# A Refrigerated Wine Cooler/Refrigerator Cabinet Cover



## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

A friend of ours is asking about a cabinet that will sit over a wine refrigerator and an apartment style refrigerator that sits (or will sit) next to it. 

So basically it is a cover open in the front so the doors can be opened. I can only assume it should be open in the back for air circulation. The top will most likely have stuff displayed on it also.

Well, boys and girls, that is all I have to go on at the moment. We plan to go take a look at what they have, get more info on what they want, and see where the cabinet would sit. That will probably be in a couple of weeks. We all have a lot on our plates.

So here is my first go at a cabinet. Pretty easy construction since it would have a face frame in front and back with solid sides. Note: There is no telling what the final design and construction will be. 

Will the front be strong enough to prevent the sides from spreading? Will the rear face frame rails be strong enough to prevent racking?

Your comments are welcome.

More to come.
Thanks
Mike


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Have pulled up a chair to watch this.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Mike, not sure I would leave the back open. I'd put a back on it (to prevent racking) and drill some holes in the back with a hole saw for circulation.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

vchiarelli said:


> Mike, not sure I would leave the back open. I'd put a back on it (to prevent racking) and drill some holes in the back with a hole saw for circulation.


Roger that. Thanks


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

The cabinets I made for a customer to cover her washer and dryer were open on the back, didn't have any problems with them.

As both the wine cooler and refrigerator probably have the manufacturer's requirement for some clearance - side and back - I'd consider not putting a back in the cabinet. Plus, a back on the cabinets means that they have to be lifted higher than the part being covered and then lowered down.

What I would consider - and let me see if I can describe what I'm saying - attach horizontal rails to the back of the face frame down at the bottom and to the inner sides of the cabinet, the width of the rail being parallel to the floor. The rails needn't be very wide - 2-1/2" maybe? - but it's going to go a long way to keeping the sides of the cabinet from pulling in, as long as the customer doesn't drag it around the room.

One thing to consider is how large the openings n the face frames need to be so that the doors open, and you'd have the open cabinet door to consider when you have the wine cooler or refrigerator doors open. Have you though about using the pocket doors that open up and then push back into the cabinet on slides along the inside wall? - that makes a very neat installation. I have photos (pre-digital unfortunately) somewhere that I could try to dig up and scan, but I'm sure that you get the idea.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Here's a video showing a TV cabinet with the pocket doors, would work the same way for a refrigerator.






A nice clean installation with the magnetic touch latches too. And a backless cabinet, the appliance would sit on the floor.


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## David Dickson (Oct 30, 2015)

*Lattice Back*

Mike,
What about some kind of lattice instead of a solid back? This would provide both structural strength and ventilation.
Just my penny's worth.
:smile:


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

And now for an update. The project is complete!

It was up to me to design the cabinet. All she asked for was for it to be black. OK.

I built the cabinet using the pine project panels purchased from the big blue box store. The top is birch plywood with a poplar edge band (with rounded corners). I made a face frame from the front and the back. Glue and pocket screws for the frames and attached with glue and 18 ga brad nails.

Since the cabinet has to sit away from the wall 1 1/2 inches due to the wall baseboard and trim, they asked for the top to extend to the wall. For convenience, I cut a relief in the back of the top in the center so power cords can be passed through for things like slow cookers, or whatever.

Then came the design change! A TV is mounted on the wall above where this cabinet will sit. So, they asked for the cabinet to be a little taller so the cable box could sit on top of the wine 'frig. OK. Luckily, I hadn't cut the side yet so no harm done.

Once assembled, I use Transtint Black aniline dye to tint it black. The next portion of the finish was to spray the cabinet with Zinsser Bull Eye sanding sealer to seal in the black dye. Finally, several coats of clear satin finished off the project.

One thing I made sure, was to make sure the lower stretcher on the back would not interfere with the power outlet. No problem with interference.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I used the CNC to cut the angles on the frame sides and legs! :grin:

We delivered it last weekend and it fit perfect...and they love it. And that makes me a happy camper.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

vchiarelli said:


> Mike, not sure I would leave the back open. I'd put a back on it (to prevent racking) and drill some holes in the back with a hole saw for circulation.


Leave it open, and put a couple of rods or dowels across the back, that will insure adequate ventilation.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

JOAT said:


> Leave it open, and put a couple of rods or dowels across the back, that will insure adequate ventilation.


Too late. It is a done deal. :grin:


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## jj777746 (Jan 17, 2015)

Good job as usual & the black finish is perfect.Jamesjj


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

Ok, so I'm now liking the idea of a black drawer front for my coffee table 

Great job as usual Mike, just what we have come to expect. Hope you're having a vacation this year, the amount of work you've done during your retirement


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Looks great, Mike. I was wondering about the sanding sealer. Is that so the dye won't bleed into the clear top coat? I built a couple of small adjustable speaker stands but never did finish them. They're sitting on a natural colour oak floor with black speakers. I haven't decided what colour to do them in but if you're getting a finish that looks like black speakers, that might be the way to go. Either that or I might do them in the dark brown like my TV stand.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Great work as always Mike . That turned out really well . If you weren't retired , I'd say you should be teaching wood working and sharing your talents . (For a price)


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

TenGees said:


> Looks great, Mike. I was wondering about the sanding sealer. Is that so the dye won't bleed into the clear top coat? I built a couple of small adjustable speaker stands but never did finish them. They're sitting on a natural colour oak floor with black speakers. I haven't decided what colour to do them in but if you're getting a finish that looks like black speakers, that might be the way to go. Either that or I might do them in the dark brown like my TV stand.


Mainly, I wanted to seal in the dye. And be able to sand the nubbins a little before applying the final clear finish.


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