skip to main content

Design Dilemma Kitchens

IKEA w/Suspension Rail - overhang issue

14 days ago

We are installing a few cabinets for a dry bar, and with the suspension rail the cabinets are 24" from the wall. When you add the drawer faces, there's only 0.5" overhang on a standard 25" counter. We put the counter on and it doesn't look great. What do you typically do to remedy this?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
14 days ago
Standard counters are 25 1/2” to allow 3/4” overhang. I believe ones makes their counters even slightly deeper due to their rail. In your case you could skip the rail which would get you about 1/2” but would complicate install. Or change the counter.
anj_p
Original Author
14 days ago
OK, thanks. We bought the counters separately and they are exactly 25" (we wanted no seams in butcherblock so purchased solid butcherblock for counters instead of the IKEA counters). I think for as long as it took our contractors to install the cabinets, we'll just have to press forward with the current situation and leave the rail.

We are going to shim the counter out from the wall a bit using some of the backsplash material. That gives us an extra 1/4". Looks a bit better.
Related Discussions
Another plan-need help. Ikea Kitchen
Q
Comments (17)
From what I understand, there is no recycle collection so I am not sure how we will handle trash. We are so used to recycling in our primary home. So they could get tossed together, but may not hurt to have a recycle bin in case they change eventually (or if we find some recycle containers somewhere ourselves). The trash will go out the back sliders. That is a good point on the island.. we were thinking of a longer island, somewhere around 80"+ to have comfortable seating for 3 and then possibly a smaller stool around the side for overflow seating (more likely a kid if we are at the dining table) and maybe even squeeze in a 2nd smaller stool as needed) . We were just discussing if we would want the larger ikea slab (97x25.6) and cut the length to ~80" but run them side by side to have a wider island-but that seems awfully big. We will have to test out the various overhangs to see what is comfortable. I imagine it would be the kids there alot or the ladies sipping a nice drink while I prep/cook. Not sure how we would use the rest of the space if the cabinets ran 24" deep in the island. Then we are left with 24+" of overhang behind it. Overkill? I will check out the ikea fans web as well! thanks-peeked at it , but seems beyond what I can absorb right now! They are very clever with all their tricks! Not sure I understand it all.
...See More
Finished kitchen: Ikea, walnut, marble and glossy white
Q
Comments (77)
Hi cv2014, I still love the look of our Semihandmade walnut, to me it's very warm. We briefly looked into having Semihandmade make panels for the side and the back of the island, but we wanted a more substantial edge and it just seemed like we'd have better luck getting it to all work out if we hired a finish carpenter to do the job. We're very happy with how it turned out. You can go to almost any good lumber store and purchase a full sheet of walnut veneer for not a lot of $$s. Depending on where it's used, it could be ok if it doesn't match perfectly with the Semihandmade walnut. The corner cabinet has a filler piece, I think it was around 4 inches, that gives enough clearance so that the cabinet door can open without worrying about having it hit the door to the right. In my case I think I was also concerned about clearance so it wouldn't hit the oven handle as well. That was solved by making the pull-out next to the over slightly wider than originally planned. These are the older Ikea cabinet style, so I'm not sure if the new style has the same kind of corner cabinet or not. Good luck with your planning!
...See More
IKEA order in - some observations
Q
Comments (18)
Agreed - I have decided to drop panels all the way to the floor, and then recess the toe kick on the island "end". One end, I will likely do a waterfall (where I have full depth back to back cabinets), and the other end where I have one standard depth cabinet and one shallow (for bar seating) I will likely use the more standard end panels - also going to the floor and "seam" them in the middle with a strip of stainless or aluminum exposed where the actual cabinet seam is. The 36" wide is not wide enough to be seamless, so instead of trying to hide the seam, I'll accentuate it. It's also under the overhang for seating and will almost always have a barstool in front of it, so it's less prominent anyway. The standard panels are also sized to only cover the cabinet and not go to the floor, so that drives purchasing the larger / taller versions, which are more costly per linear inch (grrr) but the panels, in the grand scheme of things, are reasonable and will make a more finished look with less expensive cabinets.
...See More
IKEA's new 15" deep upper cabinets
Q
Comments (21)
There ARE several technical issues with using 15” deep wall cabinets that most people forget about. First has to do with standard ventilation. Under cabinet hoods are designed to integrate with 12” deep cabinets, not 15”. That leaves the hood front recessed under the cabinet above, or you pulling it forward to be flush with the cabinet above. Which leaves a gap at the back that MUST BE FILLED BY A METAL SPACER. Not wood. Wood collecting grease and in the prohibited combustibles zone is a giant fire hazard. Second also has to do with ventilation when using an OTR in recirculating mode. They typically vent out the top. That is why they are 15” deep, and designed to work with 12” deep cabinets above. That 3” projection allows for the vent grate to blow out the air. And it is blocked with 15” deep cabinets. The workaround on that is to install ductwork into the cabinet to vent upward and install a grate elsewhere where the air can vent out. In reality, that doesn’t happen, and people get frustrated by the lack of airflow, because it’s blocked, and they just don’t use it. The third issue also has to do with ventilation, this time when using a high BTU range. Most have much more exacting clearance requirements that prohibit wall cabinets beyond 13” deep within a certain horizontal distance above the range. Heat spreads out as it rises from the cooking surface, and having deeper wall cabinets captures that heat and creates a fire hazard. The solution to that involves using a wall hood at least 6” larger than the cooking surface below. That is a kitchen design best practice to begin with, so if the kitchen is being designed properly, it shouldn’t present itself as an issue. It’s the self designs, and designs by cabinet sales people, and that includes Ikeans, where you run into clearance problems. You have to read all appliance specs before you design the kitchen. The fourth issue has to do with lighting. Many recessed lights are spaced approximately 18” from the wall, in order to wash light down the front of the cabinets and light the counters below. If the cabinets are placed close to the ceiling, they may impinge on the lighting trim, and the lights will be too close to the wall cabinets, even if there are not interference issues with the lighting trim. This is also especially important to measure for if you are using crown molding of any kind. Traditional crown has a projection depth as well as height, and all of that has to be accounted for in the design phase. You may need to move lighting. Using 15” deep cabinets adds a lot of storage. It can also add a lot of headaches if you don’t pay attention to the unintended consequences of that choice.
...See More
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
13 days ago
Laminate a matching 3/4" to the back of the butcher block top.
anj_p
Original Author
13 days ago
@Joseph I actually considered doing that a bit later but the contractors had already shimmed out the counter - and they're not specifically counter fabricators/installers, just general tradesmen, so I'm not sure they could have managed a straight enough cut for that to look good? Regardless, that would have been the better solution.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
13 days ago
If you had used Ikea counters the look would have been right.. I think you are overthinking a dry bar . I have no idea why any decent contractor had a proble with Ikea install.
anj_p
Original Author
13 days ago
I'm not sure why a dry bar is any different from any other cabinet installation. I want it to look nice and professionally done, so no, I'm not going to settle for a counter that has no overhang. I also designed the entire project and sourced all the materials myself, so I have my own skin in the game. The contractor is just installing what I gave him.

