New kitchen cabinet advice

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ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

We are going to redo our kitchen this spring/summer. Mostly just new cabinets, not sure if the floor will get done also or not. We have a new sink and faucet so will be reusing those. Also have fairly new appliances so those will be reused also. Our home is a 2000 model so the cabinets aren't horrible looking but they are the built in place kind so not the sturdiest and they are smaller then "normal" cabinets. We have a lot of stuff, not hoarders but with a family of 5 that is into a little of everything and not having a basement or garage means you have to take advantage of every inch you have! We went to home depot a few weeks ago to get some shelving to put on top of our current cabinets in order to store stuff up there. Well long story short on our way to the shelving we walked by the cabinet displays which caught the wify's eyes and instead of walking out with a couple of 10 dollar shof boards we walked out with a broucher that lists all the different pre assembled cabinet sizes.

I spent a couple hours using google sketchup to design a new kitchen layout and see what would fit. We came up with something that will give us probably close to 2-3 times the storage we have now using some tall pantry cabinets.

Is there anything "special" about putting premaid cabinets in mobile homes? I've put cabinets in houses before so not to worried about that but not sure about the suprises that always come up while working in mobile homes! There will have to be some custom parts just because of how the current layout is, we aren't going to be moving gas and water hook ups so stove and sink will stay where they are now. But we will be adding a dishwasher, kids will be really happy about this since they won't have to do dishes anymore.

Think I have the uploading part figured out.

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Any advice or tips and tricks or things to look out for while installing cabinets in MH is greatly appreciated. Thanks
gtpvette
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 12:28 pm

I did the In-Stock Home Depot pre-assembled cabinets last year. Only issue I had was I put a screw through a power line for the undercounterlights mounting the microwave. Other than that just like any other kitchen I've done.
bobfather99
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:09 am
Location: Indiana

Only trouble I had with kitchen cabinets in mobiles is the walls that arent perfectly square, but a few shims will fix that.
Tip your bartender.....
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Greg
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Location: Weedsport, NY

Ponch, do yourself a favor and take a look at unassembled cabinets. You can save money and get a better cabinet. We bought Sunco from Grossmans, they are 100% hardwood & Plywood NO particle board. They are a snap to put together. We ended up with a kitchen full of new cabinets for around $1200. I couldn't have built cabinets for that.

No matter what you go with look them over close for materials & quality. As Bob said you will need shims and time to get everything level & square.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

Greg, we don't have a Grossmans. So these unassembled cabinets come just the pieces and you put them together? Not like the cheap furnature with cam locks is it? Where else might I look for these? I like the solid wood part.
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Greg
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IMG_6977.JPG
Here is the link to Sunco. Their classic series is the unassembeled line. They do have a cam lock system. I was Leary of them at first, but after 7 years they are holding up just fine with no problems at all, not even a door coming out of alignment. You could try contacting them and see if there are any outlets near you.

http://www.suncocabinets.com/classic/

This is how our's came out. we added the wall to break off the kitchen/living rooms, and as with all projects you do I still not 100% done. I still am trying to find a light that we both like for over the sink, I suspect that I will somehow end up opening up that section of wall to install a box to hang it from. And since these pictures were taken the laminate floor has gone down.

Greg
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"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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JD
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In a 2000 mobile home, cabinet installation should be the same as stickbuilt. You will have to check for flat walls, ceilings, floors and square corners, but that is also the same as stickbuilt. I like to fasten groups of cabinets together and install as one piece. I will usually put up ledgers to hang wall cabinets from, holding up the front side of the cabinet with scrap 2x. On floor cabs, I will push my 2,3 or 4 cabinet assembly into place and check where to put shims. I nail shims into place and set the cabs. I will open sections of walls that will be behind cabinets to be sure where the wiring is. Cut on the studs and it is put the cut section back before hanging cabs. I have not found a current/metal sniffer I can totally trust yet. Screws you would use to hang cabinets are long enough to reach wire.
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
ponch37300
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Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

Greg, those look very nice! Our kitchen/living room layout is similar to yours and when I showed the wifey your pictures she was talking about moving walls and tiled counter tops and filling the wall seems and painting and a lot more! But after some measuring we would lose to much living room space to do an "L" like you did there. We went to HD to get something else this past weekend and they had cabinets on sale for 20% off, so we ended up going to get our trailer and buying all new cabinets. Not the greatest cabinets in the world but will be a hundred times better then what we have now both in looks and storage. Using a family members basement to sand and finish them and then will install them. Going to be some customizing some parts since nothing is really standard in this MH. Also adding a dishwasher so will have to do some work there with the electrical and plumbing. Still not sure on the counter top yet, will either be that "textured" laminate stuff that we'll have to order or still talking about tile. I've done a couple tile counter tops and personally I'm not a fan of them. They look really nice but I'm not a fan of the grout joints not being smooth. We'll see what she wants.

