Cabinets with wet floor

[travisn1]

I'm looking to make some base cabinets along the side of my garage. 12" deep at the bottom, 16 or so at the top due to the wall being on top of cement bricks.

My problem is snow melt from sitting on the floor (no drains possible), so there will be standing water for a while till it evaporates.

Will have the garage furnace finished tomorrow so that'll speed up the drying process

I'm thinking make a PT 2x4 base then set the plywood cabinet on top of that? It would essentially be my toe kick area so basically wasted space regardless. I'm worried about water that gets under the cabinet not coming back out (due to the ****** floor surface). Perhaps the concrete will **** the water out as it evaporates from the center of the floor? Maybe drill some holes in the boards parallel to the wall or even rip those boards to be a 1/4" shorter to leave a gap along the floor and just have the perpendicular members touch the floor?

I've typically made 2x4 benches but I want practice making cabinets so I figure this would be a good start.

off topic to the main reason for this thread, but I'm wondering how far along in the cabinet build I can get before I need to decide doors vs drawers. Or if I can somehow make a universal box then pick a direction or change once I start using the space more.

 

[travisn1]

Photos are fun.

Cabinets will become an extension of sorts to the shelf the furnace is on going to the right. Welder cart should fit under the furnace. (I haven't built it yet, the filing cabinet under the window is the beginnings, just need to add casters and a frame to hold the bottle)

 

[MushCreek]

I would leave them open underneath, with a removable toekick, maybe made of PVC trim so the water doesn't hurt it. This piece could snap into place, and be removed for drying during flood season. Set the boxes on PT 2x4's to get them off of the floor. If it's going to get really wet, for an extended period, water may wick up the PT, though. I would use a good water proof finish all over the cabinets, even the parts that don't show.

I built my kitchen cabinets from scratch, using 3/4" cabinet plywood. They could be used either with doors or drawers, although the only doors I used were under the sink. Drawers are much better for storage, in general. We have 32 drawers in our kitchen! I assembled my cabinets and drawers using Kreg fasteners and glue. I bought iron-on veneer to cap the plywood edges, but that would be overkill in a garage (or would it?) Drawers are a lot of work, but once you get everything set up, they go pretty fast.

 

[Shootinok]

Another option could be to wall hang your cabinets and leave the toe kick area open. You'd get alot of strength from that ledge at the back and you'd have the opportunity to keep the underside swept or blown out clean. And storage for things like floor jacks.
A few feet at the front if needed could be made from steel or pipe.

 

[RWorth]

I make everything that touches concrete PT, and air is your friend. If I was going to make wood cabinets I would just set them on PT 4x4 legs, tall enough to run my push broom under. I have a small push broom that works great under stuff. That will give you your kick and air circulation.

 

[matt01073]

I dont really have a moisture issue in my shop , but I do have a bench made of lista cabinets and a row of taller vidmar cabinets . I didnt want to take a chance on rust so i sat all of them on rubber roofing material as a barrier you might consider something like that under any base you make . the stuff I used came in a six or eight foot wide roll and was pretty heavy duty , any commercial roofer should have some scraps you can get for cheap or free.

 

[lakeroadster]

My cabinets are wall mounted and have feet in the front. That would address your moisture issues.

You really don't want the cabinets sitting on the floor, even with PT bases, if the floor is wet. You'll have mildew / mold / musty smell issues.

 

[Voi]

I would do a ledger board on the back and those adjustable cabinet feet in the front. There are clips that can then attach an easily removable toe board to the adjustable feet but I think I'd just skip the toe board altogether. Or at least I'd leave it off during wet times. Let things air out and make it easier to put a squeegee or shop vac under the cabinets.

 

[ford33]

Keep the area under the floor cabinets open to allow you to clean under them with a broom and allows water to evaporate.

I built a series of new base cabinets from 3/4" plywood but without the toe kick area. Essentially they are a kitchen base cabinet design without the toe kick area

Then I built a separate large horizontal frame of regular pine 2x4's that spanned the width of all the cabinets I planned to place on the floor. I elevated the frame above the garage floor the height of a push broom so I could clean under the frame and cabinet assembly. The frame has wood feet made of 2"x4"'s PT located every place a cabinet needs support. The frame is leveled by cutting the feet to the needed height which is about 5 inches. I placed the frame on the floor and then screwed my new base cabinets to the frame and wall.

Prior to building these new cabinets I used a set of old kitchen base cabinets. Upon their removal, I discovered a mouse nest. The mice constructed a nest under the cabinets in the toe kick area. I never knew it was there. The new design prevents critters from hiding under the cabinets and allows you to clean under the cabinets with a broom or water hose.

 

[pattenp]

I used legs similar to these on my base cabinets to keep off damp floor. Adjustable feet allow leveling.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MGS6NQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[M35A2]

Been building garage cabinets for years for my customers and I always use Hafele brand leg levelers. They are adjustable and have 3 different lengths of legs so you can account for garage floor slope. They have clips availabe that fasten on the toekicks and clip onto the legs. These levelers will hold a lot of weight and bases come in a press-on (10mm holes) or screw on.

 

[drewski]

I've been using Titus legs on all my cabinet projects. They are inexpensive and allow adjustments for leveling and height. You can also get toe kick clips if you wish.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=720333&stc=1&d=1514743381

 

[ItsNemo]

Echoing those above, I would just use the plastic leveling feet.

