# Any way to fix the gap between these cabinets after countertops are on?



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 12, 2018)

There's a gap to the left of the Lazy Susan. Don't know why this happened. The cabinets are flat. The floor is flat.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 12, 2018)

Doubt it. That is why you start in the corner only after finding the highest spot in the floor and shimming everything to that level.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 13, 2018)

Put a C clamp on it and lightly see if it will pull in. LIGHTLY is the key word as I know it will pull in with snapping sounds.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 13, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> Put a C clamp on it and lightly see if it will pull in. LIGHTLY is the key word as I know it will pull in with snapping sounds.


So he pulls the side over and the floor falls out and the door no longer covers the hole.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 13, 2018)

nealtw said:


> So he pulls the side over and the floor falls out and the door no longer covers the hole.


That’s correct. But the gap looks great from the outside. Then he can start 2 more thread one on fixing the floor and one on straitening the door.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 13, 2018)

You have to remember Neal that FarmerJohn always asks for advice after he has done the project. Of course if he had asked first we could have explained the correct method. But that never seems to happen and we never go backwards so that leaves the multi step method described above. This method has worked on the last 25 projects why wouldn’t it work again.


----------



## elbo (Apr 13, 2018)

If you can't fix the gap, hide it. Get some iron on veneer tape the width of both cabinet sides plus the gap, of the wood of your cabinets, stain it to match after applying it to the cabinet


----------



## joecaption (Apr 13, 2018)

#1, There is no such Thing as a perfectly flat floor.
Looks like those cabinets were never clamped together and screw, should have been done before the tops went on.
May have to remove the toe kick before trying to pull them together.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 14, 2018)

nealtw said:


> So he pulls the side over and the floor falls out and the door no longer covers the hole.



What floor do you mean?

The doors don't cover the hole as it is.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 14, 2018)

elbo said:


> If you can't fix the gap, hide it. Get some iron on veneer tape the width of both cabinet sides plus the gap, of the wood of your cabinets, stain it to match after applying it to the cabinet



Yes, I would be worried about getting an exact match. I have touched up spots using stain markers, but they were very small.

This gap is 1/2" at the bottom.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 14, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> That’s correct. But the gap looks great from the outside. Then he can start 2 more thread one on fixing the floor and one on straitening the door.



What "floor" do you mean?

I didn't install these cabinets. I paid someone $35/box.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 14, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> What "floor" do you mean?
> 
> I didn't install these cabinets. I paid someone $35/box.


Make them come back and fix them.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 14, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> Make them come back and fix them.



That's possible. But what do you mean by floor?


----------



## nealtw (Apr 14, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> What "floor" do you mean?
> 
> I didn't install these cabinets. I paid someone $35/box.


The floor of the cabinet.  Find some matching material. cut to fit the  gap  and fill it up.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 14, 2018)

nealtw said:


> The floor of the cabinet.  Find some matching material. cut to fit the  gap  and fill it up.



So no clamps?

Material such as iron on veneer?

I apologize if it seems like I ask repetitive questions, but sometimes it is hard to understand things over text, even if they are simple concepts.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 14, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> So no clamps?
> 
> Material such as iron on veneer?
> 
> I apologize if it seems like I ask repetitive questions, but sometimes it is hard to understand things over text, even if they are simple concepts.


Did this happen after you installed the counter or before? How does it look when door are closed or can you adjust the hinges enough to hide it?


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 15, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Did this happen after you installed the counter or before? How does it look when door are closed or can you adjust the hinges enough to hide it?



I am not sure. I didn't notice until well after the counter was installed. I can't adjust the hinges to hide it.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 15, 2018)

Stuff like this my dad used to say “Where there is a will there is a way.” Then he would walk away and let me figure it out.


----------



## elbo (Apr 15, 2018)

what Bud means is that there is a guy named "Will" find him and let him fix it


----------



## zannej (Apr 15, 2018)

The iron on veneer stuff is not bad if you can find a close enough match, but I would still want to fill some of that gap. I wonder if the cabinets themselves weren't square or if the installers just didn't do the job right.
I'd go to the installers with the photos and tell them it's not straight and there are gaps. If they warrantied their work, they should come back and fix it.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 15, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> I am not sure. I didn't notice until well after the counter was installed. I can't adjust the hinges to hide it.


Do you have any wood left over from the cupboards or can you buy a piece from the supplier.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 15, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Do you have any wood left over from the cupboards or can you buy a piece from the supplier.



Yes, I do.

Two 8' x 4" trim pieces, and one 8' scribe mold.


----------



## zannej (Apr 15, 2018)

If you have something left over, you may be able to put a small piece over the gap as trim-- but if you paid someone to do the job and they left gaps like that, they should have to come back and fix it.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 16, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> Yes, I do.
> 
> Two 8' x 4" trim pieces, and one 8' scribe mold.


