Most of the time the cabinet refinishing work we do is in the kitchen. And we are often refinishing cabinets and shelves around built-in entertainment centers and mantles. And most of the time the highest we have to climb is nine feet or so. But this week we’re working on a super-size mantle and shelves. The ceiling is 16 feet and the wall is 20′ long. That’s a lot of wood to refinish.
Brenda came to me after the first day of cleaning and prepping and said she couldn’t reach the inside of the cabinets up above the fixed shelf. These cabinets are 2 feet deep and the ladder wouldn’t get her close enough.
I bounced a couple of ideas off of her–all of them she rejected. Well, that’s just our creative process. So I contemplated it and slept on it and then I told her I had an idea that would work. She asked what it was. I told her, “Trust me.”
I bought a few 2x4s and pulled out my box of cedar shims. I also took a few scraps of MDF trim. The problem with the shelf is that it’s particle board–great for holding up books or decorative accessories, but not strong enough to stand on. It needed support. I built a brace just a bit shorter than the shelf. Then I placed the MDF under the legs so I wouldn’t damage the finish. I hammered in the shims under the legs of my brace to wedge it tight against the shelf above.
Brenda was still skeptical when she saw it. She said she knew it was strong enough to support her, but that first step was still hard for her to take.
This is by far the biggest cabinet we’ve refinished. We’re glazing over the finish to make it darker. But we’re not darkening it very much, so before and after pictures probably won’t show the difference. You may not have a project this big, but we refinish cabinets of all sizes. But we probably won’t find one much bigger than this one.
