Aligning Multiple Cases

[Zundy]

This will be the first time I'm building adjacent, connected, cases. The project will be 3 bookcases surrounding a family room window, two tall cases on either side and one low case under the window connecting all 3 together. My question is how should I design the cases to anticipate the possibility of an un-level floor? 

There must be a reliable common method for doing this but I have since I have no experience I've come up with two options: 

Option 1 - gamble the newly installed hardwood floor is pretty level and don't worry about it. Build the 3 cases, 3/4" birch ply, install and screw the cases together. Curse about gaps between cases that won't close (due to un-level floor). Custom cut face frames to cover the gaps (that sounds hard). The "top of the bases" of the 3 face frames won't align perfect but nobody will notice a 1/4" from left to right.

Option 2 - Worry about it. Build a 3.5" toe kick box for each case. Install the kick boxes and shim the tops of those boxes as necessary so that the 3 book cases will sit on those boxes and be perfectly aligned. When I screw the 3 cases together, they should (in theory) close together perfectly with no gaps between them, and the "top of the bases" of each case will also line up. If things don't align, re-shim the kick boxes until they do. In this case I could build and install the poplar face frames for each case up front instead of trying to custom cut them post install.

In Option 1, the sides of the cases sit on the floor. In Option 2, the sides never reach the floor but instead rest on the kick boxes creating a new seam. That sounds bad.

Would you recommend either of these plans or is there a better way?

Thanks for any ideas!

[jasfrank]

Check out leg levelelers such as Blum manufactures. Thats all I've used for years on anything with toe kicks. Then just cover them with a toe kick board. Easy as it gets. No having to build the boxes with the toe kick anymore.
For your exposed ends simply build a panel to fit. Of course you have to figure that all into your build.

[stav]

When I did my kitchen, it was the same story with the cabinets.  What I did was installed a ledger board on the wall that was level.  I put the back bottom corner of the cabinet on the ledger and used some leveling feet for the front.  That allowed me to adjust the tilt on the ledger to get the cabinet completely level and the leveling feet met the floor where it was in that spot.  The leveling feet came with the cabinets.  I still have some if you want them.

[Hank Knight]

I did what Stav did: installed a level ledger board on the wall, then leveled the fronts with levelers. Once I got everything level and lined up, I bolted the modules together with connector bolts and nuts through the cabinet sides. I ended up with a rock-solid, level assembly.

RASBenchBuild005Medium by Hank Knight, on Flickr

[goaliedad]

How close to level is the floor? If it is bad, build a level platform to install the boxes on?

[Stwood_]

Option 2 is a good way of doing it. I've done that a lot. Recently, my own cabinets in the kitchen.

[Zundy]

Thanks for ideas on ledger and leveling feet, never saw them before. 

I see how the ledger and levelers work for cabinets, when the levelers are on the bottom weight bearing board of the cabinet. However with a bookcase the sides are weight bearing and run to the floor. To accomplish that I could use side mounted levelers (see link below) then wrap the base trim/baseboard to close any gaps. That's OK but... 

Then I discovered this Bob Vila video (see below) where the maker produces one long built in case that sits right on the floor - no levelers, no base box, no baseboard! The case stiles run to the floor, with recessed rails in between. Classy! How in the world does he know its going to fit the floor perfectly flush? How could he possibly level if necessary?

Bob Vila project: Skip to 7'45" - 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNqgXYpr...icm&t=789s

Side levelers:
https://smile.amazon.com/Rok-Hardware-Ca...t+levelers

[mike4244]

I make the toe kick separate. Sit it on the floor nd level it with shims. Then scribe the bottom and saw to fit.  Now you have a level base to install your cabinets.
mike