Cabinet placement

[KC]

I've seen a LOT of flip houses where they used the cheapie RTA white cabinets, then fancy them up with some kind of top molding... and leave them 1 or 2 inches shy of the ceiling.   Not only does it just look lazy and 'wrong' to me, but it seems like a very inviting space for spiders, bugs, dust, grease, etc.  It's done enough that it must be accepted as 'okay'... but I always wonder if I'm the only one on things like this.  

[Snipe Hunter]

The reason cabinets are not placed up against the ceiling is that cabinets need to be level with each other at the bottom or the install looks shoddy. The only way to do that is to NOT mount the cabinets flush against the ceiling. There is no such thing as a perfectly level ceiling. So there will always be unsightly gaps between the ceiling and the cabinets without using some sort of molding at the top to hide it. The other alternative is to leave a high enough gap between the upper cabinets and the ceiling that you don't notice the difference. It isn't at all uncommon to have 1/2" or more difference in ceiling height between one end of a run of cabinets and the other.

It's not just flips. It's normal cabinet installation.

A lot of cabinets (particularly cheap ones) don't have much exposed face frame at the tops to attach molding. So those have to be installed lower than the ceiling. Cabinets with enough exposed face frame are generally used to install closer to the ceiling and allow for the molding to fill the gaps. Either way, you loose cabinet space.

[Roly]

I've seen a LOT of flip houses where they used the cheapie RTA white cabinets, then fancy them up with some kind of top molding... and leave them 1 or 2 inches shy of the ceiling.   Not only does it just look lazy and 'wrong' to me, but it seems like a very inviting space for spiders, bugs, dust, grease, etc.  It's done enough that it must be accepted as 'okay'... but I always wonder if I'm the only one on things like this.  

What about the area behind the toekick of the base cabinets ?  Gaps behind the cabinets where the shims are or between cabinets.   Same idea.   Roly

[KC]

What about the area behind the toekick of the base cabinets ?  Gaps behind the cabinets where the shims are or between cabinets.   Same idea.   Roly

Well, I guess I'm not offended by the area behind the toe kick that nobody can see.

[rwe2156]

I installed a soffit and moulding above some existing cabinets.

The ceiling was 3/4" higher at one end of a 60" run. I had to insert a long tapered piece of wood in order to keep the reveal between the moulding and doors equal.

Its noticeable, but only if you look at it :-D

[KC]

I installed a soffit and moulding above some existing cabinets.

The ceiling was 3/4" higher at one end of a 60" run.  I had to insert a long tapered piece of wood in order to keep the reveal between the moulding and doors equal.

Its noticeable, but only if you look at it :-D

I built mine and put them right up to the ceiling with about a 1" piece of trim at the top (planned for).  I'm easily offended by things that aren't level, but you have to look pretty hard to notice the slope.  Bothers me quite a bit more that the cabinets on either side of the window over the sink aren't the same space away from it.  By and inch and a half.   And the over-the-sink light exacerbates that.

[MstrCarpenter]

I built mine and put them right up to the ceiling with about a 1" piece of trim at the top (planned for).  I'm easily offended by things that aren't level, but you have to look pretty hard to notice the slope.  Bothers me quite a bit more that the cabinets on either side of the window over the sink aren't the same space away from it.  By and inch and a half.   And the over-the-sink light exacerbates that.

It's worse when there's 1/2" space between the cabinet and casing and the other side has to be notched!