How to Get a New Shelf Into the Existing Base When Cabinet Doors Are Too Narrow

The key to getting a new shelf into your existing cabinet base is that narrow lip of wood at the opening of the cabinet. This can make the doors to the cabinet too narrow for your shelf to fit in. This situation is more of an irritation than a legitimate problem. Fitting that shelf in place is a simple matter of working with the angles until you've seated it where you want it to lay.

Measuring tape
Bar soap

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the interior width of your cabinet and the width of the shelf you want to install. Confirm that the shelf will actually fit, given the dimensions of your cabinet. If not, you can shave off excess width using a planer or skill saw.
- 2
  Remove all shelves, shelf brackets and other material from the cabinet.
- 3
  Slide the shelves inside the cabinet, tilted vertically so they are perpendicular to the direction they will lay when installed. Your top shelf should be on the left, your right shelf on the bottom.
- 4
  Lean the stacked shelves to the right, until they lie on top of one another at the bottom of the cabinet.
- 5
  Lift the top shelf and maneuver it until it's in place. Then add the shelf brackets to hold it in place.
- 6
  Repeat Step 5 with each additional shelf. Doing them in this order minimizes how much any shelf interferes with your ability to maneuver any given shelf.

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