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Closing the Space above the Kitchen Cabinets

How to build the cabinets up to the ceiling

I took matters into my own hands to give my dated honey oak kitchen a brand new look. This time it was all about closing the space above the kitchen cabinets.

Given that the cabinets were strong and sound, the plan was to update them with paint. But I also wanted to give them more character by adding moldings and giving them more height by bringing them all the way to the ceiling. Cleaning all the dust that accumulated up there was a challenging task.

From the beginning of the kitchen renovation, closing that space was one of my top priorities, and now even more because I had to cover the hood ducting I installed for the range hood.

You can also check how the kitchen Island was transformed right HERE.

*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

This is how the kitchen looked when the renovation started:
How to close the gap between cabinets and ceiling

The tools & materials you'll need for closing the space above the cabinets are:
I'm not a builder nor a carpenter; I followed what I believed was the most practical and economical way for me to close the space above the kitchen cabinets. It doesn't mean it is right or wrong. It has worked, and that's why I'm writing about it.
I simply installed long pieces of furring strips (1" x 2") on top of the cabinets and on the ceiling. These 1 x 2's support the front board that will cover that space. The 1 x 2's were secured to the ceiling joists using 2-1/2" screws. I used anchors when I couldn't line them with the joists. 
A line of 1 x 2's was also installed all along the top of the cabinets, pushing them back 1/2", which was the thickness of the material I was planning on using to cover that space.
Oak cabinet ready to being close above and up to the ceiling.
I used ½" MDF to close this space. The same material I used to cover the front and sides of the hood is an excellent painting surface.
Builder's grade kitchen updated by closing space above cabinets

The picture above shows the 1x2's installed on the ceiling and one on the top of the cabinets. There still needs to be one added on the left.
MDF and moldings are used to cover space above cabinets

The MDF was cut to size and installed. I used 1-1/2" brad nails to secure it onto the 1x2's.

All those corners consisted of butt joins. I didn't have the tools or skill to miter them. There was a lot of sanding and wood filler to make those rough edges look nice.
DIY how to cover the space above oak kitchen cabinets

I tried to get the most out of a single 4'x 8' sheet of MDF. Since I don't have a table saw, I always ask for the long pieces to be cut at the home center. At Home Depot, they usually do it for free on weekdays. If you go on weekends, it is a different story.
Here is how the cabinets looked after closing that entire space above them. Nothing fancy, huh?
how to close the space above kitchen cabinets

But then, a bunch of moldings was all they needed to make them look awesome! :)

Check how to add moldings to your kitchen cabinets right HERE.
Give new life to oak cabinets with moldings, a builder's grade basic kitchen is transformed with crown molding, under cabinet moldings and paint

Then, it was time to paint everything - Talk about the magic of paint! 


This is how the kitchen looked at the end of this makeover.

A kitchen makeover with white cabinets and dark kitchen island.
Pendant Light | Roman Shade - sim. | Backsplash |

This is how it looks today after painting the kitchen island a lighter color, updating the range hood, and opening some of the cabinets.
a white kitchen with duck egg blue island
| DIY - Plate Rack | DIY - Fridge Enclosure |

The space above my kitchen cabinets was only 12" from the top of the cabinets to the ceiling.
If you have a space greater than 12", a good alternative would be to give it the look of "open cabinets," as I did in my Laundry Room HERE.
Laundry room makeover on a budget


Or as Morgane from Bear, Dolly and Moi did.

But if you're dealing with a soffit or fur down, you must check Kaylor @ Fisherman's Wife Furniture. She made the soffit look like part of the cabinets. Brilliant!

You can also check Daina Baer's work closing the space above the cabinets in her kitchen.

For more Kitchen DIY Ideas, check these out:

Give new life to oak cabinets with moldings, a builder's grade basic kitchen is transformed with crown molding, under cabinet moldings and paint

How to install a marble backsplash
How to build a range hood

kitchen makeover - getting rid of a recirculating for a vent out hood


How to build a fridge enclosure
How to update the kitchen island
Tips about installing recessed lights





For the latest projects done in this kitchen, click HERE.

*This post contains affiliate links.





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59 comments :

  1. Ah! Finally, someone who solved my design dilemma! You just made me your official new follower. This is amazing and beautiful. Thank you for the post with pics! If I stay in this house long enough, I'll be using this.

