at first glance but each type of cabinet has its own unique properties. Once your cabinets are installed finish off the base front with a strip of 1 4 in. Build a separate base it s important to use dead straight wood for bases so it ll be flat for setting the cabinets.

Plywood that matches the cabinets. A wall cabinet in its most basic form is little more than a plywood box that is securely mounted on the wall. Wall cabinets and base cabinets are constructed differently but there is no reason a wall cabinet can t be used as a base. The two units are very similar in construction with three major differences.