 

[CGT80]

Aluminum or stainless are also other good options for hardware, depending on your abilities. If you want it to look finished like it has a toe kick, you could use aluminum perforated sheet as a toe kick. With small enough holes, it will keep even small hardware from rolling under, but it will allow air to circulate. If you installed it with magnets or a clip, like what holds cabinet doors closed, you could easily remove it to clean or dry under. Leave it raw or paint it.

I would not do pressure treated, either if it is expected to be wet quite often. It has been a while since I built cabinets, but some styles would work with either drawers or doors while others may be geared towards one. It will depend on the type of hardware you use and possibly whether the doors are set in flush or set outside of the face frame. Heck, some cabinets don't use face frames. For a garage, the overlapping doors and drawer fronts should do a better job keeping the inside clean.

I would do a google search for images of cabinets and consider what style will work best for you and go from there. You can even find images of the cabinet construction with the right key words. That can be much faster than searching text and forums for ideas.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

I reused the bottom pieces from hardware stove aisle shelving to keep this filing cabinet off the floor. I really like those plastic levelling feet in the previous post though.

 

[brownbagg]

i never did do it, but i wish i had a concrete pad under my tool boxes and stuff so I could hose down the slab without the dirty water and trash going under the tool boxes

 

[travisn1]

Thanks for all the responses, keep em coming

The floor isn't permanently wet, just whatever melts off of the car during the winter. Those feet are a good idea since the floor slopes down away from the house anyways.

 

[drewski]

I buy my titus legs and sockets from Woodworker Express. They average less than $2 each and they ship fast. You'll find a wide range of prices on these at some of the other outlets like Rockler and Woodcraft.

 

[rburke65]

Thinking if you have water issues, the plastic adjustable legs sound like definet winners!

 

[Joe Reed]

Another option could be to wall hang your cabinets and leave the toe kick area open. You'd get alot of strength from that ledge at the back and you'd have the opportunity to keep the underside swept or blown out clean. And storage for things like floor jacks.
A few feet at the front if needed could be made from steel or pipe.

That's what I did, but without any feet on the front.

My garage had a strip of 1x4 wood trim covering the joint between the concrete ledge and the drywall. I sat these boxes on that 1x4 and screwed them to the joists. That put the bottom of the cabinets about 8.5" above the floor....plenty of room to sweep under, but not too high to waste space.

Inside the boxes are (for the most part) plastic drawer units from WalMart ...lightweight and cheap. Some have shelves instad. I made the boxes 18" deep so the drawer units would fit behind the doors. I didn't want to go wider and leave less room for parking...and I wasn't going to use the top for a workbench anyway.

I used sliding doors on these bottom cabinets so I could easily access the stuff inside without banging doors against the car (upper cabinets have normal doors). I left a gap between these so the passenger door on the MG could be opened with no problem - even if I park close to that side (which I normally do so the grandkids don't open the doors on the other car into the side of the MG). I've since partially filled that gap with some narrow shelves to hold more stuff.

Underneath this cabinet I made a little cart to hold scrap lumber. That's also a prefect spot to store stuff like those little harbor freight furniture dollies. It only takes a second to roll that stuff out when I want to sweep under there or blow/hose out the garage.

 

[kbs2244]

I would go with your original plan.
A toe kick back wall will keep stuff from going under the cabinets.
Winter slush is salt water and will not rot PT wood.
If you are still worried about it, they make rubber base board molding you can put on the face.

 

[CraigStu]

How tall is that block wall? In my previous garage mine was about 4-5inches off the floor. I used cheap kitchen base cabinets, set them on the block, and screwed them into the wall studs. That got my work bench height just right for me. I made a custom height block at the front corner of each cabinet from a left over piece of 4x4 to help support them and reduce the chance they might rack. That left enough space to get the shop vac under the cabinets to keep the area clean.

 

[toolmiser]

How about putting some round screened "vents" in the toekick? You will find them at your home center, you can get a couple sizes of round ones that you cut in with a hole saw, it will keep the "critters" out. With those installed you could caulk around your toe kick to keep the water out, the vents will allow it to evaporate if the water still gets in.

 

[travisn1]

I would go with your original plan.
A toe kick back wall will keep stuff from going under the cabinets.
Winter slush is salt water and will not rot PT wood.
If you are still worried about it, they make rubber base board molding you can put on the face.

Yea, it's not normally wet, just in one spot where the slush collects. I'm going to get a squegee to get most of it outside, but it will still be wet.

How tall is that block wall? In my previous garage mine was about 4-5inches off the floor. I used cheap kitchen base cabinets, set them on the block, and screwed them into the wall studs. That got my work bench height just right for me. I made a custom height block at the front corner of each cabinet from a left over piece of 4x4 to help support them and reduce the chance they might rack. That left enough space to get the shop vac under the cabinets to keep the area clean.

You can see it in the picture I posted, 2 courses plus a little.

How about putting some round screened "vents" in the toekick? You will find them at your home center, you can get a couple sizes of round ones that you cut in with a hole saw, it will keep the "critters" out. With those installed you could caulk around your toe kick to keep the water out, the vents will allow it to evaporate if the water still gets in.

those vents are a good idea.