Kitchen cabinet backs

[Mrs C]

Apologies, this has probably been done to death before, but I haven't found an answer.

There seem to be at least 3 schools of thought regarding backs on kitchen cabinets

1) Full thickness mounted straight onto the sides/top

2) Rebated into sides/top

3) Thinner piece slotted into sides and screwed to the top.


What are the preferred methods and why?

Many thanks

 

[Chrispy]

Well I'm one for full thickness ie 18mm mainly because I use mfc and find it difficult to obtain matching 9mm for the backs, also i biscuit glue and screw the backs which helps support the top and bottom shelves, it also means wall ccabinets can be screwed through the back to the wall.

 

[memzey]

Do you not leave a void at the back for pipes etc?

 

[Chrispy]

Do you not leave a void at the back for pipes etc?

Only where there are pipes, I think if you are paying for a fitted kitchen it should fit.

 

[owen]

I use 6mm backs in a slot. Full height with a top rail of 18mm behind the panel. Don't see any point in using anything thicker the cabinets I make are plenty strong enough. This is with birch ply. For wall cabinets I do the same and use proper wall fixings for kitchen cabinets.

 

[meccarroll]

Do you not leave a void at the back for pipes etc?

Only where there are pipes, I think if you are paying for a fitted kitchen it should fit.

kitchen units with voids for services are still fitted, they just allow for all possibilities as circumstances sometimes changes from the initial design stage. I do understand that when making a kitchen negating a large void would give more space to a confined kitchen so quite advantegous to do when things are not to change.

I quite like your idea of beefing up the back panel, could you use melamine faced MDF as an alternative to match all internal faces?

Mark

 

[pcb1962]

Do you not leave a void at the back for pipes etc?

Only where there are pipes, I think if you are paying for a fitted kitchen it should fit.

So do you make the cupboard the full depth of the worktop?

 

[Chrispy]

Do you not leave a void at the back for pipes etc?

Only where there are pipes, I think if you are paying for a fitted kitchen it should fit.

So do you make the cupboard the full depth of the worktop?

I have no hard and fast rule, if the walls are good and true then I would leave maybe 20mm behind unless there are pipes work round or if its all drawers then I'd make the cabinet to suit the runners, really every kitchen is different.