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Mistakes are costly when dealing with cabinets and countertops - they're typically the most expensive components in the most expensive room. So whether you're building them or just installing them, your job is much easier when you arm yourself with the best information possible. These 17 articles from past issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine were written by builders and represent the hard-won knowledge of professionals who have learned from their mistakes.
- Install kitchen cabinets
- Create site-built frameless cabinets
- Reface existing kitchen cabinets
- Work with the latest materials
- Fabricate a solid-surface countertop
If you're a remodeler, Cabinets and Countertops provides the tools you need to profit from the most-requested jobs in the remodeling business - building or installing cabinets and countertops for bathrooms and kitchens. The builder-tested techniques and methods in this book allow you to build and install high-quality, durable, and cost-efficient cabinets and countertops for kitchens and baths - or for any room in the house. From simple to elaborate, from budget to high-end, this book covers a range of cabinet and countertop projects and gives you the technical help you need to get the job done.
Contents
Part 1: Cabinets
An Inside Look at Kitchen Cabinets
Installing Kitchen Cabinets
Refacing Kitchen Cabinets
Frameless Cabinets with a Traditional Look
Traditional Cabinetry from a Modern Material
Hybrid Cabinet Construction
Installing Kitchen Cabinets
Making Heart-Pine Cabinets
Simple Frameless Cabinets Building on Site
Site-Built Kitchen
Building a Lazy-Susan Cabinet
Working with Melamine
Part 2: Countertops
Make Your Own Laminate Countertops
Hardwood Edgings for Plastic Laminate
Building Concrete Countertops
Choosing Kitchen Countertops
Making a Solid-Surface Countertop
Credits
Index
From the Introduction
Some years ago, my friend Tom installed laminate counters in his sister's new kitchen. Lying on his back, half inside a cabinet, attaching the counters from below, he ran out of screws. Tom asked his sister to run to the truck. "Be sure to get the 2-inch screws," he warned, "Not the 2 1/2-inch."
She brought him the screws and left the room. Tom stood up, got his pliers and cut 1/4 inch off one of the screws. He placed the screw tip on the counter, balanced upright, so that it looked like it had penetrated from below. Then he started yelling and cursing. "Damnit, I said get the TWO-INCH screws!" His sister ran back into the kitchen and looked at the "ruined" countertop in horror. Tom let her twist in the wind before he picked up the screw tip and went back to work.
I'd think that story was funnier if I hadn't once ruined a countertop myself. In my case, the screws weren't too long. I simply got overzealous with the drill, this was before cordless versions with umpteen clutch settings, and drove the screw halfway through the cabinet stretcher, cracking the Formica. As I learned, mistakes are costly when dealing with cabinets and countertops - typically the most expensive components in the most expensive room.
Whether you're building cabinets and countertops or installing them, always arm yourself with the best information possible. These 17 articles from past issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine were written by builders and represent the hard-won knowledge of professionals who have learned from their mistakes.
- Kevin Ireton, Editor, Fine Homebuilding |
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