# Wall Cabinet repair - Need some direction - Never tackled something like this.



## Kutz Twice (Nov 5, 2021)

Evening,
I have a "3" section kitchen cabinet ( wall hung) that appears that the face is separating from the frame. IN the first picture I am taking it from the ground toward the ceiling and you can see about 3/4" gap between the face and the frame. In the next picture I'm pressing on the frame and I can make the gap totally go away. The next two pictures are for clarity so you can see the full cabinet.

I obviously need to repair the face coming off the frame, and my thought was this:

Put some good TiteBond in the gap, and use a pin nailer to re attach the face to the frame and allow it to dry. The cabinet door covers the area where I would use the pin nailer, so the nail holes would not show. Is this the correct process? What would you suggest I do. I DO NOT want to take the cabinet off the wall if I can avoid it ( wrecking the backsplash, etc, etc)

If you notice the red arrow pointing the the cabinet screws attaching it to the wall - there are only 4 ( yes 4) screws holding this cabinet on the wall. This cabinet is MASSIVE and my wife has a TON of dishes in it normally - I'm thinking add several more screws to secure the cabinet - thoughts please.

Really appreciate you talking time to read this and respond!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Yes, add more screws to support the cabinet first. Find the studs below and locate the hole in the cabinet above, tricky!
Drill 3/32" holes until wood dust show, not drywall dust. Fill them later
Use cabinet head screws made for this purpose.
.
Then remove the door and maybe the top shelf if it's loose to make access easier.
Use Liquid Nails as the adhesive, not Tite Bond. It will adhere to the old glue better.
The big issue is clamping or holding the frame in place while the glue drys for 24 hrs.
If there are any blocks inside to grab with a clamp, then that's the answer.
If not, I would attach a temporary block 1 X and 12" long or so. This attaches to the bottom of the top with 2" screws which are removed later.
When you pin nail it, drive them at an angle angle where possible, it's stronger that way.
Just make certain the rest of the cabinet is not separating from the heavy loads.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I think that you could screw a block to the top of the cabinet to act as a anchor point for a clamp(s).

George


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## danrush (Oct 16, 2017)

I usually figure two mounting screws per opening on wall cabinets, so maybe add a couple of screws in the center section. It's pretty darn rare for a cabinet to fall off a wall. More common for it to pull away from itself, like yours is.

Woodnthings hit it with his advice for the repair, especially his choice of glue. I would check the other two openings for a loose top rail and stiles. If the original glue failed in the left opening, it may also be failing in the right and center sections.

It looks like you may be able to access the top of the cabinet from above. If so, an alternative approach would be to attach a support block to the top of the cabinet and then screw into the back of the top rail, pulling it back to the cabinet top panel.


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## Kutz Twice (Nov 5, 2021)

Thank you very much guys - let me pickup some liquid nails this morning and I'll get to it - I'll let you know how it turns out


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Something is fishy. It appears the top shelf on the cabinet is shrinking in width. That wouldn't happen unless the shelving is made of solid wood. It may be an illusion if the sides are set into a dado on the faceframe. Then it's just the faceframe pulling loose. If that is the case I would remove the door and see if you can hammer the faceframe back on with a block of wood and a hammer. Then put finish screws through the faceframe and top shelf and fill the holes. Whoever built the cabinet didn't use any fasteners to hold the top shelf in place. That is too much to expect from just glue.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

Steve Neul said:


> Something is fishy. It appears the top shelf on the cabinet is shrinking in width. That wouldn't happen unless the shelving is made of solid wood. It may be an illusion if the sides are set into a dado on the faceframe. Then it's just the faceframe pulling loose. If that is the case I would remove the door and see if you can hammer the faceframe back on with a block of wood and a hammer. Then put finish screws through the faceframe and top shelf and fill the holes. Whoever built the cabinet didn't use any fasteners to hold the top shelf in place. That is too much to expect from just glue.


Looks like the back is separated from the side, it's the only way that gap could be on the top and not on the sides. Certainly more problematic than just the FF coming loose


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

not sure we are getting the full picture, as we are only going with your pics.. appears that the face frame is separating from the carcass, is that what you can see? i cant imagine why weight would do that, rather likely poor workmanship in the assembly.
i would skip the pin nailer and go to at least a 18g brad nailer, or 15g finish nailer. and i would angle the nail as i shoot it in. and adhesive...


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

The cabinet is coming apart 







0


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## Kutz Twice (Nov 5, 2021)

Thanks for all the inp






















ut and help - pulled the doors off, added the Liquid nails - screwed the facing back into the upper portion of the cabinet - screwed the side top into the back - added a few more mounting screws and everything pulled up nice and tight - letting it dry till the am and I'lll put her dishes back in - long story short - the cabinets are not nearly as nice a grade as we thought when we bought the house 5 years ago, but I think were good to go until the remodel NEXT summer. Thank you all again for your help - love this forum.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Jar944_2 said:


> Looks like the back is separated from the side, it's the only way that gap could be on the top and not on the sides. Certainly more problematic than just the FF coming loose


I can't really see the back in the pictures. What is clearly shown is the top shelf is pulled away from the faceframe. I wonder if the cabinet maker intended to hold the cabinet on the wall with just the back. I couldn't see any trace of a hanger strip.


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