Find some one with a table saw that can cut a filler for between the two. It could be done with a skill saw if you want to try.  I can help with that.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 17, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Find some one with a table saw that can cut a filler for between the two. It could be done with a skill saw if you want to try.  I can help with that.



And then glue it in?


----------



## nealtw (Apr 17, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> And then glue it in?


Or screw it in.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 17, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Or screw it in.



From the inside of the neighboring cabinets?


----------



## nealtw (Apr 17, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> From the inside of the neighboring cabinets?


Yes just like they should have been screwed together when installed.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 17, 2018)

So you have taken the screws out of the end unit and tried to move it over tight and then reattached it?


----------



## nealtw (Apr 17, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> So you have taken the screws out of the end unit and tried to move it over tight and then reattached it?


If the boxes have backs, they are square and nothing is going to move. And with out a back it might move but then that would raise the countertop and the back splash will stop that.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 17, 2018)

nealtw said:


> If the boxes have backs, they are square and nothing is going to move. And with out a back it might move but then that would raise the countertop and the back splash will stop that.


Not if you trim the base a smidgen or if they have them shimmed cockeyed or if it has adjusters.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 17, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> Not if you trim the base a smidgen or if they have them shimmed cockeyed or if it has adjusters.


Yes if it has adjusters for legs.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 17, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Yes if it has adjusters for legs.



No adjusters. This is the cabinet...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton...-Cabinet-in-Butterscotch-BT2835C-BT/300773370

It would be 1000x easier just to fill the gap with a piece of trim.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 18, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> No adjusters. This is the cabinet...
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton...-Cabinet-in-Butterscotch-BT2835C-BT/300773370
> 
> It would be 1000x easier just to fill the gap with a piece of trim.


It hey were lined up and screwed together the mistake would have been caught right away.
The problem was caused by putting the corner in first with out finding the high spot of the floor.
Is that a single cupboard beside the corner, what is on the other side of it, is it the fridge or stove. Bud has me thinking about a fix.
Did the back of the cupboard go right to the floor?


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 18, 2018)

nealtw said:


> It hey were lined up and screwed together the mistake would have been caught right away.
> The problem was caused by putting the corner in first with out finding the high spot of the floor.
> Is that a single cupboard beside the corner, what is on the other side of it, is it the fridge or stove. Bud has me thinking about a fix.
> Did the back of the cupboard go right to the floor?



Does this picture tell you anything?


----------



## pbesong (Apr 18, 2018)

They should have been screwed together thru the sides of the fronts before the countertop was installed. Are the cabinets all particle board? Doesn't look like they have a hardwood front on them, where you typically screw each cabinet to the next one. You might be able to cinch them together with 2 C-clamps. Once you get them together, drive 3 cabinet screws thru the sides of the fronts to hold them together. Judging by the gap on the bottom, if you do get it together, you'll just be moving that gap to where the stove is.


----------



## mabloodhound (Apr 18, 2018)

Definitely a poor installation.  Looks like that was his first kitchen job.  Probably a tapered filler is your best option now.


----------



## Kadok (Apr 18, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> There's a gap to the left of the Lazy Susan. Don't know why this happened. The cabinets are flat. The floor is flat.


If you can get hold of the cabinet manufacturer, they can supply you with a 3/4 or 1 inch strip already stained to match the color of your cabinets, it will be rounded on both sides or if you prefer rounded on one side and flat on the other, before you put the strip on I would either fill that gap with some shims, not making it any wider or cut my own shim to fill it on a table saw, then fasten it together using some cabinet finishing screws.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 18, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> Does this picture tell you anything?


Is there a matching gap beside the stove?


----------



## zannej (Apr 18, 2018)

I looked at the link and the cabinet only has a 2-star rating. It's apparently crappy particle board/pressboard with laminate & the reviewer said the laminate didn't even cover the whole thing and that the "trays" are unstable. IIRC, Hampton Bay doesn't make the best quality stuff.

I'm assuming this is for a home you are flipping or something someone asked you to do. Did they pick those cabinets?

The cabinets have backs, but it looks like it's almost cardboard just stapled on to the back. It looks incredibly cheap and flimsy.




I don't think backs like that would do much to stabilize the cabinet.


----------



## nealtw (Apr 18, 2018)

zannej said:


> I looked at the link and the cabinet only has a 2-star rating. It's apparently crappy particle board/pressboard with laminate & the reviewer said the laminate didn't even cover the whole thing and that the "trays" are unstable. IIRC, Hampton Bay doesn't make the best quality stuff.
> 
> I'm assuming this is for a home you are flipping or something someone asked you to do. Did they pick those cabinets?
> 
> ...


