This is a library and a couple of bath cabinets we did while we were still up and running. I designed and built around $250,000 worth of cabinetry for this home including 2 kitchens, a his and her bath, his and her closets, childrens private baths and walk in closets, a mud room, butlers pantry, regular pantry, hobby room, garage cabinetry, laundry room, dumb waiter doors, library, and even a dog room.
The cabinetry shown here is alder hardwood and ply. We did all the finishing as well. As always I welcome constructive criticism.
Viewer Comments:
HHard to see from pic. But bath no.1 inserts in columns look to short from top. And it would be nice to not see towels thru door gap. But that finish looks great.No.2 bath if you make those door and drawers inset, it would make a big difference. But that curve front piece it’s nice. Good work. Nice finish.
Thanks Peter. The inserts in the columns have an equal space at the top and the bottom. If I had tried to fill the space the cut wouldn't have been on a weird part of the carving, so to maintain the line with the doors I opted to have the larger space. I agree that the door gap should have been closed up, as the doors are on adjustable hinges. That was an oversight on the installers part (me). I chose to do frameless on bath no. 2 because everything else was inset. (will have other cabinet pics to share soon). I thought if I kept the doors and drawer fronts in line with the columns it would look somewhat inset. I wasn't trying to take a shortcut, just being different then the rest of the house.
Sorry, can't edit our comments, I meant to say the cut WOULD have been on a weird part of the carving for bath no.1. Thanks for the comments. Every job is a learning experience and if people just give high fives and not true opinions we can't really learn. So your comments are appreciated.
the work looks good from what i can see of it, but i'm glad i don't live in that dungeon house, too damn dark and stodgy! i do like the bath 1 vanity except of course for the 1/4 " reveal between the doors which you've already discussed. also i noticed on second look that in the bay window pic the stile on the panel above doesn't line up with the stile on the ceiling panel below it. i know thats really nitpicky but i did notice it so i thought i'd mention it. overall it looks great for a vampire's mansion!
I like alder as a cherry substitute. Did you use solvent or water based finishes? I did notice the glue lines in the ceiling panels. Those can be toublesome with that dark of finish. Great job though. I really like dark finishes again.
ABSOLUTALY WE JUST CAN'T WIN EVERY CABINET...
I'd live in it in a heartbeat. Isn't the ceiling ply? I can see the veneer lines but no glue lines.
Looks really good.
Geoff, It seems dark because the pictures were taken at night. During the day the light brightens the room very well, and the door to it is a big archway that leads into the foyer (spelling?).
Jeff, I used Solvent finishes. The lines you see are the veneer lines as shawn pointed out. It is 1/4" paneling.
As far as the stiles lining up on the ceiling of the bay window and the upper wall section, I had to decide to either line them up with the window or with the room panel. Because I couldn't have one centered because of the light, I chose to off set that section to match the window. Looking at it now I would probably prefer to match it up with the other panels. You win some, lose some. Thanks for the comments guys.
For the vanities I would have used the same base profile to tie in the pieces to the room. Then in bath one use the carving on the base molding at the top just under the counter.
I like the dark paneling. Although I would have tried to be a little more careful in selecting the pieces for the individual panels and avoid veneer seems on the small ones. Were you usin whole piece veneer ply or plain sliced?
It looks like a combination of the two.
F.
Floss, I agree with the base moulding but we weren't under contract for anything but the cabs. I designed all the cabinetry for the house and had it all approved. The general contractor just did as he pleased in my opinion. If I were in charge of the home I would have done as you suggested for sure.
About the paneling, to be honest I just order select grade 1/4" ply from the distributor and get what I get. I've never went to a yard and selected the materials for a job, and I only order enough to do the work. Now, if she'd pay me a few grand more I'd have been more selective for sure but I was under a tight budget and had other jobs to attend to as well. What's the saying...It's not a piano...
kol,
If the client is happy then that is all that matters.
It seems as if the quality of ply has really dropped ever since the asian imports have become popular.
All my local lumberyards only carry asian ply so I have to get decent material delivered from Richmond. I'm in Charlottesville Va.
I'm with you on the budget constraints. If the money is not there you do the best you can
F.
Floss, I agree that the quality of ply has dropped. I'd say the quality of everything has dropped. But we do the best we can with what we can get. I appreciate the responses. Thanks guys.
What do you mean"while we were still up and running"?
Jim, My wife left me in April of 2008 and the business basically folded. In August of 08 I shut the shop down. I went 10 months without work, trying to do anything from get business to getting a job. I finally have a job and have also been getting some commissioned jobs. I'm working out of my garage at night and on the weekends to try to make a come back and work full time helping another shop get things running efficiently. Anyhow, I had some guys, a nice shop, etc "while we were still up and running". Now, I have 100k worth of debt, no credit, and everyday is a struggle to pay the bills. But I'm trying.
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