Expert: Jamie Yocono - 5/2/2008

Question
We want to install a dishwasher, but we are 2-3" short on the required width needed to install.  Is it possible to shorten the length of our base unit to give us the needed space?  The unit has 2 drawers at the top, and 2 doors.  We are planning on ordering all new doors, and if need be we can order a new drawer unit if shortening the cabinet means eliminating the 2 drawers.  Thank you for your help!

Answer
Karen

Shortening the width of a cabinet is fairly difficult. It requires removing one side of the cabinet, and cutting the top, bottom and back, then reattaching the side. It's sometimes a chore to remove a side without damaging it. And the new joinery can be a challenge!

The good news is that you mentioned that you're willing to eliminate the drawers and that you're ordering new doors. but frankly, ordering new doors might be as much as buying a whole new unit.  Doors are pricey!

I have a slightly different suggestion. Wooden filler strips are often installed in kitchens where the cabinets don't fit the exact dimensions of the walls. For example, say you have a kitchen that measures 122" wide, and you want to put 10' of cabinets in that space. You come up with an extra 2", and that 2" gap can be compensated with a 2" filler strip. You may not even be aware they're there, most cabinet installers simply make and install them on the jobsite.

So I would take a look at all your cabinets, look at the width of the doors and see if there are any gaps where a filler might have been used. These are common at inside corners where perpendicular runs of cabinets meet. Also, they're common at the end of a run, where a cabinet butts up to a wall. In the last kitchen I remodeled, I used fillers in 4 places.

It's quite possible that if you eliminate a filler strip, you can make up that 3" that you need without having to tear apart that cabinet. I've got buckets of tools and even I shy away from reducing the width of a cabinet, it's pretty difficult and there are other alternatives. Don't get me wrong, it CAN be done, it's just a pain to do so.

After you look around for a filler strip, if you don't find one and still want to attempt this, write back and I will try to simplify the instructions. Please let me know what tools you have, as that will make a difference in the instructions I give.

Hope you find that filler!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com