(And yes, we held our breath with every pop!) The gun was angled ever-so-slightly towards the back to prevent a rogue nail from poking through the front of our finish piece. Scott used his circular saw on all the cuts, and once we had our first filler to size, we used short 1.25″ nails with our nail gun to attach the filler to the cabinet. Using our nail gun, we attached the scrap to the wall and ran a thick line of constructive adhesive along it: As a result, we used scrap wood to create a slug that the filler could safely rest against. The first filler we did was by far our widest – a result of using the recommended 30″ wide upper above a 36″ base cabinet to prevent the upper from touching the (future) vent hood. To start, we measured each gap in three places – top, middle and bottom: Using leftovers from the fridge side panel, we had more than enough to fill all the gaps where the cabinets didn’t quite meet the wall. Next, it was on to the fillers! The fillers are the detail I was perhaps the most nervous about, but with a bit of patience and careful measuring (and Scott’s can-do attitude!), we were super happy with the results. (Also, ahem, we didn’t have enough leftover panels – ha!) We used our last remaining panel to make two cuts – one for each side – again, making sure that the finished edges were along the bottom: We considered covering the underside of the shortest cabinet, but since we’ll also be installing a sconce there and none of the other undersides were getting panels, it felt like overkill. On the opposite wall, we opted to use panels to cover the exposed white boxes above the sink. We turned the panel upside down so that the finished edge was revealed on the bottom, and it was secured in the same way as the panel on our base cabinet: Tip: Blue tape will help to prevent the finish from chipping during the process! After tightly clamping the panel to the cabinet and ensuring level, we drew a faint pencil line where we’d need to remove the excess, and Scott used a circular saw and a straight edge to create a nice, straight cut. The cover panels for our upper cabinets were slightly trickier only because they required cuts. This allows the screws to bite nicely into the wood-slash-particle-board. The screws go directly through the cabinet box, but with the instruction that we avoid those ubiquitous pre-drilled holes. For every side panel, we used four screws – two in the top corners and two in the bottom corner. With every cabinet, IKEA provides a handful of screws that are used to attach the cabinets together, or in this example, to attach any necessary panels. We started there, since it was by far the easiest. We were given an 8′ side panel for the fridge, a couple of small 15″ x 3′ panels for the uppers and one perfectly sized 24″ x 30″ panel for our one exposed base cabinet: When we ordered our IKEA kitchen, the salesperson helped us determine the proper amount of panels we’d need based on our room layout. I told Scott that I feel like the final fillers and trim are one of those details that seem to magically happen, but there’s little explanation of how in the world they actually get done! The devil is in the details, and today, we’re going to get into it. Those small 1″ gaps along the walls need filled, the bright white cabinet boxes need panels and their legs need a toe kick to hide behind. But! We can’t really stick a fork in the cabinet install until we perfect the imperfect. The cabinets are in, the counters are in-progress and we’re picking up tile for the backsplash later this week. One of our most recent nit-picky-and-incredibly-necessary details, however? The kitchen fillers, cover panels and toe-kicks. Install the lights and the switch plate covers and scrub the floors. Of course, this is a good thing – no, a great thing! – because it means we’re finally able to see the light at the end of this long, winding tunnel! ![]() The garden apartment has come leaps and bounds since we first shared the initial walkthrough, and we’re getting to the point where our lists are much shorter but much more detailed. You fret over upcoming dinner plans, your grocery list or, in this case (and for us, most cases), your current project du jour. If you’re anything like me, you often find yourself tripped up over the details (also known as losing All the Sleep).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |