Member Chad
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Sure, this is correct regarding attaching that tall end panel to the lower base cabinet for extra support. You should also screw into the tall end panel from the interior of the base cabinet, as well as from the interior of the wall cabinet above your refrigerator opening. This will allow the panel to be removed in the future if needed.
Same idea for installing the horizontal rail. While you could fasten it from inside the refrigerator opening, the screw heads would be visible in most installations. I usually drill down into the horizontal rail from inside the upper wall cabinet instead. This is preferable since the screws will not be visible, as they are above eye level, and that cabinet is rarely used anyway.
I would install the base cabinet first, then the tall end panel, then the upper wall cabinet above the opening, followed by the other end panels as you work your way along the wall. Make sure the tall end panels are perfectly plumb to prevent the refrigerator opening from becoming out of square.
We usually recommend having the end panels stick out proud by about 5/8″ to create a more flush look with the doors. That said, I have seen many people hold the face of the end panels back to align with the face of the cabinet case itself, which ends up being about a 3/4″ setback from the door face, and that looks fine as well.
Really just personal preference. No right or wrong way to do it.
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The assembly instructions show the first type of Blum locking devices that were used back when those instructions were originally written and put together. We use Blum Movento slides now, so the slide type, and therefore the locking device type, has changed multiple times over the years, but the general installation process remains the same.
Today, we use two types of locking devices: the older Tandem version and the newer Movento version. Moventos are standard on Barker Modern projects, so the locking device you are showing is the correct one for your drawer box.
As for the holes, these are hand-drilled by a human on site using the locking device as a guide. We drill three holes so both types of locking devices can use the same hole pattern. If the holes are slightly off on one side, then the jig may have slipped or something may have shifted during drilling.
Easy fix is to simply hold the locking device in place and drill a very small pilot hole, about 1/16″ deep, at a 45 degree angle. Then attach it using the screws provided. Pretty simple.
Photos attached showing the locking devices and the hole placement used for each type.
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I believe I used a cleat on the refrigerator cabinet at my home, but the fridge is installed and I can’t pull it out to get a good photo—which would be helpful. I looked around and didn’t find a simple, clear example that illustrates it well, so I created a 3D drawing to show what I mean:
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Yes, same for all doors and drawer fronts.
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You would need to request that modification in the order notes at checkout.
Two-drawer cabinets can end up with fairly tall drawer fronts, so this is not typically recommended. Taller solid wood slab fronts are more prone to cupping or warping over time, even with a drawer box acting as a backer.
That said, if you are comfortable with that risk, we can swap those fronts to solid slabs. Just include the request in your order notes at checkout.
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Sure, we actually provide the exact paint formula we use in the info bubble next to the dropdown when ordering cabinets. This allows you to get a close custom-matched paint for your project. See the attached images for more details.
For on-site painting, it really depends on your experience and tools. If you’re able to spray, the Gallery system works well. If not, I recommend having your local paint store color-match one of your doors. That will give you a good match using a different paint formulation better suited for brush or roller application.
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The square trim millwork piece can certainly be used on the underside of the cabinets, as well as for a similar-looking top crown detail. This creates a clean, minimalist crown that avoids a bulky appearance.
Running the wall finished end panels to overlap the top and bottom of the cabinet case in order to cover the sides of the exposed square trim is not a recommended finishing method. We typically keep the end panels the same height as the cabinet cases, then wrap the millwork used on the top and bottom around to the back wall. This allows us to bring the crown out about 3/8″ past the face and sides, giving space for scribe molding to terminate cleanly into the underside of the crown (or in this case, the underside of the square trim on top). The result is a more professional installation, with seams concealed and added detail for a cleaner overall look.
That said, you can overlap the top and bottom of the cabinet if you prefer. It will work just fine, it’s simply not our recommended approach, as it limits your ability to properly control scribe placement and termination points.
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Usually, you do not need additional support on the side that touches the wall where your filler is, as there is plenty of support on the opposite side where the tall finished end panel attaches to a wall cabinet and potentially a base cabinet as well. These cabinets are very rigid since they are built from 3/4″ plywood.
