do i need to suport the cabinet over the refridgerator by three sides.

I don't want to box in my fridge, but, that cabinet salesman is telling me that the cabinet over the fridge needs to be supported on all three sides. is that true?

Reply to
helpneeded
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The cabinet over the fridge is useless, only decorative. Most cannot be reached. If screwed into the wall that is all the support you need.

The cabinet over my new fridge had to be cut down as the fridge is taller than the old one. It was opened for the first time in over 20 years. Cut down, it is only trimmed doors on the front, no bottom any more.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

An unusable cabinet is a kitchen designers mistake . The cab over the fridge needs to be deeper than a standard wall cabinet so you can reach the doors - and keep people from stackin' shit on top of the refrigerator . It's primary use (at our house) is to store things that are not used often , like punch bowls and the big roasting pan that you only use when the whole family comes for Christmas dinner . In twenty years building cabinets for a living , I've seen a lot of stuff that didn't work . And learned a lot about what does ... like a pullout with a rotating half-round bilevel shelf for a corner cabinet .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Is the salesman is trying to sell you some poorly-engineered particle board cabinets? Maybe he's afraid the cabinets will fall apart when you load them up the first time?

Particle board is junk, look for cabinets made with plywood.

Reply to
Ken Lay

I had to trim mine down when I went to a cabinet depth fridge, that was taller than the old one. I wouldn't say it's totally useless. I can still easily reach stuff in the front, that's where I keep the cat food cans, for instance. But I can't get to the back without a stool. The reason I can still use mine may be that the fridge is counter depth, so it's close to flush with the fridge, no need to reach over it. The rest of the cabinet is still useful if you want to put some rarely used stuff in the back, where you need the stool. But the space isn't all that much either.

To answer the OP's question, a cabinet can certainly be supported without another cabinet after it. Happens all the time. If it has secure fastening in the back and the top, it's not going anywhere.

Reply to
trader_4

Our fridge extends 9" past the base cabinets. From the front of the fridge to the front of the cabinet above it is 22", plus the fridge door handles. Too far to reach even with a one step stool to be practical. IIRC, it is 70" high.

The old fridge was a side by side with 22 cu. ft. This is a French door, the same width, but is 25 Cu. Ft. It grew a little taller and deeper for the extra space. Much more practical to use too.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

The cabinet over the fridge is probably where you should hide your valuables. Nobody ever looks in there for anything.

Reply to
gfretwell

That's the difference. My cabinets are hung under a soffit and originally they were set back about 5" into the soffit. When I decided to go to a cabinet depth fridge, I had to shorten the cabinet above it. At the same time, I moved that cabinet and the one next to it forward, only about an inch back from the soffit. Net result is the fridge is close to flush, only the door thickness sticks out past the cabinets. It really looks so much better. And also I still have some use of that upper cabinet.

Too far to reach even with a one step stool to be

Reply to
trader_4

I agree ! Too many people take the easy way out , buy prefab assemble-at-home junk that doesn't last a month then whine about the quality of stuff . This past Christmas our 2 youngest granddaughters got toy boxes . I built them of SYP 1x6's , assembled with glue , screws , and 16 ga pin nails . Heavy strap hinges , those toy boxes will still be around when they have kids . I'll be building the cabinets for our new kitchen ... and there won't be a single piece of particle board . Today I finished nailing the wall sheathing and lifted one truss to the top plate (still needs to be stood up) as a proof-of-concept for the block and tackle rig I put together .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

I've been lax , when I started this project I was posting progress pics on my photobucket . Gotta get back in the habit .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Take it apart back to the last picture taken, then take the missing progress pics as you put it back together.

You owe us! ;-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Screws are not always enough, and by all means DO NOT use drywall screws (which easily break). A woman that I once knew, filled an entire cabinet with canned food. When the screws snapped, the whole cabinet crashed, destroying several counter top appliances, including her microwave, breaking off the faucet handle on her sink, wrecking her counter top, and smashing a lot of dishes. It could have been a lot worse if her children had been there....

Those cans combined weight was probably 300 to 400lbs, plus the weight of the cabinet itself.

I would never install kitchen cabinets with anything less than two 1/4" lag bolts in *each* stud (top and bottom of cabinet). And each lag bolt should go at least 2 inches into the studs.

Reply to
Paintedcow

The experience of God knows how many cabinet installation using only screws suggests otherwise. Never been in a house where they were installed with anything other than screws.

Reply to
trader_4

trader_4 posted for all of us...

The bovine is a little screwy...

Reply to
Tekkie®

The OP might want to consider no cupboard above the refrigerator and a turntable on top of the fridge instead of a deep cupboard (possibly easier and cheaper to do).

In one house I had there was just enough space below a shallow top cupboard to store drinking glasses on a lazy susan on top of the refrigerator. That was a good place to keep them (near the point of first use) and the turntable made them all easily accessible - no stepstool needed...

Susan

Reply to
Susan Bugher

A turntable on top of the fridge may cause the dust to get dizzy.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

My wife likes to decorate cakes, so the cabinet over the refrigerator is where we store all of her cake pans, travel boxes, and decorating supplies. She doesn't use them that often and they take up a lot of space, so it's an ideal location for those items.

We do have a small step ladder for accessing the items in that cabinet.

Anthony Watson

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Reply to
HerHusband

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