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Forum topic by dakremer | posted 07-10-2017 11:49 PM | 1524 views | 1 time favorited | 53 replies | ![]() |
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07-10-2017 11:49 PM |
Hey guys, quick question…. I’m about to start designing some built-in cabinets and built-in shelves for my living room wall. Something similar to this design…. I’m wondering what the common depths are (depth of shelves, depth of cabinets, overhang of cabinet top)? Any help would be appreciated… -- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!! |
53 replies so far
#1 posted 07-10-2017 11:56 PM |
There’s no standard for built-ins. Lower kitchen cabinets are 24” deep and uppers are 11 3/4” IIRC. Most bookshelves are ~12-16” deep. Kitchen countertops should overhang cabinets by 1.5” or so. But again, that’s for kitchens. |
#2 posted 07-11-2017 12:04 AM |
What jonah said ^^ |
#3 posted 07-11-2017 12:07 AM |
I was thinking 20” deep for the cabinets and 12-15” deep for the shelves…. -- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!! |
#4 posted 07-11-2017 12:13 AM |
The bottom sections of built-ins like this 20” deep is sensible. |
#5 posted 07-11-2017 12:13 AM |
Years ago my shelves would end up being 12”. -- An Index Of My Model making Blogs https://www.lumberjocks.com/htl/blog/130264 |
#6 posted 07-11-2017 12:44 AM |
Upper and base can be any size. There is no set standard for this. usually there is a plug along the side wall that sets the depth on many bases. As far as counter tops….There usually 25” residential and 25” commercial. Blanks are sold 25”x144” just for this purpose… Paint or stain? |
#7 posted 07-11-2017 12:56 AM |
First I would consider what are going on those shelves. Usually books are the the usual items. Look at the size of the biggest books that you intend to put on them and size the depth of the shelves accordingly. I assume you are going to make them adjustable shelves. When I built my bookshelves/shoe storage project I used saw-tooth shelf adjusters. As for the bottom cabinets, again I would determine the depth by what I wanted to store in them. In the bookshelves/shoe cabinet I built, it was determined by the tilt-out shoe storage containers. Your 20” deep cabinets and 12 inch shelves sounds good to me. You might want to consider including full extension low side shelves … depending on what you intend to put in the cabinets. It will make getting to the items in the back of the deep cabinets easier. You should also consider a toe kick at the bottom 3-4” deep. If you live near a furniture store or an IKEA store, take a tape measure and see what dimensions you find as a guide. Hope that helps. -- Tyvekboy -- Marietta, GA ………….. one can never be too organized |
#8 posted 07-11-2017 12:59 AM |
If the built in is meant as an entertainment center, be sure the TV area is big enough for future expansion in the size of the TV. Nothing like sizing the cabinet for your current TV and then not being able to go bigger ever because the built in can’t fit anything bigger. Calculate the physical size of the largest TV you could see yourself owning and go with that. Also, be sure cabinets meant for components/game systems have a way to get air in and out. Those things generate a lot of heat. I’d put ventilation holes or even a big cut away along the red line to let air out of the lower cabinets. |
#9 posted 07-11-2017 01:09 AM |
If you are putting books on them a 10 inch wide shelf is plenty, unless you are dealing with oversized books. Remember this is custom and you are building it for your things. Forget about standard, and what everyone else is doing. That is where you need to go to find your answer of how deep the shelves should be. -- nice recovery, They should pay extra for that mistake, Eric E. |
#10 posted 07-11-2017 01:43 AM |
Alot of good advice above, including Jonah’s comments about ventilation for electronic components you plan to store inside cabinets. -- Rick - I know I am not perfect, but I will keep pressing on toward the goal of becoming all I am called to be. |
#11 posted 07-11-2017 01:48 AM |
The is pretty much and open book on something like that . Design it around what you want to put on it/in it, your budget and material use. Shelf spans are important. Are your shelves going to me adjustable or fixed? shelves spans can be short or long depending on how you build them. There just so many possibilities on something like this. For instance on material usage. If I want the best use of plywood the shelves will finish out at 12’’ inch with after edge banding with solid wood, that way you get 4 rips out of a sheet. 3 rips per sheet you can have 16’’ shelves etc. Which brings up the question, what you going to make it out of. -- Alaskan's for Global warming! |
#12 posted 07-11-2017 02:10 AM |
Twenty inches deep on the bottoms and 12 on the top would look pretty good. Consider what material you will be using and see how you can maximize usage with as little waste as possible. +1 What Alaskaguy said. -- Handcrafted by Mike Henderson - Channelview, Texas |
#13 posted 07-11-2017 02:29 AM |
Might as well cut rips 11 7/8” and get the most out of it. I try to keep openings under 32 so you get 3 pieces out of the sheet, Making the TV sized for the biggest you may get is good. I would prefer 22” for the base if you have the room. |
#14 posted 07-11-2017 11:25 AM |
Doug, I think you are right on with your sizes!! -- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!! Variety is the Spice of Life!! |
#15 posted 07-11-2017 02:12 PM |
Thanks for the replies guys! I think i’m going to go with 11 7/8” cut shelves (with 3/4 face frame) and then 20-22” deep base cabinets A few questions I forgot to ask….what is the typically height of the base cabinets? Same as kitchen cabinets? We decided we do not want a toe kick. Also, what is probably the widest doors I’d want to make on it? My wall spans 16’ across. Planning on adding drawers and doors so want things to look proportional.. -- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!! |
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