Bodging kitchen corner units smaller?

Bodging kitchen corner units smaller?

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bristolbaron

Original Poster:

4,756 posts

211 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
I’m fitting a used kitchen as I’ve run out of cash! All’s well so far, except the corner units stick out too far to get an oven in the middle.

I could do with cutting the sides down and getting them back together in a shorter position. Is it even possible? It doesn’t need to last forever, or look perfect. I’m thinking screw/glue/dowel might do it? What’s the best way of getting straight cuts?

Worse case scenario I buy new corners but if I can make this work I’m a happy man!

jas xjr

11,309 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
as a bodger of many years standing , i feel qualified to answer.

make the cuts to the side of the units that butt up to the wall. so you are cutting the backs of the units. using a circular saw this should be fairly easy. if you attempt to cut the units either side of where the cooker needs to go, it is possible but needs more accuracy and work.

i hope that makes sense , somebody more qualified should be along soon.

edited to add. strengthen the units with scrap wood before you cut them. fitted to the side of the unit that you inted to retain.

Edited by jas xjr on Sunday 19th November 17:41

wolfracesonic

6,940 posts

126 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
Reduce the units where they abut the cooker, equal amount off both sides, screw/dowel back on, but......what about the doors? I assume they're a raised panel type, no idea how you'd cut them without it looking pants. If you reduce the back of the unit then you lose worktop space; possibly a bigger overhang on the worktop just to get by for a while?

Edited by wolfracesonic on Sunday 19th November 17:55


Edited by wolfracesonic on Sunday 19th November 17:57

98elise

26,364 posts

160 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
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How wide is the existing gap, and what do you expect to do with the doors?

campionissimo

578 posts

123 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
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If the gap is 300mm or more then you could just adapt one corner unit and have the oven off centre.

Is the kitchen that narrow? It looks like it's less than 900mm between the fronts of the cabinets on either side, so if put a door on a 600mm cabinet and you'll struggle to open it and crouch down to get stuff out. In a room that narrow you'd be better off with 600mm deep cupboards on one side only.

ColinM50

2,630 posts

174 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
jas xjr said:
as a bodger of many years standing , i feel qualified to answer.

make the cuts to the side of the units that butt up to the wall. so you are cutting the backs of the units. using a circular saw this should be fairly easy. if you attempt to cut the units either side of where the cooker needs to go, it is possible but needs more accuracy and work.

i hope that makes sense , somebody more qualified should be along soon.

edited to add. strengthen the units with scrap wood before you cut them. fitted to the side of the unit that you inted to retain.

Edited by jas xjr on Sunday 19th November 17:41
Defo this. Done it on two kitchens, worst was a v.expensive Magnet solid oak one I was fitting for/with a mate. Worked out we needed 70 mm off to get the fridge in the gap, same situation as yours, and when I laid the unit down and cut 35mm off the back he went doolally. Then explained what I was doing and why, doing it off the back meant the doors didn't need to be cut and it looked brill

Fore Left

1,411 posts

181 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
jas xjr said:
as a bodger of many years standing , i feel qualified to answer.

make the cuts to the side of the units that butt up to the wall. so you are cutting the backs of the units. using a circular saw this should be fairly easy. if you attempt to cut the units either side of where the cooker needs to go, it is possible but needs more accuracy and work.
Surely this will reduce the depth of the units along the side walls making them too narrow. Top bodging sir bowrofl

jas xjr

11,309 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
the op could also chase out the plaster to gain a few more mm.

with used kitchens , you have to be a little creative.

motco

15,918 posts

245 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
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I've reduced 600mm deep units to 450mm deep including reducing the drawers depth. Making units narrower with anything less than dead plain doors is less easy though. Listen to the bodger in the earlier post - he's made the mistakes so you don't have to!

bristolbaron

Original Poster:

4,756 posts

211 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
Thanks guys,

A bit more info..

The kitchen is long and narrow, at 225cm. I need to run units down both sides as the left has windows and the right will carry wall cabinets.

Offsetting the oven isn’t my favourite idea, as it’ll look unbalanced and I’ve then got the door right against units.

Gap between unit fronts at opposite sides is 104cm.