If I had used IKEA counters I would have had to use two of them because they aren't long enough. Since IKEA is laminated wood, it made more sense to me to have solid wood butcherblock, which I was able to purchase in 8' and 12' lengths for my project, than have a bunch of blocks stitched together. I also had to rip the other two butcherblocks, which would have required putting the stickers or whatever on the edges of the IKEA counters. It also didn't cost me that much more (maybe $50?) to get solid butcherblock, so for me it was absolutely worth it. Maybe others would feel differently but I'm happy with the way it looks. Getting the overhang right just took a bit of problem solving.

I also never said the contractor had a problem with the install. I just said it took them a long time, which is pretty much par for the course with this project. Everything is taking a long time. As we are paying by the hour I didn't want to have them redo it to remove the rail and hang cabinets on the wall.
anj_p
Original Author
13 days ago
In-progress shot, in case you're interested in seeing what we're doing. 8' block on the dry bar, 12' block on the half wall (ripped to 22") and about 10' x 10" block on the fireplace under the TV. The remaining half of butcherblock will be used as a floating shelf at the dry bar.
HU-910663146
13 days ago
Looks gorgeous.

What is the material on your wall and cabinets?
anj_p
Original Author
13 days ago
last modified: 13 days ago
The material is black acoustic slat panels. We looked at a few places but picked these up at Wayfair. What you see is actually a knee wall and fireplace framing, not cabinets - the dry bar is the only cabinetry we are doing, which is in the back left. This is in our basement so DH got his way with the color (although I insisted on Walnut butcherblock tops). It looks really good (I was skeptical).

Related Stories

KITCHEN STORAGE 7 Reasons to Hang Your Pots and Pans on a Rail

By Becky Harris

Well-placed utility rails are popping up in stylish kitchens. Here’s why you may want to consider one too

LIFE Houzz Call: Show Us Your Nutty Home Fixes

By Becky Harris

If you've masterminded a solution — silly or ingenious — to a home issue, we want to know

SMALL HOMES Houzz Tour: An Accessible Tiny-ish House in the Florida Palms

A builder creates a 600-square-foot dream home on the Gulf Coast for his father

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Farm Fresh

Updates bring back the bygone charm of a 19th-century Texas farmhouse, while making it work for a family of 6

DECORATING GUIDES 13 Decorating Tips for Older Homes

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Preserve the personality of the past while designing for now with these tips for paint, rugs, window treatments and more

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Twister Damage Sparks a Whole Ranch Remodel

By Sarah Greenman

A Dallas couple transforms their traditional rambler into a bright, family-centered haven after a tornado

REMODELING GUIDES Considering a Fixer-Upper? 15 Questions to Ask First

By Sarah Phipps Design

Learn about the hidden costs and treasures of older homes to avoid budget surprises and accidentally tossing valuable features

UNIVERSAL DESIGN How to Light a Kitchen for Older Eyes and Better Beauty

By Sheridan Interiors, Kitchens and Baths

Include the right kinds of light in your kitchen's universal design plan to make it more workable and visually pleasing for all

REMODELING GUIDES Key Measurements for a Heavenly Stairway

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Learn what heights, widths and configurations make stairs the most functional and comfortable to use

MOST POPULAR How to Choose the Right Kitchen Sink

By Mary Jo Bowling

Learn about basin configurations, sink shapes, materials and even accessories and specialty sinks

Sponsored

More Discussions

Large double vanity with Dresser. Mirror help

12

I need help correcting the mistakes I made while remodeling my kitchen

67

How would you add more character to this house?

44

Your Top Tips for a Bath Remodel

4

Grab bar placement and type

1