The real cheap ones don't have that light weight stuff stapled on the back,


----------



## zannej (Apr 18, 2018)

Ah. OK. I guess I'm just a cabinet / furniture snob. LOL. I hate particle board & I'm spoiled by having real oak cabinets.
None of this helps farmerjohn with his problem though. So, if the cabinets have to stay, hopefully the gaps can be covered with trim strips.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 18, 2018)

zannej said:


> I looked at the link and the cabinet only has a 2-star rating. It's apparently crappy particle board/pressboard with laminate & the reviewer said the laminate didn't even cover the whole thing and that the "trays" are unstable. IIRC, Hampton Bay doesn't make the best quality stuff.
> 
> I'm assuming this is for a home you are flipping or something someone asked you to do. Did they pick those cabinets?
> 
> ...



Then where do I get better cabinets? Those were the best ones that HD had on the shelves.


----------



## zannej (Apr 18, 2018)

Do you have a Surplus Warehouse in your area? They carry some nice looking cabinets. Might even look for cabinet stores/builders in the area. But honestly, I haven't shopped for cabinets for my own stuff so I wouldn't know. I guess sometimes you get stuck with what is available.


----------



## Daryl in Nanoose (Apr 19, 2018)

I have been reading over this entire thread and the best idea yet is the iron on, your gonna have a hard time making a filler strip than skinny. The iron on is fast and easy to do.


----------



## pbesong (Apr 19, 2018)

Daryl in Nanoose said:


> I have been reading over this entire thread and the best idea yet is the iron on, your gonna have a hard time making a filler strip than skinny. The iron on is fast and easy to do.



**IF** you can find something that matches.


----------



## elbo (Apr 19, 2018)

what I have done in the past is to get the iron on stuff and apply it to the cabinet. To match the cabinets color I stained it with a highly thinned paint.
 Stain is nothing more than thinned paint, and the cabinet color can be matched by buying the smallest quantity of paint that matches the cabinet, Take a cabinet door to the paint store of big box, and have them mix the paint to match the color of the door. After the iron on is stained with the home made stuff and finished with the overcoat (varnish ) you wont be able to tell the difference unless you are real close


----------



## nealtw (Apr 19, 2018)

Ok. you guys with this iron on tape, have you considered the surface now might be iron on and that will become dislodged in the process?


----------



## zannej (Apr 19, 2018)

Ohhh. Good point, Neal. Sounds like very thin filler strip then. Or take the countertop off and get them together properly and hope the backsplash won't be messed up.


----------



## elbo (Apr 19, 2018)

If the original is iron on, which I doubt, then it can be stuck back on with an iron


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 20, 2018)

They are clamped together without causing any damage. I'll leave it for 24 hours and see if the gap is any smaller when I unclamp it.


----------



## bud16415 (Apr 20, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> They are clamped together without causing any damage. I'll leave it for 24 hours and see if the gap is any smaller when I unclamp it.




I’ll be danged. Did the floor fall out?


Put a couple screws in it and call it a day.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 20, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> I’ll be danged. Did the floor fall out?
> 
> 
> Put a couple screws in it and call it a day.



Floor didn't fall.


----------



## zannej (Apr 20, 2018)

Does the floor of the cabinet seem stable? Can it hold weight without collapsing? Hopefully the fix will work.


----------



## mabloodhound (Apr 21, 2018)

When you added the clamp did it pull the entire box over?  It looks like it may have.  If so, put a screw in the side just above the clamp and preferably from the lazy susan side (less visible) and not too long so it doesn't come through.


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 22, 2018)

Came out perfectly.


----------



## tuffy (Apr 22, 2018)

See what happens when you put your mind to something it turns out great.


----------



## Daryl in Nanoose (Apr 23, 2018)

farmerjohn1324 said:


> Came out perfectly.


awesome


----------



## zannej (Apr 24, 2018)

Excellent!
What is your next project on the list?


----------



## farmerjohn1324 (Apr 24, 2018)

zannej said:


> Excellent!
> What is your next project on the list?



Probably something with that table saw.


----------



## Elizabeth Lynn (Jun 6, 2018)

That's impressive. I never would have thought of that. Nice work!


----------



## EricK (Jun 7, 2018)

Those cabinets should have been joined together before adding the counter top. I do have a thought that might work. Remove the toe kick and see if you can use shims underneath one of the cabinets to level them next to each other. With a little luck, getting them level will close that gap. It would at leas even out the gap so the doors will look better when closed. You're working against a lot of weight with the counter top but who knows, it might work. Let us know if you get a solution.... Nevermind. Didn't see the rest of the thread. Great job!


----------