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  2. Stunning transformation! I just discovered your site today, and I'm obsessed! I really want to give my 16 year old kitchen a facelift. My first estimate for a complete redo from a construction company was $70,000! GASP! Still waiting for a couple more, but maybe, just maybe, I can do some of this myself.

    I love the level of detail and how clear your descriptions are. Thank you!!

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  3. I love your remodel, it is so inspiring and I love your style! Now I want to buy a house with ugly oak cabinets so I can do this!

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  4. Wow!!!! I too have been searching for ways to deal with the dreaded open space... This is perfect and something I can easily accomplish... Now, if I can just figure out the easiest way to relocate the ice maker supply line with a finished basement making the least amount of drywall damage... Oh!!!! but for the moment, you have greatly made my day!!!! Thank you so much... for keeping it simple and showing the pictures as you went along each step... I truely am a visual learner...

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  5. Thank you for this article. That’s all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you’ve covered so many bases.Thanks!

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  6. Great blog. You are such an inspiration. I am about to tackle the same exact issue with my cabinets.

    How did you deal with the corners? Did you have to do anything special or you just squared off the mdf?

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    1. I 45vd mine so that the corner doesn't show. Takes a bit more time but worth the effort

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  7. Thanks a lot Cheryl! Nothing special was done to the corners, I simply squared them off. The mdf edge can be seen, I tried to smooth it out the best I could, in the end, it doesn't bother me that much. You can see a close up pic (the first one), of the corner above the fridge in this link: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/09/cutting-crown-corners-anyone.html

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  8. I have been looking and looking and looking for the exact same solution - my cabinets are the same way, and they collect so much dirt and junk up there - ugh! thank you so much for sharing how you did this!!!!!! Now, I just have to get up the courage to do the same. Thank you! I'm a new follower!

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  9. I found this on pinterest...whoa!Is there anyway you can give me an estimate of how much it cost you to close the tops of your cabinets? We just bought a home with the space open above the kitchen cabinets too and they look so blah!I absolutely loved the transformation in your kitchen! You did great! If there is anyway you could give me a rough estimate, I would be ever so grateful! my email is jamielh08@aol.com. Thank you

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  10. Jamie, If your kitchen isn't that big, I think you only need to buy one sheet ½" MDF (around $30), and moldings, crown and wall moldings. The total I guess would be something around $100 if you diy and have the tools. Oh, you'll also need screws, anchors and paint.
    You can check the entire kitchen cost break down here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/02/kitchen-cost-breakdown.html

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  11. I am in LOVE with your kitchen! I have 24" above my cabinets and am thinking about raising the the cabinets 6" then boxing in the 18". Not sure if it will look odd though. I am not really wanting open shelving all over even though I love your laundry room! Thanks so much for sharing! I can't wait to attempt to do it to mine!

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  12. здорово!

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  13. Beautiful! and You did a great Job. Do u Mind telling how high is the ceiling? is it 9' or 12'?
    thanks in advance

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  14. and how much gap did u have above the cabinets to begin with.? thanks

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  15. and one last question. what size are the cabinets(height) and how much space between countertop and cabinets? thanks

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  16. The gap was 1-foot. The cabinets are 42" high and the space between the countertop and the cabinets is 18".

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  17. Cristina, I am following your example and am doing the exact thing to my cabinets right now. How did you attach your MDF to the trim pieces on the ceiling and the ones on the top of the cabinet? Did you use a nail gun or pin nailer?

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    1. Yaay you're gonna love it! ;) I used a nail gun. I have a set that I keep on using for all my projects. You can see them right here: http://goo.gl/BuIk5E

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  18. Thanks Cristina! We had to do a "hybrid" attachment with the nail gun on the ceiling trim pieces and Liquid Nails on the bottom trim pieces. Every time we tried to use the nail gun on the lower pieces, the impact of the nails going in kept pushing the trim away from the edge of the cabinet, even though we back nailed everything. So far, it seems to have worked great. Now on to caulking and some finishing touches before tackling the decorative trim. Whew, I'll be glad when this is done!

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  19. Hi Cristina, great tutorial! I was just wondering could you please describe what you did to the range hood cabinet?

