[bronxcheer66]

I'm thinking about using a sealant for the cabinet joints and the back side of the cabinet for two reasons: 1)creating stability for each cabinet, and 2) keeping out NYC critters.

If this is a good idea, what type of adhesive should I use: caulk, wood glue, other?

Thanks for your help--ahead of time!

[DesignDiva]

Hi bronxcheer, glad you're here! I'm from the city myself.

I don't think it's a good idea, since the critters are going to get in through the path of least resistance...the doors. You can't make them critter proof, so there's no point in making the rest of it that way either.

You will want to put caulking around any piping that comes through the cabinets, like plumbing, to prevent access through the wall.

[jomoncon]

When we did my Mom's kitchen, there was an accidental hole cut into the back of a 24" tall cabinet about 36 inches from the floor. After a few weeks, we found mouse droppings in th cab. In New Orleans, the mice are rampant right now. Since I didn't have anything else, I used about 4 alternating layers of duct tape. It seems to have worked, since we don't see any more traces.

[bronxcheer66]

Hi Eva,

Thanks for the suggestion. I know that they can get through the doors. However, I figured if I can prevent them from creating a love nest behind the cabinets, I've got a fighting chance of eliminating them totally. As a part of this remodeling, I'm striving to make my apartment just short of being hermetically sealed.

bronxcheer66

[nicollet]

I am a little OCDish about bugs myself, and it's part of why I chose to put my cabinets on CAPITA legs. I always felt like that dark, inaccessible, un-clean-able area behind cabinet toekicks was potentialbug paradise. As it turned out, when we took out our old cabinets, we saw no evidence of bugs, and this in a house that had a good number of centipedes when we moved in a few weeks before (happily, they seem to have retreated), but I'm still more comfortable being able to see for myself that it's clean under there.

The cabinets themselves are quite tight when they're put together; I don't think you'll find that you need any kind of caulk with the possible exception of the corner cabinet, which has a spot where two panels butt together. I can't comment on how tightly the countertops fit onto the cabinets (ours aren't on yet) - that could be an area of concern. I don't see how it would hurt to pipe some silicone caulk around if it would help you sleep at night.

[Liz H]

We caulked our sink cabinet - not to keep out bugs, but to prevent any water leak from getting to the cabinet edges, and swelling the MDF. (The sides of all the cabinet box parts are laminated, the hidden edges are not.)