Current gap for oven is 38cm, so I need to find 22cm.

Doors either side of oven would need to be cut too. (11cm each) they’re plain handleless doors so I haven’t got to worry about centring a shaker style inlay.

I know the edges wouldn’t look great, but with the corner piece between the units I can at least hide the bulk of it.

Cutting the backs off would get me part way there, but I’d need to do the whole run both sides and would then need to run service pipes inside cabinets - time and money!



Edited by bristolbaron on Sunday 19th November 18:37

jas xjr

11,309 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
i would make all the units the same depth.also depends whether the reduced depth of the unit might cause problems with mounting a sink. all good fun. if you want to go down the route of cutting down the doors, you might want to look at painting the units in a contemporary colour.i have used a specialist paint for this and the results were stunning.
quite ill at the moment , but when i get the chance i will post photos of a £250 kitchen refurb.
which i did on a rental property for my sister. which included neff appliances , solid wood worktops , and a lot of elbow grease.
i am not a powerfully built company director obviously. smile

wolfracesonic

6,940 posts

126 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
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Good puzzle OP! Another thought; cut down the units to the sides of the cooker equally, cut down the doors to suit, then use piano hinge to cover the cut edge, with the hinge side to the corner post. Will be interesting to see what you do!

jas xjr

11,309 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
you can buy a jig to accurately re-position the hinges , should you choose to go down that route. very cheap bit of plastic , which saves a lot of time.

Ashtray83

568 posts

167 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
I assume it's not a current range? Otherwise you could just get 2 doors 100 mm shorter and take the odds off the backs?
If not it, won't look that bad cutting the doors down maybe get some paint mixed up to match? keep the cuts adjacent to the corner posts no one will ever look

bristolbaron

Original Poster:

4,756 posts

211 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
It could well be a current range, The units are about 6 years old, but could be from anywhere. I’d imagine the colour would be discontinued though!

I was thinking about colour matching some smaller fronts, but would run into issues unless I did the lot.

A jig could be handy, I’m guessing I’d also need a router? Would also work for the worktops and no one needs an excuse to buy tools! If I bought a router could I use this to cut the sides down? I'm guessing i'd give a neater finish than a jig saw..





Edited by bristolbaron on Sunday 19th November 20:32

V8RX7

26,762 posts

262 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
I've cut similar down with a handsaw then a quick sand - job done.

I would cut the side near the hinge to hide the cut edge.

As the doors will end up around 200mm I wonder if it's a bodge too far to screw them shut ?

mcg_

1,445 posts

91 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
Reducing the depth of the side unit sounds like a good idea but could cause problems with other thing? As has been mentioned, a sink may be difficult to find. Also a fridge/washing machine/dish washer would stick out a bit.

Just put a wine cooler in it and download justeat

timberman

1,280 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
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[quote=bristolbaron]It could well be a current range, The units are about 6 years old, but could be from anywhere. I’d imagine the colour would be discontinued though!

I was thinking about colour matching some smaller fronts, but would run into issues unless I did the lot.

A jig could be handy, I’m guessing I’d also need a router? Would also work for the worktops and no one needs an excuse to buy tools! If I bought a router could I use this to cut the sides down? I'm guessing i'd give a neater finish than a jig saw..

A router would actually be the best tool for cutting both the doors the shelves and back panels as it will give the neatest and most accurate cut.

you don't need to spend a fortune but I would recommend one with a half inch chuck + get yourself a decent straight cutter,
you'll also need a straight edge you can clamp to the panels/doors to get a neat cut

once you've dismantled the units and cut the parts to size you can just fasten the sides and back to the shelves with screws rather than messing about with dowels as where the cabinets are situated the screws won't be on show anyway.







timberman

1,280 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all

should also say, you should reduce it on both sides where they meet the cooker and not as has been suggested on the wall side,

taking 110mm from the wall side will step the unit in and create issues with the worktop,

it may also mean the doors will catch on the side units when trying to open them.

The Moose

22,820 posts

208 months

Sunday 19th November 2017
quotequote all
I can’t quite tell, but those doors look like they’ll be a bh to cut down - they look like they’ll chip all over the shop.