Fillers are also used between cabinets when needed

Yes fillers can be reused. as much as possible

You don't usually scribe the underside of an upper cabinet. but you can.

I would not use scribe molding unless you absolutely have to
There are many ways to avoid it. But if you must, I would order as much as would cover all areas that butt walls.

The number of fillers will depend on the style of cabinets and their overall layout. Frameless or full overlay cabinets will all need a bit of filler at the wall at the start of a run, and it may also be needed in other places (like a blind corner cabinet) for proper clearances of other cabinets or appliances. So there is no "right" amount for fillers, as it will depend on the design.

As for scribe molding, that also will depend on the design and how many upper and base cabinet you have against the wall. Most kitchens I do I order 3 sticks and have some left over, but I have had kitchens need as much as 5 sticks. Don't forget the base molding and quarter round, as well as any solid stock you may need in order for your crown to attach properly.

Molding IS expensive. I've had it be 25% of a cabinet order. You really need a KD well versed with your cabinet line to help you with your selection. And, you also need an experienced installer to install it. An experienced installer can take 5K worth of cabinets and make them look lke 50K, while a poor or inexperienced installer can take 50K worth and make it look like 5K.

thanks for your replies don92 and live_wire_oak.

live_wire... i was up most of the night researching this subject. i came across one of your posts regarding how cabinet ends should be finished so that molding can be applied more easily by a DIY'er compared with an experienced installer. i think you saved us a lot of pain, so thank you.

unfortunately with my paltry order of 11 cabs for a DIY remodel, it has been difficult to even find someone to give me a quote for the cabinet line i am looking at. so the role of "well versed" KD has fallen to me and what i can learn on the gardenweb and internet!

and with my husband doing the install, well... i will be happy if he can make $x of cabinets look like $x of cabinets!!! ;)

ironcook or live_wire_oak, could you pleas post the link to that post of lwo's "regarding how cabinet ends should be finished"? I tried to do a search, but failed to find it. Thank you!

hi mudworm!

here is live_wire's post, and the link to thread below.

RE: lower cabinet molding question (Follow-Up #8)

posted by: live_wire_oak on 02.21.2009 at 09:44 am in Kitchens Forum

A skin is not a "decorative" end panel exactly, it is a thin veneered panel that takes up the 3/8" gap from the cabinet box to the face frame and makes the cabinet sides flush. Cabinet boxes, even if they color match, are usually finished with a vinyl or melamine finish rather than real wood veneered plywood, and the skin not only takes up that gap, but it provides a real wood surface that will age similarly to the actual wood of the face frame and doors. WIthout a skin, the sides will stay the same color, while the wood changes color over time. This is one reason that I usually offer a different option for customers who are DIYing an install. I suggest upgrading to "furniture finished plywood ends" in which the cabinet boxes are made of plywood with a wood veneered exterior that is flush with the face frame rather than having that gap that you're dealing with. Skins are what I order when a pro is doing the install, and he just brad nails them in place and putty fills the tiny holes. Skins are usually about 15% cheaper than flush finished sides, but flush finished sides are easier for DIYers to deal with. This is definately something that your KD should have gone over with you before you ordered. THe decorative end panels that you ordered should have been applied over skins as well. There is less chance of them shifting over time as when they are applied and have that 3/8" void underneath them.

Here is a link that might be useful: thread: ''lower cabinet molding question''

update: well today the KD suggested no filler, but extended stiles all the way!

live_wire... would you suggest this for a DIY'er?!

Hi ironcook, thanks so much for posting the excerpt and the original thread. Wow, a lot of details to think about. Now I wonder, which is easier for a 1st time DIY'er when it comes to: install the skin or carve the little notch for the molding installation. Maybe I should ask that question in the original thread.

hi mudworm... it's a good question! it's okay by me if you ask here. :) I agree there a lot of details to think about.

i hope live_wire or don92 will come back and answer.

mudworm's question:

which is easier for a 1st time DIY'er: install the skin or carve the little notch for the molding installation?

An extended stile functions as a filler but doesn't have a seam, which is it's biggest design "bonus". Otherwise, it really doesn't make much difference. Attaching fillers is pretty easy, and scribing a filler to the wall and then attaching it is a lot easier than scribing an extended stile. If you're not scribing to the wall but using scribe molding instead, it's a wash and up to the skill of your installer. I usually spec a "starting filler" at 1 1/2", because that's a 3" filler ripped in half and is much easier to accomplish than trying to rip one into 3 1" strips. It also makes the math easier and gives greater clearance at the walls for the hardware.

Notching molding is pretty difficult to master. In addition, unless the cabinet side is finished in an actual wood veneer (most are melamine coated plywood) then in a few months or years, the sides won't match the fronts. If you don't order furniture finished sides, you should always order wood skins in order to flush out the side of the cabinet. (Some lines offer vinyl printed wood skins as well as wood skins. Make sure you order the wood ones.) It's not only molding that's made easier, but it's countertops next to tall cabinets that need proper finishing in order to avoid notching that gap.

"A skin is not a "decorative" end panel exactly, it is a thin veneered panel that takes up the 3/8" gap from the cabinet box to the face frame and makes the cabinet sides flush."

They make it look better, but are rarrely 3/8 thick.

1/8 is more like it.

For scribe, order 50% MORE than the lienar feet you need to scribe.

If you think it is expensive now, wait til lyou run out and need to order more with a job patially completed.