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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Cutting upper cabinets for higher clearance

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Expert: - 4/10/2010


Question

Kitchen before
Hi Greg.  We have recently purchased a new home and we are planning kitchen refacing.  We will order new doors and strip and repaint the rest of cabinets (we have experience doing that).  I am worried that the clearance under the upper cabinets is not enough to fit everyday items. On the attached picture with old owner's items, you can actually see that even the kitchen spoons don't fit under!  My beloved stand mixer has no chance... I was wondering if the cabinets can be trimmed down: we will repaint then anyway and we will order custom made doors, so the size should not be a problem.  How should we approach this task?

Answer
Hi Barbara, from what I see there is no way to get more clearance here. This arrangement of essentially 'double' cabinets (one on top of another)is odd, and it's the reason you can't make space underneath. Usually, the area above the cabinets would be some type of 'filler' or soffit arrangement, and here they've jammed another row of cabinets in there instead, causing the counter top height to suffer. Poor planning in my opinion....and there's no way to adapt this configuration without completely remaking the lower cabinets and then ordering or making all new doors for the lower cabinets....a huge job. Post back if need be- regards- Greg

Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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