# How to fix this gap in new cabinet faceframes?



## bgilb (Jan 9, 2010)

I've built new upper cabinets, but a giant gap about 1/8" appeared. Mine are definitely square. But I'm not sure if the old ones are square. Or it's bad luck that all their misalignments added up at the exact same angle. What can I do to fix this?


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

use a clamp and see if you can pull the frame flush, then use trim head screws to hold the case.

if you cannot "persuade" it, shave a little taper to the panel on the right, with a block plane or if you are good, you can make 2 passes across the jointer set at ~ a fat 32nd, but drop the bottom edge onto the outfeed table so you take "nothing" off the bottom, but get a straight taper as you push the rest of the frame across.

Table Saw on a sled also would work. how are the frames made? Mortised or are the rails and styles pocket screwed?


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## BFamous (Jan 26, 2018)

Scribe it, then shave it to your scribe line.

Hopefully you haven't "permanently" attached them yet so you can just pull them out.

Are you planning on trying to stain to match the existing cabinets, or painting the entire thing? Did you use oak for the face frames? I can't tell from the pic, but it looks like you may have a hard time matching the existing cabinet stain.
If you are going to paint, you may be able to get away with filling it and a lot of sanding to make it smooth…


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Are there cabinets on both sides of those in the pic? If so, you might be moving the gap down the line by shaving one edge.


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## redlee (Apr 11, 2016)

Are the new cabinets sitting on the old ?
Or are the new screwed to the wall ?
Could just be out of square when resting or screwed to an uneven wall.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Pull the top cabs out less than half way, clamp together and fasten together has DrDirt suggested.

Save that, check for level and plumb shim and then fasten together.

You got this bgilb!


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Bottom cabinets might have sagged a bit and aren't level anymore. You could shim the left upper under the right stile and then put some kind of trim over the gap between the uppers and lowers. Lots of ways to cheat it.


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## bgilb (Jan 9, 2010)

Nothings screwed in yet. It seems like the 2 bottom cabinets have sagged at their connection point. Why there isn't a gap between them I don't know. They have a small gap maybe 1/16". Since im painting, if I were to shim and fill the gap in what are the possibilities? Would caulk show?

It was built using picket screws. I didn't use matching oak since I'm painting them 

Thanks for the help!


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## bgilb (Jan 9, 2010)

I may also just shave the left one as someone suggested. The right cabinet goes into a corner so errors would be easy to hide. Would this affect the doors lining up?


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## Mike_D_S (May 3, 2012)

This may or may not be practical for what you need to do, but I had a case similar to this where I had a gap (mine was on the top) and due to them going in already mounted cabinets, I couldn't plane one side down or I was going to just transfer the gap to the other side against the existing cabinets.

I measured the gap at the top with them clamped to the cabinets and then took them down. I put the cabinets together and used a couple of pieces of scrap face frame material to attach them together with the same gap I measured. Then I just used my track saw to cut a slot along the joint which basically squared the sides of the cabinet to each other with a consistent gap the width of my saw blade.

After remounting the cabinets and checking the gap again, I made up a simple spacer strip that I tapped in until flush with a little glue on one side. Then once the glue set up I put in a couple of cabinet face frame rim screws to lock them together.

In my case, the gap was a little smaller than 1/8" and it didn't impact the line of the doors. I could tell it was there when I looked, but it wasn't something you would notice unless you were looking for it.

Mike


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