Thanks for all the help and hopefully will have some pictures when I start installing them.
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Greg
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Ah, The dreaded dishwasher, The root of all evil when it comes to mobile home kitchen makeovers!!! Our "FREE" dishwasher only cost us $2500.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

Greg wrote:Ah, The dreaded dishwasher, The root of all evil when it comes to mobile home kitchen makeovers!!! Our "FREE" dishwasher only cost us $2500.

Greg
We planned for it in our layout and the electrical and plumbing shouldn't be too bad. I'm just going to get power from an outlet above so that won't be bad. Plumbing shouldn't be too bad either, haven't decided if we are going to get a garbage disposal or just vent the DW drain. Anything special I need to know about installing a DW in a MH?
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Greg
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Same as any install. Go with the disposal as long as you are doing Plumbing & Electrical work.
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

There's another 150 bucks! We had been talking about getting a GD but wasn't sure we wanted to spend the extra money but will probably pick one up sine it makes the DW plumbing a little easier. We decided on laminate countertops so will have to order those also. Been sanding, sanding, sanding for the last couple days. The cabinets we got sure aren't top quality but we knew that when we bought them. But they fit our budget and will be 1000% times better then what we had for the last 10 years and the most important thing to me is the amount of storage we will be gaining.
Lorne
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Murrells Inlet,SC

This thread comes at just the right time. We too are working on a kitchen re-do.
I have tons of drawings, sketches, ideas, notes and brand names up the kazoo.

I considered the RTA type cabinets, but wanted to exam one first. Also the finishing would have to look factory done, which usually requires spraying and I gave away my spray equipment years ago.
Ours is a Galley Style 1986 kitchen, approx 10 feet long, with an isle width of 43". DW and I need more butt room.

any ideas I get will, as usual, need to be approved by ThE BOSS, if you know what I mean.

The biggest decision is a new fridge install. Things are bigger now and those Stainless Steel French Door types caught her eye. This means cutting into a wall that is backed up by a walk-in closet from a bedroom. 12" less is OK in the closet.

And as usual one thing leads to another and the ideas grow. New this and new that and by the time I'm finished she'll need a NEW ME. But that's alright cause my warranty is almost expired and it might be shuffle off time anyway.

Happy remodeling all.

PS, we looked at the Big Orange Store's cheapest line , which didn't look too bad.
1987 Craftsman Double Wide 42x28,w/attached 28x12 foot enclosed porch/ re-shingled 2 yrs ago. Original exterior vinyl w/no sheathing.
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

I hear you Lorne!

I've been sanding the cabinets the last few nights. Lots of work to say the least. I got some help from the wifey. The first night she didn't like the dust so we got her a nice 3M dust mask, which works for me because I've wanted one for a while now for sand blasting and spraying paint. Then had to get her some gloves to use, I hardly ever use gloves and am proud of my "working" hands but her delicate hands didn't like sanding! Even with a palm sander, 5" RO sander, dremel multitool with detail sander, and lots of different shaped sanding blocks cabinet doors aren't fun to sand!

We broke our 13 cabinets into 2 sets for the two different walls. The plan is to get one wall sanded, finished, and installed and then do the other wall. We have 6 cabinets and all doors sanded and we vacuumed everything today and cleaned up as much of the dust as we can and wiped everything down with mineral spirits. Tomorrow we will wipe everything down again and then tape the insides of the cabinets off since they are "finished" and then stain the face frames. We did some test pieces and she was happy with the color so should go real fast. Then do our poly.

As to the quality of cabinets. We bought the stock cabinets from home depot unfinished, the finished were about double the price meaning an extra almost 1000 bucks. I'm cheap and would rather take the time to finish myself and save the money, or what usually happens is I use that "saved" money to buy new tools and other stuff I "need"! But the quality of these cabinets leaves a LOT to be desired. The cases are made of MDF which isn't my first choice but for the price and we could pick them up in stock they will hopefully work out. The face frames are solid oak but the quality of wood is in line with the price we paid. Needed some wood filler and lots of sanding to get to an acceptable condition and ready for finish. Wish we had more money to get some better quality or even build myself, have a table saw, jointer, planer, and most any other wood working tool kept in a relatives garage but just don't have the room to build a kitchen of cabinets. In the end they'll be a huge upgrade and should last a while and hopefully if/when they start falling apart we will either have the money for GOOD cabinets or a house. But for now they will satisfy both looks and the main reason we are doing this, storage space we desperately need!

Sorry for the rambling, just wanted to give an update and report on the cabinets.
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