Stumbled onto a game changer for scribing cabinets to uneven walls

I was fighting with a scribe tool and compass for like 20 minutes trying to get a base cabinet to fit against an old plaster wall in a house near St. Louis. Out of frustration I grabbed my 4-foot level and a couple of roofing shingles to shim the gap instead of cutting the cabinet. Hit the mark on the first try and saved having to sand down the face frame. Anyone else use weird stuff like shingles for quick scribe tricks?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_park16d ago

Used to be one of those people who thought shimming cabinets was a hack job and proper scribing was the only way. This actually makes a ton of sense for old plaster walls where nothing is straight or level anyway. Roofing shingles are easy to trim flush with a utility knife too, way less messy than sanding down wood. Might have to give this a try next time I'm wrestling with a wonky wall in a rental unit.

patricia3216d ago

Oh totally agree. Did a whole kitchen in a 1920s building last year. Plaster was a nightmare. Ended up using shingles on almost every upper cabinet. Way faster than trying to scribe every single piece.

robert_ross9516d ago

Ha! Sounds like you've seen the light on the other side. I used to be a purist too until I tried to scribe a cabinet to a wall that looked like it was built by a drunk toddler. Roofing shingles are legit though, they cut so clean with a knife you don't even have to break out the oscillating tool half the time. Just gotta make sure you don't go full cheapo and get those paper thin ones that crumble.