How to remove side panel for fridge cabinet?

[shamshah]

Hi, i have bought fridge with width of 912mm but actual fridge cabinet width is 87mm. Could you please help me how to remove side panel for fridge cabinet and what tools and material will be required to complete the job. I have attached photo for better understanding. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @shamshah,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

The first thing you will need to do is ascertain whether the side panel is supporting the weight of the wall hung cabinets in any way and whether the panel is the side wall of the cabinet or not. 

If you lightly press on the panel, is there slight movement? Does it feel like there is weight being put on it?

Look inside the cabinets to see if there are screws going through the back of the cabinets into the wall. This will indicate whether the cabinets are wall hung.

If you could upload some images of the inside of the cabinets, I can assist further and advise on your next steps.

Let me know what you find and if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[shamshah]

Hi Jacob thank you so much for your reply.

I have checked side panel there is no movement at all seems really fixed. 

At the back side of cabinet there is a gap between wall and cabinet. photo attached.

I have attached more photo to get a better idea of it.

Please let me know if you need more photos or information.

[R4addZ]

Hi @shamshah

Hate to have to say it but it would probably be cheaper to return the fridge than to modify the cabinetry. The over the fridge cupboards appear to be supported by the side panel, so moving it would involve finding the fixings and undoing them (whilst supporting the over the fridge cupboard, extending that cupboard then reinstalling the side panel which may even involve altering the wall above too from the looks of things!

[JacobZ]

Hi @shamshah,

Unfortunately, I tend to agree with @R4addZ that the cost to reconfigure the cabinets would likely end up being more expensive than returning the fridge and purchasing a new one.

As they have said, the side panel appears to be supporting the cabinets above, and the cavity behind them means there is no feasible way to simply remove this side panel and attach the cabinets to the wall behind. 

To remove this side panel, it would likely call for a complete redesign of the cabinetry and potentially moving the tap and power point to accommodate this redesign.

If you wanted to do this, I would advise you contact a professional cabinet maker for advice.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[shamshah]

Hi, 

what about if we don’t extend wall above the side panel? If we can only remove side panel and add the extra panel on the side of cabinet to get the desired width between cabinet and side panel? What do you think if it makes sense? 

[shamshah]

Hi R4addz,

Hi, 

what about if we don’t extend wall above the side panel? If we can only remove side panel and add the extra panel on the side of cabinet to get the desired width between cabinet and side panel? What do you think if it makes sense? 

[Noyade]

Good morning @shamshah 

I personally would hate to let a good fridge deal go by because of cabinetry. But that's just me.

Any leftover cabinetry material?

I was thinking of a 'box' insert of the same material (or Bunnings similar) that attaches to the sideboard first - a cover over the box applied - and then this is attached to the cabinet by screws from left to right. No external visible screws.

You only need around 50mm.

Just a thought.

Cheers.

[JacobZ]

Hi @shamshah,

If you're happy for the side wall to not line up with the bulkhead, you could add an extension to the side of the cabinet like @Noyade has proposed, but you would need to ensure the cabinets are supported while installing it.

I'd suggest using some Acrow Props, which can be hired in conjunction with our friends at Coates Hire, to hold the cabinets in place while removing the side panel. 

Once the side panel has been removed, attach 3 vertical pieces of 70x35 framing pine to the outside of the cabinet using Zenith 10G x 75mm Countersunk Rib Head Chipboard Screws through the inside of the cabinet into the timbers.

Once you've attached the three pieces of framing timber, you can attach strips of white particleboard to the front face, the bottom and the top of the extension. I'd suggest using Zenith 8G x 40mm Countersunk Rib Head Chipboard Screws for these pieces.

Once these chipboard trims are fixed in place, you can reinstate the side panel by screwing back through the side panel into the framing timber using the 75mm chipboard screws.

You should predrill and countersink all screw holes and once installed you can use Kaboodle Stick On Kitchen Screw Caps to conceal any visible screws.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[R4addZ]

Ok

So some good suggestions below (or above depending where this post ends up) however for a more professional look it may be worth considering seeing if Kaboodle do a cupboard that could replace the current one over the fridge but wide enough to allow the fridge to fit. alternatively if you built the house, the builder could put you in touch with the original cabinet maker for an exact match. If you can't get an exact match for the doors, consider glass doors and turn it into a display cabinet. The final option would be to lose both the cabinet and the side panel.