Garage Cabinets are done!

[footprintsinconc]

I just finished up working on some garage cabinets. I made them out of 3/4 Thermafused melamine. The hinges I used were pretty cool, they are the european style, but the hinges actually snap on and off the clips on the cabinet....well, i thought it was cool.

Pretty much used pocket + screws for all the joints (used the kreg pocket screw kit). The cabinets are 7'-8" tall. The section with no work bench is 10ft long (4' + 4' + 2') and 20" deep and has front supports at the base. The other section is 12ft long (2ft + 8ft + 2ft) with the end cabinets + drawer sections being 24" deep, the drawer section is 18" wide with a 5ft space between them. The top cabinets are 40" tall x 12" deep.

Here are the pics:

[bullethead1964]

Very nice work! I like the streamlined, minimalistic look!

[jussi]

Looks good Omar.

[twistsol]

Beautiful job. I really like the look of those and envy the storage space.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Nice layout on the cabinets, Omar. Do you plan to migrate any of your shop space into this area, or will it be dedicated to "garage-y" things?

[herb fellows]

That looks entirely too neat! Why, you might actually be able to organize things. I am jealous, nice job!

[bigstick509]

[dbhost]

Nice clean look. Good job.

[unknown poster]

Wow, that's much nicer than the cabinets I put in my garage.

I've never worked with melamine before, I've always assumed screws would pull out like particle board or MDF so I avoid it as a material. Is all that being held together with just pocket screws? I assume glue won't stick to the plastic surfaces.

[Pappy]

Nice looking set up. I assume the upper fixed shelf in the tall cabinets is to provide extra rigidity.

I also have never worked with melamine, but mainly because of the weight. What did you do to seal the edges against moisture absorbtion? I realize this is not a major concern in your area, so maybe some others can comment on this.

[Turaj]

Really really nice Omar! Very nice and clean design! Good thing my wife is not here to see them

Pappy, I have done a few project using Melamine and I have always used an iron-on edge banding to protect the edges (also looks better). They have been in the house for the last 6-7 years and never any problem (granted, we don't get as much humidity in here as you guys).

[Shep]

Very nice work. Makes me want to put some in my garage.

[JR]

Very nice, Omar. I like the way the doors fit just under the garage door tracks. Had it been my project, there would some sort of goofy zig-zag cutout on those doors, created after I discovere they hit the tracks when opened.

JR

[footprintsinconc]

thank you all for the kind words.

Nice layout on the cabinets, Omar. Do you plan to migrate any of your shop space into this area, or will it be dedicated to "garage-y" things?

not my garage. this was my first garage cabinet commissioned job. he has a ton of space in his garage, he has over 10ft of clear height.

Nice looking set up. I assume the upper fixed shelf in the tall cabinets is to provide extra rigidity.

since these cabinet were 7'-8" tall, i added a shelf 24" down from the top that was fixed to add rigidity as you mentioned and also to allow me to tie the cabinet back to the wall at an additional location than just top. this additional supports makes the sides less floppy when the door is in the open position.

I also have never worked with melamine, but mainly because of the weight. What did you do to seal the edges against moisture absorbtion? I realize this is not a major concern in your area, so maybe some others can comment on this.

i build a complete kitchen out melamine for our basement in canada back in 1993. its pretty humid in our basement. that was built using small shelf angles and small screws and the edges were edge banded with iron on edging. i was just there 2 weeks ago and they are in perfect condition, no swelling. our basement feels quite damp, we use a dehumidifier to keep it bearable.

the only thing i would suggest in your case would be to edge band the edges that are not see too. like the back side of all the vertical and horizontal boards. this way moisture will not get from the exposed back. The other option would be to caulk every where the cabinets touch the wall (both outside and inside) to seal the back edges.

Very nice, Omar. I like the way the doors fit just under the garage door tracks. Had it been my project, there would some sort of goofy zig-zag cutout on those doors, created after I discovere they hit the tracks when opened.

JR

LOL! while i was making these cabinets, there were so many times when i cut the wrong piece or edged the wrong side or ..... i have a tendency to draw everything to death before i start, so i was able to avoid the garage door track .... believe it or not, i measured that track at three different times to make sure i didnt have fit issues

Wow, that's much nicer than the cabinets I put in my garage.

I've never worked with melamine before, I've always assumed screws would pull out like particle board or MDF so I avoid it as a material. Is all that being held together with just pocket screws? I assume glue won't stick to the plastic surfaces.

just pocket screws. across the 20" width, i have like 6 screws. plenty of screws to hold them togather. i could have also used conformat screws that are 7mm x 50mm long. here is a link to a kit that i almost bought instead. i built one section and saw how tight it held, and it felt really sturdy, so i went the pocket screws route.

i have also built some garage cabinets out of 3/4" mdf and pocket screws. these are 16" deep, 40" tall and 48" wide + 2ft wide + 4ft wide sections i sealed the mdf with minwax sealer and then put two coats of wipe on poly to seal the wood. here is a thread where i posted pics of those cabinets and they are doing just fine.

[Rand]

Those are too nice for a garage.