Hi,
I am going to attempt to add some cabinets, and create an island. What I have:
2 - 24" base cabinets for the island (side by side)
1 - 18x84x24 tall full height cabinet
1 - 36x12 over the fridge cabinet.

Now for the novice questions as I have no idea what I'm doing but am excited to learn

1) I was told drywall screws were fine, is this true? They really won't be holding much weight up since the only freely hanging existing cabinet is the over the fridge one.

I am starting to think that the previous owners just re-tiled to the cabinets as the existing cabinets are about an inch shorter so...
2) is that weird to have an island 1" higher than the rest of the cabinets or is it even noticeable? Would an full length end cabinet 1" taller be strange? or...

3) Should I just saw off 1" off the bottom of the new cabinets?

4) the tile is ceramic, I read that i could use some adhesive and glue 2x4's as anchors and mount the toekick of the base cabinets to that, would that be sufficient? Alternatively I could find spouts in the grout to screw through in addition or just drill holes thru the tile (hopefully not chip with a masonry bit?) and use nut/bolt?

5) how do you secure the full height cabinet? Do you need to use a 2x4 anchor block as well as secure the top or couldn't you just drill through the back multiple times since the studs should run the whole length anyways?

Thanks!

 

You might get away with drywall screws for base cabinets. Drywall screws are not recommended for wall cabinets, because they are not designed to support much weight, just to hold drywall to the wall. Cabinet manufacturers recommend cabinet screws.

Some folks tile up to the cabinets. Concrete underlayment board of 1/2" thickness and 1/4" tile raise the height of the floor by 3/4". This can lock in dishwashers. The 3/4" difference in cabinet height will not be noticeable if an island is installed.

The two 24" base cabinets will create a 48" island. If there is room, you can use a 36" deep slab to have an overhang. The island will then accommodate two bar stools.

If you have a cabinet that is 1" too tall and you want to cut off an inch, you must have standard overlay doors with exposed face frames. If cutting off an inch, it should likely be done at the top. Take into consideration location of bottom of door and it's alignment with bottom door of adjacent cabinet if abutting another cabinet. Another consideration, if installing crown molding, a large crown molding will likely cover the extra inch at the top.

I, too, am familiar with cutting 2x4's to run front to back of cabinets. You could glue two pieces together for each cabinet, glue to floor, and screw through cabinet base to secure.

The 84" tall cabinet, if a manufactured cabinet, should have a hangrail at the top. These are usually on the interior of the cabinet. Screw through the hangrail to secure the cabinet to the wall. On second glance, you say 18x84x24 tall! I am confused. In the world of manufactured cabinets, utility cabinets can be 18 inches wide, 24" deep, and 84" tall. Whatever size cabinets, screw through the hangrail to secure to wall.

 

upon measurement the difference is just shy of 1", probably right around 7/8"

the cabinet is 84 high 24 deep and 18 wide as you guessed. the extra 1" is at the bottom since these are sitting on top of the tile and the others are not (the 3/4" you noted). The layout is like this (from left to right):

fullheight cabinet (84" high) - small cabinet over fridge (with fridge below) (mounted flush with existing wall cabinets (83" high) - existing wall cabinets (83" high) with base cabinets below (almost 1" lower than the island)

we propped everything in place and it really doesnt look too bad or noticable. the added 12" of depth on the 84" cabinet to the one over the fridge gives the illusion that its about the same height. the more noticeable difference is in the foot since thats where the actual extra space exists.

so I guess in regard to my questions...

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1) ill go get some cabinet and wood screws and ignore the lady who said the drywall ones were sufficient

4) The idea was to get the 48"x24" island base and get a 60x36 granite countertop so theres a 1' overhang on 2 sides to probably seat 3 or 4. so thats my main worry about it being topheavy and securing it to the floor.

you think the glue alone would be sufficient? I was planning on drilling thru the grout and screwing them in as well.

5) I found the mount points however they're both on the upper end of the tall cabinet, one at the top, one about 2.5' down, leaving the bottom 4+' "unsecured". The sheer weight of it all seems like it should keep it in place or i could remove the toekick panel and go under there too if need be.

Thanks for the feedback, any more is definitely appreciated and if I'm confusing, sorry, I'm kinda thinking out loud.

Oh I thought of a new question:
6) The wall the tall cabinet is mounting against kinda bows, make sense to find some maybe wood or clear caulk or something to hide it? Do you normally caulk around cabinets?

 

I'm not an expert, but just went through this a short while ago.

1) Get the cabinet screws. It'll be something like $5 for a whole bunch. They have a pan head to they don't dig, overtime, through the cabinet material (plywood or mdf, whatever you have).

4) In my kitchen, I would find a way to secure the island to the floor. People will be leaning on this island counter, making tipping a distinct possibility. I don't suppose you have any extra floor tiles, uh? That would make drilling through existing one less stressful knowing they could be replaced. Some glues are indeed incredibly strong, but I would run a test first.

5) My kitchen floor slopes like crazy. There was 1 5/8" between two corners of a L shape run of cabinets. Since you can't shim anything that much, I shaved the amount of toe kick height of those cabinets going over the high spot. I must have been lucky with the circular saw, because nothing needed a shim thicker than 1/8" after that.

6) How about a piece of trim, like a 3/8" quarter round that matches the color of the cabinet?

Hope this helps,
JP