If you feel you need more support along the front edge where it meets the wall, you can add a cleat at the nearest stud, positioned close to the front of the cabinet case on the adjacent wall. This cleat can also help support the filler, especially if you plan to run the filler full height from the floor to the top of your cabinet run.
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Cabinet doors are standard with 2 5/8″ wide stiles and rails on City and Barker Cabinets lines.
The squared outside edges base applied end panel will have a larger top rail for outlet placement in landscape orientation. The bottom rail is also wider, allowing the top of that rail to align with the top of the bottom rail on a base cabinet door or drawer front ordered with a standard 4″ toe kick in the same door style.
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Slim shaker is now live on Citycabinets.com
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All good. For anyone else following along, we changed a few options for finished end panel depths.
As noted above, if a cabinet is ordered at 21″ deep, that refers to the cabinet case depth only and does not include the door thickness. Shaker doors with square edges (frame-and-panel) are approximately 13/16″ thick, while slab plywood doors are about 3/4″ thick.
On our City line, we added the option to run the face of the finished end panel flush with the face of the cabinet doors. This is not our traditional recommendation. Holding the end panel face back about 1/8″ allows more room for hinge adjustment, which helps compensate for the slight warp or bow that is normal with wood doors.
If you want a flush look, you can order the finished end panel at 21.8125″. This is a bit more aggressive, but it can work fine if you are comfortable with tighter tolerances and the possibility of very slight misalignment at the face.
The safer option is 21.625″. This keeps the end panel set back about 1/8″, which tends to look the most correct with square-edged cabinet doors and creates a clean transition while hiding hinge adjustments.
A 21″ finished end panel will also work, but it creates a more pronounced step-back that makes the cabinet resemble a face-frame style. That is generally not the intended look, so only use that option if you are trying to match existing cabinetry on site.
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New Slim Shaker samples in other wood types were just completed. See below for a pic of the ones that just came off the line.
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This would not be possible with the SLIM wall cabinet, as it uses a different construction method for the bottom. The bottom panel overlaps the lower edges of the left and right cabinet sides, which prevents this type of modification.
That said, the SLIM wall cabinet is a legacy design that was originally created to accommodate our older Uniflex CNC. That machine is no longer in use, and our newer CNC equipment can reliably handle much smaller parts. As a result, we can now offer the standard one-door wall cabinet in widths down to 6 inches without any foreseeable issues. As with any small part, narrower widths combined with deeper depths increase the chance of movement during machining, but we have developed methods over the years to keep everything stable.
We are updating the standard wall cabinet, as well as the integrated UCL wall cabinet, to accept widths below 9 inches, all the way down to 6 inches. This change will allow us to phase out the SLIM version of this cabinet moving forward. These updated sizing options are now available on the appropriate product pages.
https://www.barkercabinets.com/1-door-wall-cabinet-p/w1d.htm
https://www.barkercabinets.com/product-p/w1dintegrateducl.htm -
This would not be possible with our current blind corner cabinet design. The best option would be to order a standard blind corner cabinet with a top drawer, or the version with two doors and no false front, then install the sink in that cabinet. You would simply remove the drawer and drawer slides prior to installation.
Sinks can be installed in most base cabinets. The countertop installer will just need to cut into the top stretchers to accommodate the sink basin, which is a very common and straightforward modification.
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Edge banding will be raw wood, using our hard white maple. There isn’t a prefinished, pre-primed edge banding product that performs well enough with our equipment, in my opinion. The banding process involves glue release spray, hot melt adhesive, scraping, buffing/sanding, and heat application, all of which tend to contaminate a pre-primed surface by making it shiny and slick. For that reason, raw wood is the most reliable and consistent option.
For finishing the edge banding, you have a few options:1. Stack and spray (fastest)
Since the cabinets are RTA, you can stack the parts and spray or prime/paint the edges all at once as a single unit. This is the quickest method.2. Assemble, mask, and spray (cleanest finish)
Assemble the cabinets first, mask off the interiors, and then spray the exposed edges. This takes more time but delivers a very clean, professional result.3. Brush or roll (most practical)
Apply primer/paint by brush or roller, then wipe off any excess from the cabinet interior. Only the interior edges really need attention, and the paint wipes off easily. This is typically the most efficient method with very good results.
