Help With My Kitchen Island Design Plan

[Zack Olson]

This is my first post, so hopefully it is in the same place.

I've already torn out my old island, so I am committed. The wife also said that I could buy all the tools I need, in order to get this done, so I went shopping.

I plan to build my island out of a 48" cabinet and a 24" cabinet, forming a "T". My question is how to achieve the look of seamless outside corners. (I plan to purchase prefab doors, so the exposed side and back of the cabinet will be panels made from doors).

I'm using 3/4" plywood (birch or cabinet grade) for sides and back, all will be painted white.

As far as joining the carcass, I think I will do butt joints and attach with the Festool Domino DF500 (I had contemplated a lock miter, or a rabbit/dado combination…but since the carcass will be hidden by the panel, I'm not sure it matters).

See the photos below, I appreciate your feedback:


You can see the island here, designed to seat 6. The slab is 50" x 70" supported by the cabinets and two 3x3 posts (Im debating whether or not to build an apron from the cabinet to the posts)
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View from below

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I assume the way to do this is to make the face frame stick out to the same reveal as the finished panel. (would bondo or other filler , or just caulk, be a good choice to seal any small gap if it exists?). See the below "top view" of what I am talking about.

Cabinets Revised-04.jpg

I plan to attach the panels from the inside using countersunk 1.25" flat head screws and glue.

I am looking for feedback, as well as advice on how to achieve perfect outside corners, for example:

kitchen-island-dsc00098_1.jpgkitchen-island-dsc00098_1.jpg

How is this look achieved? How does one make the transition from the panel to the face frame so seamless.

Thank you in advance!

[Gene Davis]

Your end panels are your cabinet sides. No need for plywood sides under.

Be sure to size your stile widths to be faceframe-thickness shy on the front face. With biscuits and glue that joint can be seamed to be invisible, especially under the primer and paint.

What is the purpose of the hard-to-reach cabinet underneath?

And yes, do aprons.

[Zack Olson]

Gene, Thanks for the reply.

I had planned to do plywood for extra support for the weight of the large granite slab that will be going on top. If it isn't necessary, I'm open to not having it.

Hard-to-reach cabinet is for items we only need like once a quarter. Wife's idea

I do plan to attach the Face-frame using Dominos (don't have a biscuit joiner). How would you join the back and side panels without using plywood? (I had planned to cut plywood inclusive of the toe-kick cutout. I assume if I were to use panels for the structure, then I'd build the box and stack it on another box for the toe-kick?

Your end panels are your cabinet sides. No need for plywood sides under.

Be sure to size your stile widths to be faceframe-thickness shy on the front face. With biscuits and glue that joint can be seamed to be invisible, especially under the primer and paint.

What is the purpose of the hard-to-reach cabinet underneath?

And yes, do aprons.

[Sam Murdoch]

Hi Zack - For ease of construction which mitigates the extra expense I would build as you show in your top OPTION D sketch.

A few reasons -

1) Allows you to screw your cabinet parts and your ganged up boxes together without needing to be an engineer!

2) Makes for a very clean interior.

3) Easy to support shelves or pullouts on plywood than on 5 piece panels.

4) Reduces the free face dimension (the left over just hanging off either side of the panel) of the face frame - and if you are using dominos I would go the step of flushing out the interior panel with the edge of the face frame. This makes alignment with the domino a no brainer and the flush sides are a very clean look for attaching pullouts or shelves. THIS IS MY PREFERRED WAY OF BUILDING CABINETRY - flush the face frame inside and out.

You will find that the domino is a bit too exacting for face frame work - this is the one place I prefer biscuits - but if you elongate most of your slots attaching the ff will be easier and the alignment will be precise.

I typically use prefinished plywood on cabinet interiors because the finish is very good, clean looking and easily cleaned and saves so much finish work. I also typically add a tiny round over on the back edge of the face frame and of the cabinet edge to provide a visible break that serves the purpose of visually eliminating any out of flushness and provides a paint break for painted or stained face frames.

I also flush all my bottoms with the top edge of the face frame bottom rail and flush the top of the top rail with a 3" x 3/4" plywood spreader that I add front and back of my base cabinet boxes. These are attachment points (if needed) and support for the c-top.

Since the finished ends are more often finished to match the face frames I attach those directly to my face frame with biscuit or dominos and glue and finish that assembly before attaching to the cabinet.

Leave the cabinet backs off (if practical) until your face frames are attached so that you can clamp front to back while the glue dries and no fastening needed. The back end of the finished panel is blocked off from the interior side panel and held in place with a few screws from the inside into the panel rail. No compromise of wood movement.

If you prefer, rather than butting the finished end to the face farm you can do a miter on the outside corner. I would only do this with stain grade or clear finished cabinetry not on painted cabs. I use a tape and fold method after doing the miter on the TS or shaper but others use a lock miter off the shaper with great success.

Sorry if I missed or am repeating something you already detailed but here in any case is my 2¢. More info available if you need it.

[robin charlton]

Using plywood is a great idea, I appreciate your design work. Go for dark brown color designed ply woods that looks great.

[Jeff Heil]

Talk to your granite supplier about what support you need for the slab. Depending on the thickness of your slab, you can plan accordingly. My slab on my kitchen island extends 12" unsupported for stools (towards the camera in this photo) without any issues. I agree with the others about adding aprons. I agree with your plan to add an extra cabinet for seldom used items. I built extra cabinets under all 8 feet of the front of our island as you look at it in this picture from the great room, and they are full of cookie cutters, mixer, bar and wine glasses and other entertaining dishes.
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