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    1. Thanks Jeremy! You can check what was done to the range hood cabinet right here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/how-to-build-range-hood.html

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  20. Can you share what types of moulding you used? Alot of the tutorials I am finding just have plain wood with crown moulding on top to ceiling which looks pretty obvious to me. Is that baseboard on the bottom? Thank you.

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    1. Hi Sarah, the link to check all the moldings I used is this: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/adding-moldings-to-your-kitchen.html

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  21. What is paint color on cabinets?

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  22. Hi! This looks amazing..I am wondering if you did anything special to the cabinets or you just painted it right away? No sanding? Thank you!

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    1. Thanks! A light sanding and good cleaning was the first step. You can find all the details right here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/painting-kitchen-cabinets.html

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  23. For your new lighter color on the island, what paint and color did you use?

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    1. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Duck Egg Blue Paint, adding a glaze to it. You can find all the details here: http://goo.gl/sx51tV

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  24. This looks amazing. May I ask where you ended up putting your microwave?I love the decorative hood, but our microwave is above the oven and I am not sure where place it.

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    1. Thanks so much Angela! The microwave ended up inside the kitchen island. You can check that post right here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/kitchen-island-update.html

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  25. Love your remodel! We are thinking of closing in our cabinets and building a hood over our existing one. Our fan and light buttons are on the front of the hood. How do you turn them on?

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    1. The buttons on our range are right there underneath the whole thing. One for the light and one for the fan. You can see a picture of it right here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/how-to-build-range-hood.html

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  26. How did you attach the MDF to the 1"x2" you installed to anchor them?

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  27. Wow, your before and afters are stunning. Nice work!

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  28. Where did you purchase the over island lights? What is it named?

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    Replies
    1. Kari, that's the Firefly Pendant light and you can buy it at CB2.

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  29. My grandfather was a carpenter and he always put 12" cabinets on their side (opening up) in that space so you could utelize it instead of wasting it.

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    1. That's a great solution, though, it's hard to reach for stuff that's stored up there. I'm always bringing my small ladder to grab things from those top cabinet shelves. :/

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  30. Is it me or are none of your links working. I tried to check out the work you mentioned on crazy gorgeous and it didnt work.
    Other than that, you did a great job. Now I'm getting all kinds of ideas.
    Im curious about your enclosure for the stove vent. How far out is it from the fan and could you post some pics?

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    1. You're right, that link's not working. It looks like she closed the page. Sorry about that.
      You can find details about the range hood right here: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/how-to-build-range-hood.html
      Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  31. You did an amazing job, it looks incredible!! I have to convince my husband we can do this lol. We have white laminate cabinets. Do you think if we used mdf board and painted it that it would match ok? Also, how do you make the corners where you connect the mdf board smooth?

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    1. Thanks Kim! Good luck convincing your hubby, that convincing takes time and faith. :D I couldn't wait any longer and that's why I started doing it myself.
      MDF would give you a nice, smooth finish that I'm sure you'll love. The important thing is to find a perfect match for the paint color you have on the cabinets.
      I used joint compound and lots of sanding on those mdf edges.

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  32. When it was time for a kitchen remodel, we used that space as additional storage. My husband built in box-like enclosures and finished it off to look like part of the cupboards. I cannot tell you how much valuable space this provided. We painted our cupboards and and the new additional, open storage to match. Beautiful display space.

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  33. This Looks amazing! If you don't mind my asking: What method did you use measure where the anchoring wood pieces would need go on the ceiling? I'm trying to figure out what would be the most efficient way to measure. Thanks!

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    1. I remember using a long ruler that I placed against the front of the cabinets, the top end of the ruler pointing all the way to the ceiling to mark it.

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  34. Cabinet boxes actually do not anchor into the ceiling. They were attached to the existing cupboards. They literally are just open boxes set on top of, and attached to the existing cupboards.

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  35. Nice to be visiting your blog again, it has been months for me. Well this article that i've been waited for so long. I need this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has same topic with your article. Thanks, great share. Body Kit

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  36. Would this closing the gap idea work for cabinets that aren't going to be painted? Mine are already a lovely light colored wood that I like. If I could find matching wood, would it look funny to do this? Love the idea, bur unsure how to proceed.

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    1. Hi MaryAnn, Yes, I think this can work for your light colored wood cabinets, but yes, you need to find a perfect match for that wood tone.

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  37. I love the shade you have above your kitchen window! Where did you get it from? I've been looking for something just like that!

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