There are always hiccups in kitchen remodels. Surprises can sneak in even after carefully checking the room, marking all of the cabinet locations on the wall, and snapping a level reference line around it.
Here are some field-modification solutions to common problems that can arise during cabinet installation.
The first tip is the simplest.
PROBLEM: The face frame isn't wide enough to prevent the door from catching on the wall when it swings open.
SOLUTION: Widen the face frame with a filler strip to move the cabinets off the wall. This is also common in tight bathrooms where drawers can hit door trim.
When the floor is humpy, don't get jumpy; consider trimming instead of shimming
PROBLEM: a hump in the floor makes one cabinet higher than the rest.
SOLUTION: Sometimes, it makes sense to shim cabinets up to a high spot to gradually even out the elevation. In the case of this particular kitchen, the discrepancy is a hump, not a gradual out-of-level taper, so it makes more sense to trim the base of the cabinet to accommodate the hump, leaving the remaining cabinets in place.
Cabinets are usually square, walls rarely are
PROBLEM: In the remodeling world, it is more typical for corners to be out of square than for them to be in square, so this problem is common.
SOLUTION: Split the difference between the two sides proportionally, depending on the length of the adjacent cabinet runs. If the out-of-square corner shares two long runs of cabinets, then split the difference equally. If it joins a short run and a long run, take up most of the discrepancy on the short side and let the long run sit tight to the wall.
Keep base cabinets in a straight line
And while we are talking about the long wall, line up the base cabinets to stay straight. In this case, there is a 30-inch opening between two base cabinets.
PROBLEM: The wall behind them is wavy; if the cabinets are all set against the wall, the face of the cabinet run will also be wavy. This will be obvious on either side of the stove and amplified when a countertop is installed.
SOLUTION: Shim the far cabinet to match the face of the cabinet bank on the other side of the stove.
At the end of the run, the 1/4-inch gap between the cabinet and the wall will need to be hidden, wither with a scribed end panel, a small trim piece, or, if the cabinets were paint grade, caulk.
