How Hard is it to build Kitchen Cabinets

[JonBoy]

Up to this point I have not built much of anything so this would be a big step. Just wondering how hard it is to redo a kitchen? I live in a doublewide and everything is just painted MDF. I was just going to try painting everything but stuff is in pretty bad shape and areas that got wet base of floor(moping) and doors around sink look terrible. As far as tools I do have a BT3100 and a Router with a basic table, palm sander and a drill press. Some other common had tools and a few clamps. What else would I need what kind of wood would I need to use? Will prob just paint it. Thanks for any info.

[LinuxRandal]

Cabinetman should chime in here, and I would check out your local PBS and the NYWS as Norm did a whole series on building a kitchen this year, and it has been repeating lately.
Since your working out of a doublewide, where is your shop? This can make a difference on some stuff you buy. As an example that would be good here, the prefinished plywood that you need to get from your local hardwood store, NOT the borg.

Birch and maple are typically, two woods that are recommended for paint grade cabinets, but I have even seen and liked ones done with pine.
I would recommend you google sawboard as they would be very handy for cutting down the sheet goods with a circular saw. I use a commercial version of one, Eurekazone's EZ Smart system. It has eliminated my tablesaw use at home, I just got a replacement Sharkguard for the saw (much better then the standard blade gaurd), so the saw can go out to my brothers farm for the rare need.
Other things that would be handy, a pocket hole jig, or biscuit cutter, a brad nailer, more clamps or cauls to help with your clamps.

[dbhost]

I will chime in here on recommending that you catch the reruns of the New Yankee Workshop. I would also recommend getting your hands on some design books from Taunton Press.Cabinets, Shelves and Home Storage Book.

I've seen excellent results with cabinets with everything from MDF to cherry. I see a lot of oak ply around here though. I guess it's what is common in these parts...

[Popeye]

I built kitchen cabinets last winter/spring. Planning, planning, measuring (accurate measuring) are probably the two biggest time consumers, and absolutely necessary. It's a big project that requires lots of room. Cabinets take up a lot of space till they are finished and installed. Building the cabinet carcasses is the easy part. I'm guessing mine took about a day and a half. I glued and pocket screwed mine together. Face frames, doors and drawers took up the biggest part and IMO the most important part of my time. Quality hardware (door hinges and drawer slides were probably at least a third of the budget. My cabinets were probably less expensive than most good quality cabinets because I wanted pine for the country look. I ended up spending $2094.30 including countertops but not including floor covering or new appliances. Here is a link to the pictures. http://bt3gallery.cpu-etc.com/main.php?g2_itemId=15663 It can be done and fairly inexpensively without sacrificing quality. Good luck, Pat

[cabinetman]

It's not hard to build kitchen cabinets...even I can do it. First, I will give you some things to think about. I'm not going to try and talk you into or out of the idea, but rather offer some thoughts.

You should consider your skill level, whether you are inclined to be subjective and persistent enough to carry the project through to the completion. Next is to consider what tools you have and what you may need to buy to do the work. Space is a big factor. You will need a work area, storage space for the materials, layout space for the parts and pieces once you start, and an ongoing storage area to keep all the boxes and parts while you are working on them. Believe it or not, they will take up a lot of room. Cabinets for a double wide may not fall into standard sizes (especially the uppers), depending on your ceiling height.

Once you make up your mind on what materials you will be working with, and what finishing methods you will use, to allocate a place where boxes can sit for any length of time while preparing them for completion. As for materials, your decision should allow for a good supply of whatever you use, as running out in the middle of the project can be a heartbreaker if they aren't available.

You should include in your planning, stages of drawings, which from those you can plan your entire project. Having on hand all the hardware, such as hinges, drawer slides, handles/knobs, fasteners, and installation goodies. Also, glues, caulks, sandpaper, and any hand or power tools to do what the project calls for.

When you have some time, I've made several posts on cabinet layouts, drawings, procedures, materials, installation and general info HERE. For specific posts that I started, you can scroll through titles for the subject matter, TRY HERE.

So, you have to decide a lot of things, and we can help you decide...one way or another.
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[RayintheUK]

Some great advice so far. I'll add that you shouldn't try to skimp on the hardware - best quality hinges you can afford will pay in the long term.

MDF is my preference over ply. It takes paint better and moisture-resistant MDF (like Medite) is great for sink base cabinets and toe kick plates. Here's an example.

Ray

[JimD]

I did one kitchen and a kitchette in our current home (in the basement). This house they are painted and in the last one they were clear finished oak. I made raised panel doors in both cases. That is probably the hardest thing and it is not very hard. It might be a practice/judgement opportunity for you. I've made painted doors out of softwood from shipping crates and MDF raised panels - inexpensive materials. I would say if you can make the doors, you can make the carcases.

My oak cabinets were frameless and I used 3/4 oak veneer plywood from the big box stores. I used thick veneer to cover the front edge. My construction method was just plugged drywall screw holes, dados, and glue. They held up fine and LOML liked them so they passed the quality test. I built them in our two car garage and installed them one by one when they were done.

Jim

[Hoover]

It would be a good idea to get a square, and other measuring tools for layout. You need a flat surface for your wood or mdf for layout, and of course clamps. There has been great help posted here already. Take your time, and think it through before you make your first cut. You're already halfway there. Good luck.

A Kreg jig to make pocket joints for face frames makes life much easier. Lowes sells a Kreg jig with drill bit and stop for $20.00.

[billwmeyer]

Reface?

If the cabinets are in ok shape, but just look bad cosmetically, you might consider refacing the cabinets. This will make them look new, at least with the doors closed. It will also give you practice for when you do want to go the whole 9 yards.

Good luck either way.

Bill

[jziegler]

I'll add another response here. I built the cabinets for my small kitchen. It's not difficult (think of it as building a bunch of boxes), but it is a lot of work, even for a small kitchen (which mine is). It will take a lot of time. But it can be a good project.

Jim

[dlminehart]

My former neighbor, an amateur woodworker and one-time furniture manufacturing manager, built his own cabinets before selling his house, replacing the original 40-year-old nondescript ones. The new ones were finished rather than painted.

They looked OK, but the various minor imperfections made it clear they were homemade rather than commercial. He spent a few weeks on the project. The home buyer tore them out and replaced them with commercial ones. My neighbor may have had fun with the project (actually, he was more interested in preparing to more), but the home buyer would have paid just as much for the house with the old cabinets.