Expert: Jamie Yocono - 7/29/2007

Question
I have an area in my kitchen that I need several extra cabinets built.  I live in the Bay Area (CA) and I would like to know what type of lumber I should use if I decide to build my own cabinets.  I would like to buy them pre-made but my dimensions do not seem to fit the stock carried by Lowes/Home Depot etc., and having them custom made is out of the budget.

Tks,

H

Answer
Hi Hawk,

Your question is somewhat vague, but I'll try to help. You didn't mention the type of wood your existing cabinets are made of, nor did you mention anything about the countertop. I am assuming that you want to build some cabinets to match the existing ones, and then add some countertop to match what you already have, am I correct? You also didn't mention if you're going to need the upper cabinets to match, as well. Last- I'm not sure if these cabinets need drawers, doors, shelves, or pullout units. So there's a lot I don't know!

The best material to use is a cabinet grade plywood to match what you already have. Cabinet grade plywood is much better than the plywoods you'll see at Home Depot or Loews, although they sell a little bit of it. It's probably marked as "3/4" Oak Plywood" or whatever. But the panels you can buy at a good plywood store (or lumber yard) are much better than what you're going to see at the two I mentioned above. You'll need to look in your phone book to find a well stocked lumberyard in your area, but they are around.

Anyway, most cabinets are built with good plywood, and then- depending on the style (face frame or faceless cabinetry) they are edged in solid wood. Face frame cabinets use 1 x 2 lumber to hide the plywood edges. Faceless cabinets use thin strips of wood to hide the edges, anywhere from 3 mm to 1/4" thick.

You're also going to need to match the doors, hardware, and finish, if you want them to match well and not stick out like a sore thumb.

There are two books I recommend- Building Your Own Kitchen Cabinets by Jere Cary and Making Kitchen Cabinets by Paul Levine.  The first book covers more traditional cabinet making, with face frames. The other book outlines faceless, or as they're sometimes called, European cabinets. Both books will guide you through just about everything you need to know.

Here's my thought, please don't be offended, but from what you wrote, I gather that you don't have a great deal of knowledge about woodworking. I suspect that your selection of tools isn't that extensive, either. It's just a guess, but I think building some cabinets might be a bit of a stretch for you, as you're going to need a decent selection of tools (a tablesaw, router, drill, and sanders, at the least) as well as a place to build everything. That's not even taking into account that you're going to need a grasp of basic woodworking construction methods. If you weigh all of this out, you'll come up with a better idea if you can pull it all together or not.

Good luck, this is a big project, you'll need to put all your ducks in a row before starting anything. It takes planning, care, and organization. Write back if you need more information and I will be glad to help.

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