[kisaacs]

zeuss,

that is so freaking cool! And brilliant. If I didn't lose tape measures all over the place, I would have to get one. I might have to anyway. Love it!

Kristen

[picaman]

One small tip: you don't need to actually nail in those tiny nails on the back panels. Start them, and then just push down with the head of the hammer. They'll go right in--this works especially well with the upper cabinets that have the lip. Not one went through the other side.

And all this discussion of leg plates had me thoroughly confused, until I realized that everyone was talking about the standard plastic legs. I used Capita legs without plinths, and the Capita leg plates and bolt are a single unit. With Capita legs, you can't possibly forget the leg plate.

Edit: Forgot one. Don't screw the suspension rail for the wall cabinets tightly against the wall all the way across until you are absolutely sure the wall is completely flat. In our pre-war NYC apartment, the wall was far from flat, and we had to rehang and shim the suspension rail so that the cabinets would slide on the track and hang evenly.



Jamie

[greenie227]

Here's one I learned too late: when using kitchen base cabinets as a bathroom vanity, think about how far you want to bend to be over the sink. Kitchen base cabs are 24" deep, while traditional vanities are 18"-22" deep. My countertop guy, not thinking about the logistics, just the aesthetics, decided to put the sink a few inches further towards the wall on my kitchen cabs/bathroom vanity. The result is I have to lean a bit so I drip (or spit) in the sink. I would've placed the sink an inch or two closer to the front edge if I had been thinking.

Maybe I'll get used to it -- no, wait, I have to get used to it!

[Goosejp]

Originally Posted by Chrissy

Alright, I will admit that I messed up a couple times putting the cabinets together.

I highly recommend Making sure you have the back of the cabinet facing the correct way before nailing it down to the box. Yep, I nailed it on backwords. And for anyone that knows Lidingo style, it has a brown back with a white finish that should be showing in the box. Read directions well, and have a nice big pot of coffee on hand if working past 12 am .

OH, ONE MORE THING... watch the fingers when nailing the back onto the cabinet frame.

[Goosejp]

My Lesson,
Remember what you read the day before. The first one I put together I put the back on backwards. Any advice on how to fix this mistake.

Goosejg

Originally Posted by Chrissy

Alright, I will admit that I messed up a couple times putting the cabinets together.

I highly recommend Making sure you have the back of the cabinet facing the correct way before nailing it down to the box. Yep, I nailed it on backwords. And for anyone that knows Lidingo style, it has a brown back with a white finish that should be showing in the box. Read directions well, and have a nice big pot of coffee on hand if working past 12 am .

OH, ONE MORE THING... watch the fingers when nailing the back onto the cabinet frame.

[Gloria]

Oops! Well at least you know you're not alone. I would try pushing gently but firmly from the inside and see if you can separate them a little. Then there may be enough nail on the back side to grab to pull it out.

Welcome to IKEAfans, Goosejp!
Gloria

[Tigratrus]

Hey Goosejp!

Missed this one earlier this morning, guess I need more coffee/tea!

Anyway I can think of two major ways to go:

1. Remove any shelves etc and paint/cover the inside with something to help it blend. What cabinet box did you go with, white or birch? Maybe you could use that cabinet where the back won't be easily visible, or alternatively, decorate the back with some artwork as a backdrop and use it to display things?

2. Carefully remove the back by gently tapping/pushing out from the inside working your way around and around not trying to do it all on one pass.

2a. Remove the nails, turn the back over and nail it back in place using the same holes in the backboard if you like, when you turn it over it should ensure that the nails don't go into the old wholes in the cab sides/top/bottom, so the nails should be secure.

1. Might be easier, but depending on the color may not be practical. 2 would take a bit, but shouldn't be *too* bad and won't be visible at all when you're done. But if you go with the decorative backdrop, it could be both beautiful *and* potentially easy!

If it makes you feel any better, we did the same thing with our sink cabinet. I just said the heck with it, anyone looking in our sinkbase and commenting on the color mismatch, well, I don't care out that kind of person's opinion anyway .

James

[livinwell]

Brad Nailer

No screws required in the door part of the hinge

Back cover - wood like view faces down

Holes at the back get dealt with at installation

Once you start the demo, there is no turning back...

[kirsty]

I am bumping this thread to the top again, because my big lesson is: even if you've read this thread, book marked it, etc, read it AGAIN before starting install in earnest.

I too forgot the divider in the 30" cabinets. I had this horrible realization Sunday AM, when the ikea-part-pile finally got low enough that I could survey what's left. I too did the glue/toenail screw hack job, drilling through the plywood subtops that were already *glued* to my cabinet frames to get the screws in.

And to think I was contemplating leaving all the drawers off until after the granite install. Two more days and there would have been granite on top, and then I really would have been in trouble!

[vmole]

Random thoughts:

1. Make a table to build your cabinets on -- even just a piece of plywood over a couple of sawhorses is better than bending over and working on the ground. Put one of your many large scraps of cardboard over the top to protect it. Tape or glue the cardboard down, so it doesn't slide off. Or worse, slid only halfway off, so that when you set the cabinet pieces down on it, they fall on the ground. Or your toes.

2. At a certain time of the day (or after a certain number of hours of work), you and your partner will start to get grumpy at each other. STOP WORKING NOW. Tomorrow, stop working 30 minutes before "that certain time". Go have a glass of wine and heat up the ramen noodles in the electric kettle.

3. It is almost impossible to remove a hinge without damaging the cabinet. Double check that the cabinet is right side up and that you really want to hang a door on that side before inserting the hinge.

4. Unless you are super-builder, you are not going to get it all done by your original schedule. Accept this, and don't let the fact that you did not get all 27 cabinets built and installed today get you down. Build off days into your schedule.

5. Someone previously mentioned the benefits of letting your layout simmer for while. I can tell you that we played with possible layouts for over a year, and it was only in the last month that we had a "Eureka!" moment and it all came together.

6. No matter how agonizing the whole process is, when your done (or possible, a month after your done, and you've caught up on your sleep), it will all be worth it.