Finish Carpentry / Kitchen Cabinets

[xavier4or]

A designed vs build question. Does anyone know of a cabinet standard for tolerances allowed in overall dimensions? In other words, if a cabinet is suppose to be 24â€

[chrisprickett]

There is no standard, per se, but 24 is the guideline. When I had my kitchen biz, we rep'd for three different cabinet companies- and all had at least a couple lines. Widths run in multiples of 3" (9-12-15, etc) but depths could be off by as much as 1/2"- usually smaller than 24", but one was 24 1/4". Frameless can be different as well. It really depends on the way the the shop is set up.

[JEuriech]

You can try the Cabinet Makers Association after they get their new web site up and running.

http://www.cabinetmakers.org/

[xavier4or]

I should have mentioned this is for custom cabinets. The problem is the general contractor has delivered a full set of cabinets thru out the house and a handful of them are "off" anywhere from 1/4" to 2". I said anything over 1/2" needs to be replaced but I cannot find an industry standard anywhere for "overall" dimensions. He, of course, disagrees and says they are still functional and they do not need to be replaced.

I have contacted Woodwork Institute of California - http://www.wicnet.org/ - since they are referenced in the Residential Construction Standards my state follows.

[chrisprickett]

A 2" difference in depth will definitely make installation a pain. The guy doesn't know what he's doing if he built them like that. That being said, a good installer can probably make it work, but you may have issues when it comes to counter tops- especially if you're buying off the shelf post-form laminate.

Another concern would be overall quality. If the guy can't figure out how to read a tape, he probably didn't make the square and true either.

[xavier4or]

Definitely concerned about overall quality but there are standards to help hold the builder accountable.

My view is the owner should be able to have the custom cabinet rebuilt if there is more than 1/2" difference between than drawings and the actual.

Still searching for a standard on this...

[chrisprickett]

Xavier,

If they're custom, they're just that. I've built cabinets of all shapes and sizes to accommodate various requirements and whims. I've built sink base cabinets 28" deep to accommodate an antique farmer's sink. It's a common design practice to build cabinets of different depths to make a style statement. If a wall is uneven, I'll build an extended side panel to scribe to the wall.

Did you give, or did the carpenter supply, a set of plans that included dimensions? Unless he did not build them to specific provided specs, I don't think you'll find any standard to base your complaint.

[xavier4or]

Thanks Chris - appreciate your help and insight on this.

A full set of drawings (to scale, all critical dimensions, etc) were provided. The builders written response is "Cabinet functions as intended" which is true the do open / closet but they are definitely off from the drawings.

I could understand 1/32" off, even 1/16", but 1/2"+ for custom cabinets seems excessive.