I am not any further on the counter :) But I am still planning on using the ply as an underlay. Unless I don't, lol. The soapstone that I have on hold has a small ding in the surface. I can repair it by using epoxy and ground soapstone "crumbs". Then when dry it sands nicely and you really don't see it. I haven't actually bought the stone I have on hold, but its not going anywhere. They might have other remnants soon. I think I will drive there tomorrow and reassess the "ding" and maybe just go with it instead of waiting for something else to turn up. Just got the under cabinet LED lights installed today. I am still working on the crown at the top. I have one length in and have to cut a piece to finish it up. The space is to tight for me to fasten the crown as instructed. I am using extra strong velcro, that will hold 1lb/sqin. It has been working well for the top crown. I used velcro to attach the filler strips to the 2x4 backing at the ends of the cabinets too. It was great. The instructions for my style of crown have you attach the crown at the bottom of the uppers in a way that is not a good method. They have you directly screw through the bottom of the crown and up into the cabinet box. There is a narrow foam strip that gets applied between the crown and box which looks like it is used to block the gap between, so under cabinet lights don't show through. The foam works, but the screws don't finish flush. The screw heads are so obvious. I am going to back each screw out, one at a time, and counter sink the hole so the screw head will be recessed. Then I can cover the holes with a plug or wood filler. I would post a picture of my under cabinet lights but I haven't been able to post pictures for several days now. I don't know what gives.

Ikea now offers a choice of two drawer quality levels on most drawer sizes: forvara which is the cheapy, and maximera, which is closer to the old rationell in quality. Wonder why Ikea would downgrade the quality when it's their biggest selling point, imo? They do this constantly when they can get away with it. Ektorp sofas, for example, used to have down cushions, then foam cushions, and now crummier foam cushions. So now people complain that they're uncomfortable and people who've had one for a while wonder what they're talking about. Ikea's scale is like that of a big grocery store chain, where pennies on the cost of an item make a big difference in the bottom line, and since Mr. Ikea died and his son took over, they squeeze even harder.

I'm guessing it has to do with the drawer front. There are two parts to the directions, one for if it is for an interior (hidden) drawer, vs a typical drawer. Where you screw those bell shaped metal pieces into the drawer front (done before you snap the front into the drawer) is what is different depending on the type of drawer you're doing. I'm pretty sure yours is screwed in as if it is for a hidden drawer as that kind does sit a bit lower that the regular drawer. The portion you made the mistake on should be back really close to the beginning of the drawer instructons and will require you to remove the drawer front. How to do that is in the video benjiesbride linked to.

Ikea has shorter drawers 18" (the medium size only). If you have the room you could also put a 3" filler between cabinets and put a plug there on that 3" face. Something like I did here.