Building A Base For Wall Cabinets

The sample base and wall cabinets shown below have these features to make building them as simple as possible.

Building a base for wall cabinets.

Wall cabinets and base cabinets are constructed differently but there is no reason a wall cabinet can t be used as a base. Once your cabinets are installed finish off the base front with a strip of 1 4 in. 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. A wall cabinet in its most basic form is little more than a plywood box that is securely mounted on the wall.

The best material for building cabinets is plywood 3 4 inch plywood for the box sides top bottom and shelves. Make sure to read the general how to build cabinets post here so you can see the different types of cabinets pros and cons of each a general overview of cabinet parts and general assembly. The lower cabinets which rest below your countertops are base cabinets while those that are at eye level are wall cabinets. Overlaps on the sides let you fine tune the cabinet width during installation.

In this post we will look at specific dimensions and assembly for base cabinets. Learn how to build base cabinets for your next diy project including creating plans for your own custom cabinets. Base cabinets have extra space at the bottom known as toe kick space as well as being between 24 and 30 inches deep. The two units are very similar in construction with three major differences.

Begin with the right cabinet dimensions. Face frames cover plywood edges. 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. 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.

Wall cabinets typically have one or more shelves not including the bottom of the cabinet and may or may not have doors. 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. The 3 4 plywood case eliminates panel jointing planing and glue ups.