HELP w/ Thermador Freedom Cabinet Front

16 years ago

My new kitchen is nearly complete and my new 30" Thermador columns are installed and operating, albeit without the cabinet fronts. And as a side note - I LOVE them!

So need some help / insight on the cabinet fronts from those of you familiar w/ cabinet front installs on these units.

I have my units installed side by side in a large single hole cabinet with a armoire bonnet top. The doors will be designed such that it looks like a large walnut armoire with fake drawers. The Doors are out of walnut. So the dilemna(s)are:

Given all the interior trim & edging is in white - should I do partial overlay or inset cabinet doors? The rest of my kitchen is inset; but, painted cream and distressed/glazed. This ref/frzr cabinetry is suppose to look different, but compatible, like an old english armoire.

My concerns are if I go inset, I may see lines of white around the edges? If I go partial overlay, I won't, but will it create operational issues? And either way, what about the center of the two units - do you see the white between the 1/4" gap of the doors?

Second question, the instructions are pretty vague about the hardware on the cabinet - did you just install it where it felt comfortable? Did you countersink the washers, etc. on the backside that goes up against the unit?

Any other cabinet front tips before I order the door fronts?

Thanks to everyone who's gotten me this far --- it's been a journey, but thanks to you all - my kitchen is turning out just the way I had hoped!

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Comments (2)

User
16 years ago
Do you have the joining kit for 2 SxS units?? This is absolutly necessary or you're going to have problems.

2nd. It really doesn't matter what door style you choose, what is important is the sizing of the finished product. The only difference btw. a Euro door, 1/4 overlay, 1/2 overlay, inset door, ect... at the end of the day will be the thickness of the door.

You may see the white carcass btw thw units and at the sides and tops ...........or you may not. Much depends on how tightly you design the gaps to be, the darkness of the panels and the lighting in you kitchen.

You REALLY need to sit down with the design manual and read and re-read the the instructions and do the calcs. before you order anything. Do a mock up with cheap plywood if you are not sure. Integated appliances are not for novices, experienced designers often make customers unhappy because they missed a little footnote on the guide sheet, or haven't seen that unit before, or didn't understand how to overcome the suggested panel sizes to satisfy the customer AND comply with the product's limitations.

A virtual forum is really not the place to get that unit installed right if you have no experience. It can be a good tool in your education, but don't rely on it solely.
dlspellman
Original Author
16 years ago
ANTSS - The units have already been professionally installed with the appropriate side by side kit. And, yes, the installer attended a Thermador class on how to do so. And the cabinet maker, designer, and installer have spent much time discussing the eventual installation of the door panels (which is what remains to be done). Unfortunately, I have one of the first sets of the units in the Twin Cities, so noone has ANY first hand experience. There are no units on display with cabinet fronts anywhere in Minnesota and we are all grasping for every bit of info we can find to get to the best end product. And as I mentioned in my first note - the guide, which we have all read and reread, is not very detailed on the cabinet fronts other than how to attach them. That's why I decided to reach out to those who have already gone down this path, and glean any insights they might have. I'm not a novice trying to do this myself - it's just that even my professionals are a bit leary about moving forward.... and they keep trying to shift the ownership back on me. Thus, here I am.... asking for lessons learned during other's installs to help this process along.

Have you installed any Antss? I think I've gathered from prenious notes on this forum that you sell appliances, correct? Have you seen any installs that look topnotch? Did they do overlay or inset? Did you see trim around the edges if it was inset?

Thanks for your help.
Deb
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HELP w/ Thermador Freedom Cabinet Front

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dlspellman
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HELP w/ Thermador Freedom Cabinet Front

Comments (2)

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dlspellmanOriginal Author

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dlspellman
Original Author