Just spent a full day trying to get a flush inset door on a tricky base cabinet

It was a corner base unit with a weird plumbing chase, so the opening wasn't square by about 3/16 of an inch. I kept shaving the door, adjusting the hinges, nothing worked. Finally realized the cabinet box itself had a slight twist from the factory. Had to shim the whole thing off the wall and reattach the face frame. Took me 8 hours start to finish for one door. Anyone else run into a box being out of whack like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

juliarodriguez2mo ago

My last place had a door that only closed if you lifted it slightly.

logan_mitchell2mo ago

My uncle's old shop had a saying... a cabinet is only as square as the wall it's hung on. We used to check for a twisted box by laying a long level across the front before any install. Found one last month that was off by almost a quarter inch on the diagonal. All that time you spent was probably because the factory just slapped it together on a Friday afternoon. It's the worst kind of problem because you chase the fix everywhere but the source.

viola_lopez302mo agoTop Commenter

Ever try a winding stick first?

jakeb811mo ago

Winding stick is the first thing I grab. Saves you from chasing ghosts all afternoon. I had a job last year where a base cabinet was racked bad. Used a winding stick across the front and saw it twist a good 3/16ths. Saved me from shimming the whole back wall. If you don't check that first you'll be fighting the cabinet all day.