upper cabinet


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Old 12-09-22, 02:17 PM
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upper cabinet

I will be installing cabinets this weekend. something that I have never done. My upper cabinets have a 2 inch cavity on top. am I supposed to fill that cavity with a solid piece of wood to fill the space so it meets the ceiling flush? or is it fine to just drill through the top of the cabinet and into the stud?
 
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Old 12-09-22, 02:24 PM
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to just drill through the top of the cabinet and into the stud?
Cabinets are mounted to the wall studs from inside the cabinet not through the top!
 
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Old 12-09-22, 02:36 PM
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The cabinets are over the stove. Three cabinets that would stretch 92 inches. There would only be studs in the far right and far left. I doubt that is enough to hold them up. Why not drill through the top?
 
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Old 12-09-22, 02:40 PM
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Most common by far is to mount the cabinets down from the ceiling some distance. I check the level of the ceiling (they are never completely level) and find the lowest spot where the cabinets will go. That is the highest you can mount the cabinets. For example, at the ceiling's lowest spot you could mount that box touching or almost touching the ceiling. Then all the other boxes would have a larger gap at the top (the cabinets get mounted level but the ceiling is not level and rises creating a bigger gap). Then you conceal the gap with molding. The same works for however high you mount the cabinets.

If you are within a foot or so of the ceiling I like to see the area above the cabinets filled in. It is common build a soffit to fill larger gaps. I you are within a few inches of the ceiling most install molding to conceal the gap. If your ceilings are 9' or higher then I think leaving the area above cabinets open becomes an option. I still trim around the top with some molding. This leaves a "shelf" that can be decorated or hold above cabinet lighting.
 
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Old 12-09-22, 02:44 PM
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I assume this is over an island... if so, yes, that would be best. Be sure you are using cabinet screws with a big washer head. But if there is a wall, you mount them to the wall, not the ceiling. And I don't know of any wall 8 feet long with only 2 studs. You can screw through the top for added support if you need to. But I'd advise you to glue your filler in with construction adhesive to spread out the weight.

When installing uppers, I will usually build a box that I can set the cabinet on. Then I use wood shims to shim between the cabinet and the top of my box, which pushes the cabinet up as high as you need it.
 
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Old 12-09-22, 06:15 PM
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My kitchen is a galley style kitchen. standing at my stove which is in the middle of my kitchen, I can see into my living room. I have lower cabinets on the left and right of my stove and upper cabinets to the left and right of my stove. above my stove would be a 12 inch cabinet where the vent is attached. on the other side of the cabinets in a breakfast bar. I have had people tell me to get a dead mans stick to hold up my cabinets. I figured I would need to mount them to the ceiling and the wall. I just didn't know if I should get a "filler" piece of wood to cover the gap.
 
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Old 12-09-22, 06:26 PM
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Well, sure hope you have something to screw to up there. If your cabinets happen to be between joists you're going to be wishing you had wood backing up there.
 
 

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