Wait a minute...are you saying that the installers shimmed the counters? Is that a shim I’m seeing between the counter and the cabinet? If so, that’s wrong, wrong, wrong!

It’s the floors that are uneven. Shims should’ve been installed under the cabs in problem areas, not on top!

Unless Joseph Corlett will check in, and tell me I’m wrong. But, that’s the way it was done in my kitchen. We have shims in several spots under the cabs, done before the soapstone counters were installed. There are no gaps anywhere.

@darbuka thank you so much for commenting! Shamefully, yes...that is a shim that you see in the photo - it's hideous! The countertop installers said they were just responsible for installing the counters and not for ensuring that everything (outside of the countertops) were level.

Since we didn't replace the cabinet boxes, we weren't able to shim the bottoms of them to remove the gap. :(

Do you know if it's possible to shim the cabinet boxes without messing up the already installed counters, cabinets, and flooring? Any advice you can give helps!

When you don’t level your cabinets before counters are templated, that’s what you get. If you are DIYing all of this, then you’re going to have to figure out the actual problem. That’s a big enough gap that you should have known about how out of level that was. That looks like the cabinet has failed structurally. That should have been dealt with way before you got new counters. It’s 9x harder now if the cabinet needs rebuilding.

The installers are correct. They were not responsible for making sure the cabinets are level.

I’m not a pro, but I’m guessing if the kick plates at the bottom the cabs were removed, the unevenness of the floors would be detected, via small gaps that would be visible. Then shims can be shoved into those spaces. It shouldn’t matter that the cabs aren’t new.

However, I would imagine the countertop would have to be removed. Live_wire_oak is probably correct. This is probably a sign that the structure of the cabinets has failed. This is not an easy fix.

Could a cabinet maker brace the counters remove the cabinet box and shim it on the floor, the replace cabinet onto the shim and replace the baseboard molding on the cabinet?

I would not term those cabinets to be in good shape. It takes something major to have an 1 1/2” drop in a cabinet over that small of a run.

The safest thing is probably to have the countertops removed, and then check to see if cabinets are worth fixing, or need replacing, in any case, yes, that looks terrible, and your countertops, will probably be damaged because of the weight, on an already unlevel cabinet, or possibly floor.

Eh, that's nothing that a little caulking compound can't fix. :)

Seriously, I'm with Chispa. If your counter installers had been more focused on customer satisfaction and less on getting paid and running, they'd have told you to get the cabinets fixed and levelled before having the counter installed.

You can replace the cabinets ($$$), try shimming the cabinets ($), or have a more flexible counter material such as good quality laminate over plywood put on ($$).

i would caulk the wide joint. I think it would be far less noticeable And maybe “disappear” so only you would know 😇

To caulk the widest part of the gap I think you will need a small backer rod (a round piece of foam). You can buy different sizes at Home Depot. The backer rod gets wedged tightly into the gap and is set back from the edge and provides resistance when you caulk so the caulk just doesn’t pour into the open hole.

If you cannot do this yourself a handyman or painter should be able to help you. Since counter installers typically caulk joints, they probably could have filled this in for you, even if it was not their fault. It’s a shame they didn’t offer and left you with this eyesore.

You did put a level on the counter to check it, correct?

at no point in all of this did no one put a level on the surface of those cabs? what was there prior?

the new countertop fabricators never told you there is a very noticeable slant when they were templating?

did the tile splash go in after the countertop? (it had to because otherwise you'd have wonky tile)

The installer bid on and was paid to install level tops. He did so. He did not bid on or was he paid to reset cabinets.

Hey guys! Thank you so much to everyone for posting suggestions!

Just to clarify, what was previously there was the original builder's grade stock 90s countertop with an overhang. If there was a gap with the previous countertop, we couldn't tell/never thought to look for one.

The countertops and kitchen backsplash are all fortunately level thanks to the shims that the countertop installers put in place. No one informed us that the cabinet base wasn't level (including the template person) until the installers started putting everything in place a week later and said they would have to shim this area.

I reached out to a contractor I know this afternoon and they suggested just putting a piece of trim to cover it up, but it wouldn't match the rest of the kitchen. :/

Anyone have suggestions as to what type of service I should reach out to, ie. custom cabinet maker, general contractor/handyman, for an estimate?

Thanks again for your help! :)

I don't know what is normal or customary, but I recently renovated a bathroom, installed the cabinetry myself, had a fabricator install the counter and sink. My contract for the installation gave specific tolerance allowable tolerances for the level of the cabinets. I think it was 1/8 inch, but would have to pull out paperwork to verify. When they came to template the counters they pulled out their levels and made sure the cabinets were within the specified tolerance.

So glad I live in Amish country where they simply won't do this type of shoddy work.

You probably had laminate countertops and the front edge of the laminate hung over the cabinet front so you never noticed the gap. The new counters don't have that build up so you now see the gap.

Only fix is to remove the counters; then uninstall that end cabinet and shim it to the level--shimming it on the floor.

Remove toe kick first and see if the cabinets were installed on adjustable leg levellers. If so, you just got really lucky and may be able to raise the leg levellers enough to level the cabinets.

It may not be necessary to pull the top to level the cabinet.

Is it possible to disconnect that cabinet from wall and adjoining cabinet. Shim it until level with counter. Next reattach to wall and adjoining cabinet and reinstall kick? Does this sound possible so that the cabinet is not completely removed?