More questions-
Where did you get the track for upper cabinets?
Doors 1/8" hardboard too?
How is under cabinet lighting wired in?
Switches or just receptacles and pull chains or accessory switches?
I just got done drawing up the plan for my garage and will be doing similar cabinets 22" tall 26ft wall to wall but unsure on depth yet. Also unsure if I should build them in place or just build and hang after drywall is complete.
I need to finish the wiring asap so that I can put plastic up and drywall ceiling. Changing things later will be much harder afterwards if I dont get power in the right spots now.
I'm hoping one switch above workbench to a receptacle inside the cabinets towards middle will be adequate to run the lights off and just hide wires inside the cabinets but not sure either.
Any suggestions or things you did that worked great or things you wish you had done differently that may help my project?
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I should say first that I'm not an expert or an engineer or a carpenter...lol... so please remember that and take my advice at your own risk haha
I got the track for the doors from
https://www.completecabinethardware.com/
I used the tracks for 1/2 inch doors below my bench because I wanted something sturdy... 1/4'' doors felt to flimsy to me...
The upper cabinets I used 1/4'' tracks for 1/4'' doors... feeling that the upper cabinets wouldn't see anything leaning against them and wouldn't be abused as much as my bench doors.
The 1/4'' tracks only come in 4' lengths... it states on their website that tracks can be combined to make longer runs... my longest run on the upper cabinets is just under 8'. 1/2'' tracks are available in longer runs... I just didn't want to use 1/2'' doors to lessen weight and cost.
I used 1/4 MDF for the doors and hardboard for the floor of the upper cabinets. By hardboard I mean the stuff that's just a bit tougher than cardboard and about 1/8'' thick... the reason I went with that is I wanted again something light and cheap...
I started with a ledger on the wall and then the ceiling. My shop is not plumb or level or square or straight lol... so starting with that allowed me to build it to match the irregularities in my shop. The important part of the cabinets is that there can't be much deviation in hight for the doors to slide in the tracks and not either bind or fall out of the tracks... but the track design does allow for quite a bit of deviation.
I used 3 1/2'' screws to fix the ledger's to the wall and ceiling joists... I then used pocket screws and screwed the 2x4 bottom pieces to the ledger. I really like pocket screws... I feel like they are stronger than toenailing screws/nails... the bottom 2x4s are on 12'' centers... it may be overkill but it adds to the support of the shelf and also supports the hardboard floor better. The only support for the front of the cabinets is the 2x4 running from the top ledger to the bottom shelf... I can hang and jump on it and it feels very strong... I think I will add a readyrod tied to the bottom shelf and the ceiling joists just for safety.
I haven't finished the wiring and just have the strip lights plugged into an extension cord. As far as location of the plug/junction box it depends on how long the power cord is on the strip lights. My lights don't have a long cord but I do have a junction box that powered the old fluorescent lights inside my cabinet so I'll probably just run a short extension cord to that. My lights have a remote... I've tested it and it remembers its last state and if hooked up to a switch turns on to it's last state... I didn't want to have to use the remote all the time.
Also depending on how long you are running your striplight and the kind of light you use you might have to have two separate strings... meaning you might want to have two points to power your lights. My lights are 55 feet long but one string... I saw many that advertised as 10 or 20 meters long but contained 2 or more individual light strips. I cut my strip because it was about 5 feet too long but you can only cut these strips in certain places so I ended up with 12'' too much so drilled a hole and stuffed the remaining in the bottom of the cabinet.
The only regret I have is not doing this sooner! Lol
The upper cabinets are my second attempt at this... the first attempt ended up with something that was weak and ugly. I think the pocket screws and the new design I used turned out really well... don't forget to add support with something to tie in the shelf and the ceiling joists other than just the 2x4s... and make the openings at large at you can. I found the first time I built a smaller version of this with a 4' opening it was too small.
Hope that helps...
And if anyone wants to critique my design please do... always looking to learn more and help others
What is storage wall system used for extension cables, garden tools and power tools?
stuff, and the rest of our horde is totally going to be off the floor and out of the house and better yet out of sight lol