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.
You will need a filler piece whenever there is a gap that needs to be filled and whenever you have a space between the wall and a cabinet that needs to be covered. Those spaces are required for the door to open properly and not hit the wall with the handle.
The filler will act as a transition piece from an imperfect wall to a perfectly square cabinet. In addition, fillers are used to allow the doors to operate properly without rubbing the wall, as well as make the cabinet look more built into place. Notes: This is a standard base cabinet filler.
Full overlay and frameless cabinets will always need fillers against walls to account for out of squareness and to give clearance to the knobs so they don't bang against the walls. They will also need fillers against tall cabinets for the same reason, and for appliances that have clearance issues.
Attach the Filler Strip
Spread the wood glue or silicone along the side of the filler strip. Then attach the strip diagonally. First place the glued side of the strip along near the cabinet, then push the other side until it aligns flush with your cabinet or a few inches within the gap, depending on your preference.
If corners, tight spaces, and uneven walls are a challenge in your kitchen design, fillers may be necessary to complete your installation. Typically, fillers are used to finish the space where an overall dimension of cabinetry is less than the overall wall dimension.
Anytime you have a run of cabinets that dies off into a wall, you would use a filler to effectively space the cabinet away from the wall by at least 2" (2" is the most common filler width).
You can build the cabinets to the ceiling (most expensive option), keep the area open (no cost!), build a soffit to match the cabinets, or add a drywall soffit.
Shape and Size of Cabinet Fillers
The size can range between 1″ to 6″ in width and 30″ to 96″ in length. However, size and shape vary according to the size of the cabinets and the space left in between to fill.
This largely depends on the corner or surface that you're looking to fill, but generally, fillers come in widths of 3″ and 6″ widths and are then cut to the desired size.
A practical way to fill the space is with a trolley filled with kitchen supplies (this version here is only 45cm wide). If you don't want your trolley on show a crafty solution is to use a curtain cover up. Even tall vertical gaps can be put to good use.
We know it's fun to focus on the material and finish of your external cabinets, but the interior is key, too. After all, this is where you'll store dishware, small appliances, food, and other cooking accessories, so it's important that the interior of your cabinets is stable and well-finished.
Where on Kitchen Cabinets Can You Caulk? When you talk about caulking to the wall or where the cabinet boxes meet, this is a more likely place where you will not have any problems. You want to ensure a clean line and only use enough caulk to fill the gap. Do not leave caulk on the wood surfaces.
There is a valid reason for the gap between the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling; this is the height that most people can reach by standing on the floor or by using a ladder.
Installing Cabinet Filler Strips Between Cabinets
All you need to do is cut it to a similar height of cabinets and then measure the covering distance of the right angle. Keep in mind that the cabinet corner needs at least three-inch of filler. We advise keeping one filler with at least ½-inch additional width.
How Big Of A Gap Can Wood Filler Fill? You can safely go up to 3/8th of an inch with wood filler. More than that is a hassle and may require further repairs.
Bathroom sealant tape is another great way to get rid of a small gap between a cabinet and back wall. Moreover, bathroom sealant tape is waterproof so it should last a while. Before applying the tape, be sure to clean surfaces to remove any moisture, otherwise it won't stick.
Filling routed cabinet doors is a manageable and budget-friendly way to update your kitchen cabinets. Fill the doors' grooves and repaint the cabinets to keep it simple, or add other design elements of your choosing.
Sometimes things go wrong or get overlooked in the installation process, and a dishwasher can end up having gaps between its body and the countertop above it and cabinets beside it. You can leave these empty spaces as they are, but it's much more aesthetically pleasing to fill them out.