Advice on Tall Cabinetry
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- Vince Lisanti
- Senior Member
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Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Hello Guys,
I am a one man shop doing a custom closet job where the cabinets will be 108" tall plus a frieze and crown to ceiling with differnt configurations for hanging clothes and storage. There will be no open areas. All cabs will have doors and drawers etc. Euro Construction.
I will attach a rendering of one of the walls so you can get a better idea of the job.
Currently I have this designed using a 90"H base cab with an 18"H cab stacked on top. (2 sections)
My question is this;
When doing tall cabinetry such as this, do you favor smaller sections stacked, such as 30 60 18 and 48 42 18( easier assembly, and delivery with a more difficult install)or the taller cab config. as mentioned above 90 18 ( easier install, but harder assembly and delivery).
I should mention that the cabinets are being installed on the 3rd floor of a manhattan townhouse. No elevator ! or service shaft!
I will be hiring help for the delivery and install.
I have been fighting with myself about this for a couple days now.
I welcome all opinions !
Thanks
Vince Lisanti
CCS woodworks inc.
I am a one man shop doing a custom closet job where the cabinets will be 108" tall plus a frieze and crown to ceiling with differnt configurations for hanging clothes and storage. There will be no open areas. All cabs will have doors and drawers etc. Euro Construction.
I will attach a rendering of one of the walls so you can get a better idea of the job.
Currently I have this designed using a 90"H base cab with an 18"H cab stacked on top. (2 sections)
My question is this;
When doing tall cabinetry such as this, do you favor smaller sections stacked, such as 30 60 18 and 48 42 18( easier assembly, and delivery with a more difficult install)or the taller cab config. as mentioned above 90 18 ( easier install, but harder assembly and delivery).
I should mention that the cabinets are being installed on the 3rd floor of a manhattan townhouse. No elevator ! or service shaft!
I will be hiring help for the delivery and install.
I have been fighting with myself about this for a couple days now.
I welcome all opinions !
Thanks
Vince Lisanti
CCS woodworks inc.
- Attachments
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- Closet Wall Sections F-J (Medium).jpg (44.3 KiB) Viewed 12539 times
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- Closet Wall Sections A-E Mod 3 (Medium).jpg (46.48 KiB) Viewed 12539 times
Dell Precision M4800
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NVIDIA Quadro K 2100M
Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
Intel(r) core(tm) i7-4800mq cpu @ 2.70ghz
32 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro K 2100M
Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
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- Junior Member
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- Location: Lancaster, PA
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Vince, I am also a one man shop and as I get older, I am always looking ways to make things lighter.
I changed my way of building all tall cabinets into multiples of 2 or 3 units stacked and applying finished end panels where needed. The additional materials needed for the extra decks/ceilings will not amount to much, and cabinets will be easy to assemble. The big thing will be less chance of damaging walls or hurting yourself.
David Werkheiser
I changed my way of building all tall cabinets into multiples of 2 or 3 units stacked and applying finished end panels where needed. The additional materials needed for the extra decks/ceilings will not amount to much, and cabinets will be easy to assemble. The big thing will be less chance of damaging walls or hurting yourself.
David Werkheiser
- Kerry Fullington
- Wizard Member
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Vince,
I too think stacked multiple boxes is the way to go. I use a 4/4 board bull-nosed to separate the boxes to simplify the installation. You can also use it with a small bed or crown molding to step out the upper boxes to break things up a bit.
Kerry
I too think stacked multiple boxes is the way to go. I use a 4/4 board bull-nosed to separate the boxes to simplify the installation. You can also use it with a small bed or crown molding to step out the upper boxes to break things up a bit.
Kerry
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Vince, we have been doing all tall cabinetry using the stacked boxes method.
Our boxes are always frameless, and our door reveals are 0mm bottoms, 1.5mm sides, and 3mm tops. Paired doors have a 3mm reveal at center meet-up.
