[knickerbocker]

I'm a new member, and I'm hoping someone can help me out. I searched the old posts, but I couldn't find the answers to all my questions.

I have a 24" wide space between my refrigerator and a wall, and I'd like to put in this space the following from bottom to top: first a W24" x D24" base cabinet on the bottom,then a countertop on top of the base cabinet, then an 18" vertical space with nothing, then a microwave, then a H24" x W24" x D24" wall cabinet on top.

It seems that Ikea doesn't have a H24" x W24" x D24" wall cabinet. Can I instead mount a base cabinet on the wall? A search on this site seems to indicate that base cabinets do not have the hardware for mounting on a wall, but does this mean it's not possible to do? Is there a structural problem or something else that I should be aware of?

Alternatively, I'm thinking about getting the W24" x H88" x D24" high cabinet (HD2488) and leaving the middle part open by using 12" x 30" doors on the bottom and 12" x 24" doors on the top. But then I would want to install a countertop in the middle (at about 36" off the floor) on top of or instead of one of the shelves. Is this possible? I'm not sure what kind of countertop yet we'll get, so I don't know how heavy it will be, which might be an issue.

Thanks in advance.

[DesignDiva]

Hello and welcome! Glad you're here.

Can you tell me the reason for having the deep cabinet above the countertop? It would make reaching the back of the countertop underneath the cabinet very difficult, I would think.

You can't mount a base cabinet to the wall, because it would require a lip on the bottom to compensate for the hanging rail used to hang it up top. Base cabinets don't have that lip.

I think a cabinet of that depth would be not such a good idea on the wall above a countertop, at least not without side panels, and then you've got exactly the same situation as the deep pantry.

You can always have a piece of countertop installed in lieu of the shelf, it would simply require some cleats attached to the sides of the cabinet under the countertop.

Is your microwave going to be a countertop micro or are you looking at an undercabinet style? Most undercabinet styles are designed to fit under the shallower wall cabinets.

[knickerbocker]

Thanks for the reply.We want a deep upper cabinet to maximize cabinet space. We have a small galley-type kitchen with all appliances and cabinets lining one long wall in anarrow room. Also, we are thinking about replacing a separate cooktop and oven with a range, so we will lose some cabinets and gain some counter space. We don't plan to usethe counter underthe deep wall cabinet for food prep soI'm hoping it won't be too inconvenient reaching underneath. We want to put a toaster and maybe a bowl of fruit there.

I got the the idea to go with the deep upper cabinet when I asked someone who recently redid her kitchen with a similar layout what she would change if she could. Like me, she has a 24"-wide countertop betweena fridge and wall, and she mounted a 13" wall cabinet above. She said she now wished she hada deeper upper cabinet.

We haven't decided on the microwave yet, but I'm leaning toward a countertop model (to save some money) set on a shelf on some sort. No matter what type we go with,I was thinking about putting it just below the upper cabinet andagainst the back wall but raised above the countertop. This would then make the countertop more accessible and less cave-like. Would it be a problem for the microwave to have a cover from the deep upper cabextending over the top in front of it?

If I instead go with a high cabinet with acountertop inside, are the standard cleats sufficient to hold the counter?

Thanks again for the help.

[knickerbocker]

To clarify about how I want to install the microwave, I was thinking that it would be like how it is done with the microwave wall cabinet WM2439. But I just wish WM2439 had a 24" deep cabinet on top.

[DesignDiva]

IKEA offers a 24 inch wide "microwave" cabinet which is basically a wall cabinet with shorter doors and an extended (20") shelf below for the microwave to sit on.

I think that might resolve your issue about the microwave.

For the small amount of cabinet space the area above the microwave offers, I don't think it is worth making the cabinet deeper, especially when there is a ready-made cabinet that will suit your needs already. Here is a pic of the cabinet in the 39 inch height, $88 with Nexus Birch door.




edited to add: There are no "standard cleats" with IKEA cabinets, this is something you would use instead of the shelf pegs. Basically you want a 1x2 attached to either side of the cabinet frame for the countertop to sit on. It would be attached with drywall screws and would be sturdy enough for granite.

[kmcg]

You could perhaps use the 24" wide high cabinet (aka pantry cabinet) and play around with the door configuration. Put a door on the bottom, then a shelf with countertop resting on it, then leave a gap, then a shelf for the micro, then some more doors.You could use some of the 24" internal drawers or sliding shelves to make the top section more useful.You'd have to be happy with birch or white as colors for the inside of the cabinet, which will show, unless you decide to cover the melamine surface with something (cool formica pattern, for example).

Kathy

[knickerbocker]

Thanks for the reply. For the high cabinet, could I line the inside of the middle open cavity with Ikea cover panels so it would match the doors? I'm thinking about using Hallarum, but we have to look at the door options in the store before deciding.

Also, in the high cabinet, could I make the shelf for the microwave less deep, say around 20" like the microwave cabinet WM2439? It seems that this would depend onwhere the shelfpegs are located in the cabinet.

[kmcg]

The shelf pegs in mine are at 1, 11 and 23". You might be able to do a 20" deep shelf by just drilling extra peg holes right where you need them.

You could line the cavity with cover panels, but they're 1/2" or 5/8" thick, and you'd need to find a way to cover the exposed edge banding. In my mind, using cover panels would have the disadvantages of being a bit thick, and fairly expensive. When I needed to cover the backs of my Hallaurum pantry cabs I found a great match in plywood - called Appalachian Cherry - that a local lumber store sold for $12 per 4' x 8' sheet. Plus it's think, so could make a good liner material.

I wonder if you could find a veneer that's a good match for your door style? There was a discussion a while back about possibly finding both edge-banding and sheets of veneer in teak:

Susan said: "There's a company called World Panel Products that I know has teakedgebanding. They do alot of work with companies who build boats, so I'm pretty sure they deal inveneer as well. I don't know a whole lot about veneering entire panels, but I'd think that it wouldn't be a whole lot more difficult than edgebanding, especially if you can get it in the iron on form."

Kathy

[Liz H]

Another easy solution would be to just paint the interior that will be open. Paints to cover melamine are widely available. You can probably have it tinted to match your walls, or use an accent color. You might be able to use a regular paint if the surface were well prepared (heavy sanding). I don't know about that.

[knickerbocker]

Thanks for the replies. We just came back from Ikea to check out the different door styles, and unfortunatelynone of them are quite what we want. We want slab wood doors in a medium brown. Hallarum is a bit too dark, and Nexus birch is too light. So now we're thinking to go only with the Ikea cabinets -- the quality seems good -- but use doors from another company or maybe custom. Now I'll have to search this site to see what others have said about using non-Ikea doors.

Kathy, thanks for the tips on lining the inside of the cabinet. I also noticed at the store how thick the cover panels are, as you noted.

Liz, I'll keep in mind your idea of painting the insides.