[kaydprew]

Getting a frig that is 1/4 inch too tall. Can I plane the laminate cabinet above to accommodate. Thanks

[twinkiedooter]

I did the same thing when I got a new side by side refrig. I carefully planned the cabinet and I was okay. Just take your time. Wait until you get the refrig there so you can see just how snug a fit you will need. You can also see if the feet on the appliance can be adjusted also as some models have that feature before you go planing anything down.

[massplumber2008]

Kaydprew... are you asking if you can plane a cabinet door that is laminated with... well... laminate material..

Only way you could do that is if you removed the laminate then planned.. almost impossible to do since most laminates are attached by contact cement.

SO... if I get you right... NO you cannot plane a laminate cabinet!! But maybe I misunderstood something.

I am not sure here... and twinkiedooter, please let me know if I misunderstood... but I think twinkiedooter was talking about wood cabinets... here, planing would work great as twinkie recommends.

Hope this helped!!

[massplumber2008]

Have you measured the refrigerator yourself... or off a specification sheet? If not... go measure yourself for sure.

You may also be able to take out feet on base of fridge like twinkie recommended.. but be careful about finish floor if you do this!

Any chance could raise the cabinet over fridge.. Cabinet screwed into sides and back..?. or nailed..

Let me know if I can help more... or maybe a real experienced cabinet guy will chime in with a great idea... *crossing fingers*... good luck!

[glavine]

I don't see how you'd plan anything like that. The planner won't plane all the way across, which makes planning worthless if you can go all the way. Figure out how much you need to take off and use a jigsaw to cut it with. Make sure it's a jig saw blade made for finish cuts. And also id tape the cabnit as well to avoid any marks made by the tool. After you cut it take a orbitial sander say 80 grit or higher 100 and sand the edge smooth

[massplumber2008]

Glavine has given sound advise kaydprew... IF you decide to try this definetely use the tape and take your time.

Also.. and really only reason I am re-posting... I just wanted to caution kaydprew in the following concern I have for anyone using a jigsaw and laminate material:

In doing this you could crack the laminate or worse nick a good chunk of laminate off the front face of the cabinet laminate... just wanted to be sure you consider this before you proceed. The tape mentioned will help to reduce the chances of this occurring but if your cabinet face finish is super important to you... you may want to let a pro do it for you.

Other then that... I say it will certainly do the trick for you. Good luck!

[Decorate Now Patterns]

Make sure you know what is under the laminate. If it is pressed wood, then you'll need to re-glue a new piece of laminate over your edge or else it won't look nice. You'll need to be super-careful, as this is not a job that is going to hide oopses easily. And the potential for oopses is fairly high with this project. Overall, I'd avoid planing if possible.

Instead, see if removing the leveling feet will clear 1/4" for you. You can put the furniture sliders underneath the fridge, if needed and if there is room. If the sliders won't work, then small carpet squares can help the fridge slide across smooth floors without adding much height.

Ideally, move the cabinet up instead of planing it.

[schwim]

Planing laminate is not the way to go for two reasons:

1) planing laminate almost always leads to tearing the face of the laminate.

2) The substrate under laminate is very often chipboard. You don't plane chipboard.

I would use a router with a guide, which would leave you nothing more than two rounded corners at the ends, which you can solve with a fine tooth saw and a file.

If you attempt a jigsaw, you need to tape the face of the cabinet to reduce blowout, as even the finish blades hurt some laminates. I wouldn't use a jigsaw for the simple fact that it's very hard to cut a perfectly straight line.

As others mentioned, if you can see the new edge, you'll need to pretty it up a bit. It doesn't necessarily need to be an exact match as it's hidden by the fridge, but you'll sleep better knowing that it's pretty again :)

Thanks,
Json

[glavine]

Do you know for sure that it is laminate... if it is real laminate.. like it was a kitchen refacing job, then using a jigsaw may not be the best, unless it's a metal cutting blade.

Id wonder if you can access the screws, if you couldn't just take the cabnit down where you can use the better tools to plane it with. Goodluck