How to match wood around smaller new oven? - Woodworking Talk

kailuakeith · 03-24-2008, 06:22 AM

My wife wanted a new oven and picked one smaller than the old one. We have pearl colored solid cherry cabinet doors and drawer fronts with veneer elsewhere. How do I go about getting wood to match the existing cabinets to cover the void due to the new oven being smaller?
Also, the Bosch oven just has 2 tiny screws which are meant to hold it to the trim. Otherwise, it just sits on the base ( a rectangle from 2 bt 4's) left from the old oven. Right now even those two little screws have nothing to go into, so when you open the oven door it rocks just a little. From what I read, two tiny screws to fix the position of a below counter oven is common. Is this true? Any better way to anchor it? Thanks for any help.

cabinetman · 03-24-2008, 10:04 AM

I don't know which oven you have, but if bought new, there is usually an installation kit and instructions. The installations I've done had a back plate that mounted on the wall, and through bolts from the cabinet floor above the unit that threads into the top of the MW.

Trying to utilize the remnants of a prior unit may test your creativity, and ultimately be a safety hazard. If you have the installation kit, dismantle and remove existing hardware and use the proper hardware.

As for matching up trim, you may be able to find out which brand of cabinet you have and contact the company and buy "filler" pieces in the exact finish that can be made to fit. Or if you can't, and are into woodworking, you can make your own to fit, and experiment on samples to get a color and sheen as close as possible.

If you're not into woodworking, contact some cabinet shops in your area and get an opinion/estimate. They may also be able to help you with the MW installation.

edp · 03-24-2008, 02:06 PM

You pay for the ticket and I'll fix your oven.

Ed

Gerry KIERNAN · 03-24-2008, 06:16 PM

You might want to consider a bit of contrast with the trim around the new oven. Sometimes that is a lot easier than trying to match existing cabinets. If the match doesn't go exactly 100% it will never look right.

Gerry

kailuakeith · 03-24-2008, 09:20 PM

I thought the same thing, but my wife would prefer a close but not perfect match. Is the only alternative to buy say pine or maple and stain it?

mmwood_1 · 03-25-2008, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kailuakeith

I thought the same thing, but my wife would prefer a close but not perfect match. Is the only alternative to buy say pine or maple and stain it?

NO!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! You'll never get anywhere close to cherry with pine or maple. My advice on the wood match is this: Get yourself a piece of the same wood (cherry, about 3"-4" wide x 8"- 12" long) and sand it to 220 grit. Bring it, along with a sample of what you're trying to match, maybe a door or drawer face,to a reputable paint store and ask them if they can do a color match for you. I do this all the time when matching existing cabinets. They match pretty close, if not exact; they only charge for the can of stain, or 2 cans if they needed to mix a couple, and I don't have to have an entire arsenal of stains and tints on hand to try matching.

Then you can get what cherry you need, cut it to fit, sand it, stain it, and finish it.

Regarding Cabinetman's advice on the installation instructions, you have to be cautious with those. They're not always correct. 2 years ago, I built cabinets and the owners had a Bosch oven to put in. I built the cut out for it exactly to spec, only to discover upon installing that the cut out was about 2" too wide and 1" too tall. It turned out that Bosch had changed the specs on that oven, but the installation instructions that were packed with it were for the previous specs on that model. Much to their credit, Bosch acknowledged the responsibility and paid for the cost of me making and installing filler strips.

As I recall on that Bosch oven, there was something involved with sliding it into some brackets at the base, which were mounted before inserting the oven. This held the oven down and kept it from tipping. The small screws in the sides were just to keep it positioned in line with the face frame. Check it out on the installation instructions.

Gerry KIERNAN · 03-25-2008, 11:45 AM

I would agree with mmwood

If you are trying for a close match then you will have to use cherry. Luckily you shouldn't need very much as it is only trim pieces. If by any long chance there is a way to identify the shop that made your cabinets originally that would be a good place to start.

Gerry

Gerry