Toekick – The recessed toe space at the bottom of a base cabinet.
In most cases, it should be possible to replace only the lower cabinets and still have a cohesive-looking kitchen that's appealing to buyers.
It is possible to change out areas of your subfloor without removing your kitchen cabinets, but it must be done very carefully and probably with professional guidance.
Toe Kick. The very bottom of the cabinet is recessed to allow room for your feet while you work at the countertop. This is called the toe kick. You can cut notches in the sides to create this area, so long as you added the extra height to these pieces.
Base Cabinet Basics
While it is possible for base cabinets to have carcasses constructed of solid wood, it is much more common for today's cabinets to use MDF or plywood box construction, with solid hardwood used for the face frames, doors, and drawer fronts.
Traditional cabinets that lay against a supporting wall do not get attached to the floor. The only time kitchen cabinets are attached to the floor is when they are free-standing kitchen cabinets, like an island or a peninsula.
A filler is a piece of finished wood used to "fill" openings or gaps between cabinets, or a cabinet and any obstruction, that would inhibit the doors or drawers from fully functioning.
It is possible to clean, dry, and repair water-damaged wooden kitchen cabinets. However, note that you'll have to put in the time and effort to perform the repairs on your own. You will also need to complete the cleanup and restoration process before more issues occur.
Peel and Stick Vinyl Tiles
Similar to adhesive waterproof liners, peel and stick vinyl tiles provide adequate protection against water damage. You can cut vinyl tiles to perfectly fit your cabinet surface, leaving no parts unprotected.
Water damage – if your cabinets are swollen due to water damage, the wood will warp so that you can't close your cabinets properly. Dark colour spots, bubbling, and de-lamination are also signs of water damage.
You can keep your countertops if your kitchen layout stays the same. You can also update your design, and still use your countertops. This means that the “footprint” of your kitchen layout needs to stay the same. The base cabinets could change to pull-out drawers, including new inserts, etc.
To replace a drawer bottom, remove one end of the drawer and slide the bottom panel out. Replace it with a new plywood or hardboard panel cut to fit. Some drawer bottoms are lightly tacked to a piece of molding nailed to the inside edges of the sides and back, and some drawer bottoms are set on triangular glue blocks.
Refacing your cabinets involves replacing the cabinet doors, drawer fronts and end pieces to give your kitchen or bathroom a new look without demoing the existing cabinet boxes. Changing the look of your cabinets can involve sanding, priming and painting surfaces.
In most cases, the cabinets are installed before the floor covering but after the subfloor and underlayment. The floor covering or finish is usually cut to fit and butted against the cabinets, with a small gap between the two that is covered by nailing a shoe molding or baseboard to the bottom of the base cabinets.
TOE KICK. The recessed space between the base cabinet and the floor is called the toe kick. It is designed to allow space for your feet so you can stand closer to the countertop.
A thin bead of caulk can seal or fill that small gap between cabinets and floors in less than 30 minutes. I love a quick win, guys! This DIY works on gaps 1/4″ and smaller. If your gap is larger than a 1/4″, you should use trim first, like quarter round.
Depth: A cabinet's depth is typically either 12 or 24 inches. The 24-inch depths are commonly used for base cabinets, while the 12-inch deep boxes are used for wall cabinets. A deep cabinet can be manufactured in shallower cabinets aren't work for your existing kitchen needs.
A kitchen soffit is a closed-in area above the cabinets. Soffits were a popular design included in homes in the mid-to-late 1900s.
Replacing a subfloor is not difficult to learn, but it is a labor-intensive and time-consuming job. DIYers who tackle this project on their own should ensure they're comfortable with removing and reinstalling flooring, drywall, and trim before beginning.
There are many signs that your damaged subfloor should be replaced with a new subfloor. These include squeaks and other noises, cupping or warping, cracked or popped tiles, sagging or unevenness, the smell of mold or mildew, or bubbling tile.