Done this way, no intermediate molding is required, as Kerry shows, and the door-to-door margin of stacked cabs is 3mm.
For your installation, providing the owner can tolerate this activity on site, I would suggest the carcases all be CNC cut, then flatpacked using stretchwrap, each wrapped package containing the deck, sides, and top for one cab, all the backs flatpacked in packages easily transported, and the whole shebang goes up the freight elevator and moved in as easily as a flower delivery.
Build your biggest cab on the floor, set it up then as your work table for building the rest, one by one, atop that first, and put them all up, and THEN install your d'boxes, shelving, and doors.
Took me more time to describe this than it will take on site!
Our boxes are always frameless, and our door reveals are 0mm bottoms, 1.5mm sides, and 3mm tops. Paired doors have a 3mm reveal at center meet-up.
Done this way, no intermediate molding is required, as Kerry shows, and the door-to-door margin of stacked cabs is 3mm.
For your installation, providing the owner can tolerate this activity on site, I would suggest the carcases all be CNC cut, then flatpacked using stretchwrap, each wrapped package containing the deck, sides, and top for one cab, all the backs flatpacked in packages easily transported, and the whole shebang goes up the freight elevator and moved in as easily as a flower delivery.
Build your biggest cab on the floor, set it up then as your work table for building the rest, one by one, atop that first, and put them all up, and THEN install your d'boxes, shelving, and doors.
Took me more time to describe this than it will take on site!

- Kerry Fullington
- Wizard Member
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
removed
Last edited by Kerry Fullington on Sun, Dec 23 2007, 4:05PM, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Kerry, we have done it many times. Always frameless.
Stacked tall cabs at 0mm reveal bottom, 3mm reveal top, is the standard of the frameless True32 world, and thousands of them have been done this way. It is fast, easy, and less expensive than using an intermediate part.
Your pics show faceframed cabs. The OP said his arrangement is euro. Translation: frameless.
The pic shows cabs in the background, against the wall, done this way.
Stacked tall cabs at 0mm reveal bottom, 3mm reveal top, is the standard of the frameless True32 world, and thousands of them have been done this way. It is fast, easy, and less expensive than using an intermediate part.
Your pics show faceframed cabs. The OP said his arrangement is euro. Translation: frameless.
The pic shows cabs in the background, against the wall, done this way.
- Peter Walsh
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Vince,
Ditto on the one man shop. Add in being over 65 years old!
All my tall libraries are two cab stacked. I have some height limitations in my small shop so I am forced to do this. However, there are lots of benefits in handling, sheet stock length, and installation not to mention the more interesting design and symmetry of the stacked cabs.
You can see how my work stacks out at http://peterwalshbookcases.com
regards,
Ditto on the one man shop. Add in being over 65 years old!
All my tall libraries are two cab stacked. I have some height limitations in my small shop so I am forced to do this. However, there are lots of benefits in handling, sheet stock length, and installation not to mention the more interesting design and symmetry of the stacked cabs.
You can see how my work stacks out at http://peterwalshbookcases.com
regards,
- Kerry Fullington
- Wizard Member
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- Joined: Mon, May 09 2005, 7:33PM
- Company Name: Double E Cabinets
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- Location: Amarillo, TX
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
removed
Last edited by Kerry Fullington on Sun, Dec 23 2007, 4:05PM, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Post removed.
Last edited by Gene Davis on Mon, Dec 24 2007, 10:08AM, edited 1 time in total.
- Kerry Fullington
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
removed
- Damon Nabors
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
I can see both sides of the coin here, but trying to settle an argument between frameless and faceframe is kind of like choosing Chevrolet or Ford! By the way, you did know that on a quite night, you can hear a chevy rusting! 

Damon Nabors
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Damon, there is only one side of the coin here. The OP's and mine.
Kerry has left the room, and taken his comments with him.
Kerry has left the room, and taken his comments with him.
