Corner Cabinet Height Puzzle
When the corner cabinet is higher than the wall cabs, how do you detail the transition? Pros share tips. June 12, 2005
Question
I have a customer who would like varying heights on corner cabinets. I'm using diagnol corner cabinets - 24X42. I’m almost sure that I can run 36" cabinets on either side and have the bases even, because the molding will run into the door of the corner unit. Am I correct? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor J:
With varying heights, come varying depths. The corner cabinet will have to be deeper than the ones that join to it, and the molding will kill off into them. The difference in depth really depends on the size of your molding.
From contributor B:
I would suggest putting a wide stile (or filler if frameless) on the cabinet that butts the corner and cut a return on the crown. The space has to be wide enough so the corner door doesn't hit the crown. 2 1'2" is enough for 8010 crown.
From contributor O:
We make the top rail of the corner cabinet wider so the crown molding can run into it at a 45 degree angle. The doors are all the same size in height. This allows the corner cabinet door to open without hitting the crown on the adjacent cabinet. The rail width is determined by adding the normal rail width and the amount of the step-up together.
From contributor H:
I make the corner cabinet 24"x24" overall, but the sides of the corner cabinet are 15" wide and 42" tall. I make the cabinets that butt into the corner cabinet 12" deep. This allows for my crown build-up and 3" crown to butt into the side of the corner cabinet without affecting the doors. It does make the door to the corner cabinet smaller, but I haven't had any complaints.
From contributor H:
I build euro style cabinets and my opening for a 24x24 corner upper with 15" sides is 11 5/8". I don’t think that is too small but the main reason that I don't increase the size of the cabinet is that most of the time there is either an appliance or a window that would screw up my layout. For example, lots of times the range sits right next to my corner lazy susan. After I add a1" filler to the lazy susan, that puts the edge of my range at 37" from the wall.
If you are varying the heights and the depths of the cabinets, then the cabinet of the range will be deeper and taller than the cabinet to the left or right of it. If you line up the cabinet that goes over the range with the edge of the range, and you use a 30" corner cabinet, then that only leaves you 7" to work with between the upper corner and the over range cabinet.
