I need to shave down the lip under the cabinets over my fridge to fit a new fridge. I have a friend willing to do it, but he wants me to take down the cabinets for this job, bring to his shop, and reinstall. Questions;
a) How do these things usually attach? Are they screwed or nailed to the studs?
b) What do these thongs weigh? Some call this a “cabinet bridge”, two small cabinets over the fridge.
c) Is such a “bridge” usually all one piece, or are the two cabinets separate?
d) Is this a three man job? Two to secure either end of the cabinets and one to unscrew?
e) Is it physically mounted to the drywall, or just resting against it?
f) What else should I know?
Tell me all I should know before undertaking this project, and what I may run into.
Remove everything from the cabinet and look. Typically there will be a screw near each upper corner, often through a 1x3 stiffener. Maybe one at each lower corner also. That’s usually it for the weight bearing. The installer might have screwed it to the cabinets on each side to help pull thing straight. If so, remove those screws first. They will be in the edges of the door cutout near the hinges The bridge cabinet should pull straight out. I suppose it could be two cabinets but I haven’t seen it.
I think it is an awkward project for one person, who would be fine until taking out that last screw, when the entire weight and shape of the cabinet will need to be supported by something. If you have a step ladder that is tall enough for one end to rest on while you unscrew the other, that could work. But I think you need one other person (at a minimum) to help you, someone who can support the unscrewed end while you unscrew the last screw.
When I put my cabinets in I screwed the back wall of the cabinets onto the studs holding up the sheetrock .
To remove put a 2X4 under the back edge of the cabinets, locate the studs using a stud finder, and mount the 2x4 tight against the bottom of the cabinets. Remove the doors, less weight. Check to see if there are screws in the side of the cabinerts and remove. Then locate the load bearing screws on the back of the cabinet and remove. Now remove the cabinets.
The 2X4 can be used to reinstall.
If the cabinet is two small cabinets there will be a divider between the two sections. If it is one cabinet it will be open between both sections.
I just had to remove 1/8 inch from the cabinet over my new frige. I used a router and a sawsal. Doing it my way you have to be extreamly careful or you can leave a scar.
My cabinets had some nifty brackets which I screwed to the wall first using a provided template. When the cabinet was hooked on, it was adjustable a few mills in each direction. Adjacent cabinets were attached with a kind of double-ended screw in pre-drilled holes.
That’s how I did it too - 1 person job this way. And that 2x4 makes it easier to reinstall. Not sure it’s wroth removing them as it seems like that can be done in place, but perhaps there is a reason for that. Another thing you may be able to do is to move the bridge up a hair, if it’s really such a small amount it may not be noticeable at all.
How old are the cabinets? When we updated our rental houses (kitchen cabinets from the 1940s and 1950s) were built in/custom. Everything was attached and built as a single unit. I don’t know when modular cabinets (individual units screwed together) that can be disassembled cabinet by cabinet started to be the norm.
Thanks for the advice, all. The house was built in 1988, and these are the original cabinets. I noticed there is some type of small reinforcement, like a thin block of wood (or particle board or such) behind the lip I wish to shave down. Specifically, there are two of these behind the lip - one centered behind the lip for each cabinet of the two cabinets forming the bridge (i.e., one on the right and one on the left). This must give strength to the bottom of the cabinet. So, cutting into this little block tucked behind the lip will presumably weaken or ruin the integrity of the cabinet.
We’re ok with sacrificing the cabinet. At this point, it might be easier to just unscrew and remove.
Do you find the storage in the over the fridge cabinets useful?
Imo the best thing about over the fridge cabs is they prevent dust build up on top of the fridge otherwise anything I store up there is promptly forgotten and ultimately stores unwanted items. Because it’s tough to reach and can’t retrieve items in the back without a step ladder.
I’d welcome an open shelf above the fridge for what I don’t know either.
Chela asks: Do you find the storage in the over the fridge cabinets useful?
Imo the best thing about over the fridge cabs is they prevent dust build up on top of the fridge otherwise anything I store up there is promptly forgotten and ultimately stores unwanted items. Because it’s tough to reach and can’t retrieve items in the back without a step ladder.
I’d welcome an open shelf above the fridge for what I don’t know either.
Jinx replies:
Not extremely. We store a trifle bowl up there and some odds and ends like candles and matches we hardly rely upon.