- DanEpps
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Gene...that seems to be the attitude you have on EVERYTHING...your opinion is the only one that matters!!!Gene Davis wrote:Damon, there is only one side of the coin here. The OP's and mine.
Kerry has left the room, and taken his comments with him.
The reason Kerry removed his replies is that he is classy enough not to be drawn into the negativism of your comments. Please, if you have nothing positive to add to a thread, don't add ANYTHING to it!!!
I have had enough! If your negativism continues I will start reporting your posts to the forum moderator and ask that you be removed from the forum.
Both the free use of eCabinet Systems and this forum are a priviledge, not a right. I suggest that you read the license agreement that you agreed to when installing eCabinets. In the second paragraph it states (emphasis mine):
If you want help with the software, please feel free to ask in this forum. When given the courtesy of a reply by a fellow member, please be willing to accept the assistance and not downgrade the poster or others who may reply. If you wish to help another member by answering a question, please do so but again, do not downgrade others who may replly to the post. Every opinion is important but not everyone is inclined to build everything in exactly the same manner as you. Please remember that and be respectful of others in this forum.eCabinet Systems and Thermwood reserve the right to refuse to provide the software associated with the eCabinet Systems program (the Software) and a license to use the Software and/or an extension of service, update or updates to the Software to anyone that they feel, in their sole judgment, cannot properly use the Software and/or whose membership, or continued membership, may be harmful, damaging or detrimental to the program, its members and/or the vendor/partners in the program.
- Vince Lisanti
- Senior Member
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Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Ok Guys,
I am not exactly sure what happened since I posted the original question since many posts have been removed, but I can certainly tell you I am NOT on any one side of a coin ! I do not think that Kerry was trying to sway me in one direction or another with his suggestions. He was just making a suggestion!
My library consists of both FF and Euro cabinetry. I chose to use all Euro boxes on this job because I felt it was right for "this" walk in closet job since a closets function is primarily for efficient storage.
I think all would be better served on this forum if more people would just try to respond to the original posters questions ( as most have ) instead of spinning the questions into some pesonal debate.
I appreciate all the sound advice, and have decided to stack the cabinets in 3 sections for all the reasons you all have given.
Thanks
Vince Lisanti

I am not exactly sure what happened since I posted the original question since many posts have been removed, but I can certainly tell you I am NOT on any one side of a coin ! I do not think that Kerry was trying to sway me in one direction or another with his suggestions. He was just making a suggestion!
My library consists of both FF and Euro cabinetry. I chose to use all Euro boxes on this job because I felt it was right for "this" walk in closet job since a closets function is primarily for efficient storage.
I think all would be better served on this forum if more people would just try to respond to the original posters questions ( as most have ) instead of spinning the questions into some pesonal debate.
I appreciate all the sound advice, and have decided to stack the cabinets in 3 sections for all the reasons you all have given.
Thanks
Vince Lisanti
Dell Precision M4800
Intel(r) core(tm) i7-4800mq cpu @ 2.70ghz
32 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro K 2100M
Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
Intel(r) core(tm) i7-4800mq cpu @ 2.70ghz
32 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro K 2100M
Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
- Kerry Fullington
- Wizard Member
- Posts: 4734
- Joined: Mon, May 09 2005, 7:33PM
- Company Name: Double E Cabinets
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Location: Amarillo, TX
Re: Advice on Tall Cabinetry
Hello All,
I removed my posts because Gene and I had entered into a pointless debate over frame vs. frame less which contributed nothing to Vince's thread.The consensus on that subject is that nobody cares. I hoped that the discussion would die at that point. Maybe this is a good time to kill it.
Sorry for disrupting your thread Vince.
Kerry
I removed my posts because Gene and I had entered into a pointless debate over frame vs. frame less which contributed nothing to Vince's thread.The consensus on that subject is that nobody cares. I hoped that the discussion would die at that point. Maybe this is a good time to kill it.
Sorry for disrupting your thread Vince.
Kerry