Filler size for corner cabinets?

16 years ago

We have a corner of an L with a blind corner cabinet on one side and a bank of wide drawers on the other. Our cabinetmaker typically uses 2.5" filler on each side of the L to allow the pulls to clear. I'd love to go with 1.5" filler to make my latest cockamanie design idea work---but would that be creating new problems with clearance? Thought I'd get some feedback here first before broaching it with him... The pulls we are looking at have a 1" projection. Cabinets are frameless. I'm thinking the drawers should clear no problem, and we'd just need to be certain to align the door pull so that it isn't hitting a drawer pull (and have the right hinge to keep it from swinging open too far, but we'd need that even with a wider filler, I think...) Am I missing other big issues, though, or could this potentially work? (Cabinets are already built so can't change sizes, and wouldn't want to anyway.)

Thanks as always!

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Comments (4)

Buehl
16 years ago
Yes, it will cause issues. You need to remember that unless you have inset cabinets, your doors & drawer fronts will be another 1" deeper than the cabinets. Most pulls stick out another 1" to 1-1/4"...in your case 1". You also need some "wiggle room" to be sure you clear your pulls...say another 1/4".

So....

1" door/drawer front + 1" pull + 1/4" = 2-1/4"

Very close to what your carpenter "typically uses". He knows what he's talking about!

(If you have inset cabinets, you might be able to get away w/only 1-1/2" filler.)
Buehl
16 years ago
OK...I read the last part again...you might be able to figure out a way to do it by fiddling w/pull and knob locations, but I'm not sure I would be willing to take the chance. Besides, if you starting fiddling around w/the locations of the pulls & knobs, how will it look compared to the rest of the kitchen?

Do your drawers (including drawer fronts) fill the entire vertical space? I.e., are there any "gaps" b/w the drawers that a knob or pull would fit in? Or, do your drawers & drawer fronts fill the entire vertical space? (Inset cabs would have "gaps", but I don't think frameless would.)

How will the door to the blind cabinet open? If it's hinged on the corner side, you will need to be sure the door clears the pulls and then some (so you can open it more than 90 degrees.) If it's hinged on the other side, then you just need to be sure the drawer will clear the knob...there won't be any "clear space" where the knob could be placed. (Assuming the drawers open out far enough to reach the knob...do you have 3/4 or full-extension drawers? How wide is the opening to the blind corner cabinet?)

IMHO, I think you should stick with at least a 2-1/4" filler.
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artemis78
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks---sounds like I should stick with his rec. If I'm *really* lucky, we'll pick up an inch or two when we do the final measurement after the drywall is in, and will still be able to pull it off. Thanks for the help!
Kenneth Chumik
5 years ago
what if the doors have no pulls than what would the required clearance be?