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Perfecting the Imperfect In Our IKEA Kitchen: Fillers, Panels + Toe Kicks

If you’re anything like me, you often find yourself tripped up over the details (also known as losing All the Sleep). You fret over upcoming dinner plans, your grocery list or, in this case (and for us, most cases), your current project du jour. The garden apartment has come leaps and bounds since we first shared the initial walkthrough, and we’re getting to the point where our lists are much shorter but much more detailed. Spackle. Sand. Caulk. Fix the drain. Install the lights and the switch plate covers and scrub the floors. Of course, this is a good thing – no, a great thing! – because it means we’re finally able to see the light at the end of this long, winding tunnel!

One of our most recent nit-picky-and-incredibly-necessary details, however? The kitchen fillers, cover panels and toe-kicks. The cabinets are in, the counters are in-progress and we’re picking up tile for the backsplash later this week. But! We can’t really stick a fork in the cabinet install until we perfect the imperfect. Those small 1″ gaps along the walls need filled, the bright white cabinet boxes need panels and their legs need a toe kick to hide behind. I told Scott that I feel like the final fillers and trim are one of those details that seem to magically happen, but there’s little explanation of how in the world they actually get done! The devil is in the details, and today, we’re going to get into it.

When we ordered our IKEA kitchen, the salesperson helped us determine the proper amount of panels we’d need based on our room layout. We were given an 8′ side panel for the fridge, a couple of small 15″ x 3′ panels for the uppers and one perfectly sized 24″ x 30″ panel for our one exposed base cabinet:

We started there, since it was by far the easiest. With every cabinet, IKEA provides a handful of screws that are used to attach the cabinets together, or in this example, to attach any necessary panels. For every side panel, we used four screws – two in the top corners and two in the bottom corner. The screws go directly through the cabinet box, but with the instruction that we avoid those ubiquitous pre-drilled holes. This allows the screws to bite nicely into the wood-slash-particle-board.

The cover panels for our upper cabinets were slightly trickier only because they required cuts. After tightly clamping the panel to the cabinet and ensuring level, we drew a faint pencil line where we’d need to remove the excess, and Scott used a circular saw and a straight edge to create a nice, straight cut. Tip: Blue tape will help to prevent the finish from chipping during the process!

We turned the panel upside down so that the finished edge was revealed on the bottom, and it was secured in the same way as the panel on our base cabinet:

On the opposite wall, we opted to use panels to cover the exposed white boxes above the sink. We considered covering the underside of the shortest cabinet, but since we’ll also be installing a sconce there and none of the other undersides were getting panels, it felt like overkill. (Also, ahem, we didn’t have enough leftover panels – ha!) We used our last remaining panel to make two cuts – one for each side – again, making sure that the finished edges were along the bottom:

Next, it was on to the fillers! The fillers are the detail I was perhaps the most nervous about, but with a bit of patience and careful measuring (and Scott’s can-do attitude!), we were super happy with the results. Using leftovers from the fridge side panel, we had more than enough to fill all the gaps where the cabinets didn’t quite meet the wall.

To start, we measured each gap in three places – top, middle and bottom:

The first filler we did was by far our widest – a result of using the recommended 30″ wide upper above a 36″ base cabinet to prevent the upper from touching the (future) vent hood. As a result, we used scrap wood to create a slug that the filler could safely rest against. Using our nail gun, we attached the scrap to the wall and ran a thick line of constructive adhesive along it:

Scott used his circular saw on all the cuts, and once we had our first filler to size, we used short 1.25″ nails with our nail gun to attach the filler to the cabinet. The gun was angled ever-so-slightly towards the back to prevent a rogue nail from poking through the front of our finish piece. (And yes, we held our breath with every pop!)

We continued with this same method around the room, although none of the other fillers needed a slug, as they were mostly 1″ or less. Once all the fillers were in place, I followed up with a line of caulk for a seamless finish. (Aah, caulk. The glue that holds this old house together!) After running the bead of caulk and smoothing with my fingers, I used a damp paper towel to go over the filler pieces themselves so that no reside remained on the gray. The visible caulk that’s left will get painted the same color as the walls:

Finally, we could finish up with the toe kicks! You might remember that IKEA base cabinets have 4.5″ legs that can be adjusted to accommodate un-level floors – a saving grace, truly. We cut the toe kicks to the proper width on our miter saw, and then we used the IKEA provided clips that slide into a groove along the back. These clips can be easily adjusted to the left and right, and they attach directly to the legs. For exposed corner pieces, there are small caps that can be snapped on so that no raw cuts are visible:

We completed the fillers, panels and toe kicks over the course of 2 weeknights, so as per usual, all my nervous fretting over the details was for nothing. One of these days, I’ll learn! (But probably not anytime soon.)

You may have noticed fresh baseboards and butcher blocks counters creeping into some of the photos! Some of the base will need quarter round to complete the look, which we’ll be slowly knocking out over the course of this week and next weekend. The countertops are almost done (they still need a few more coats of Waterlox), and we’ll be sharing that process with you soon!

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  • Sarah7.18.17 - 8:06 AM

    It is looking so so good in there and I can’t believe how quickly it’s coming togather! You guys are amazing!ReplyCancel

  • Katherine7.18.17 - 10:57 AM

    This looks so good! Watching you guys do this has made me want to use Ikea cabinets in our own kitchen but go with the custom cabinet fronts from Semihandmade!

    Quick question–we actually just bought a Pax closet to go inside our current, deep, reach-in closet. According to the direction, we totally had enough space to clear the ceiling…but in a *d’oh* moment…we don’t and should’ve built the cabinet in the closet. Have you guys ever disassembled a pax or other ikea cabinet? I assume the kitchen cabinets go together in a similar way. How do you get that little locking thing out? (NO idea what you call that thing that basically secures that the pieces are fit together)ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.18.17 - 12:10 PM

      Thanks, Katherine! Semihandmade has so many good door options!

      Hmmm, we haven’t taken a cabinet apart after we’ve put it together. Is it something that can be twisted out with pliers? I’m having a hard time imagining exactly which locking part you’re talking about – I feel like all IKEA parts lock together in a magical way!

      Anyone else?ReplyCancel

      • Kevin11.12.22 - 3:00 PM

        The round pin locks or as I call them, barrel locks shouldn’t have to be removed but simply rotated counterclockwise to release them from the pins and then pulled straight away from the other panel…pulling vertically away from the pins.ReplyCancel

    • Marjory7.18.17 - 2:46 PM

      Do you mean these things? https://www.furnitureparts.com/collections/cam-lock-nuts

      I messed up when I was putting a Malm dresser together and used the plastic one when I should have used the metal one. I tried everything I could to get it out and ended up breaking it. I could almost get it with pliers, but I couldn’t get it that last little bit. Can you turn the piece on its side or something one you’ve pulled it with the pliers and try to shake it out? I found this youtube video that you might could try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qjnby5i6VcReplyCancel

  • AmandaKB7.18.17 - 2:47 PM

    I’m a details person, so I love posts like this. Thanks for not skipping over it! The progress on the apartment is exciting :)ReplyCancel

  • Eric7.19.17 - 2:45 PM

    It’s all these little details that make the house a home. Looks great. And don’t those folks at IKEA think of everything?ReplyCancel

  • Lacey7.20.17 - 5:24 AM

    Do think you should have gotten a 36″ cabinet for next to the range hood so you wouldn’t have needed a filler? I’m designing my own IKEA kitchen right now, and they recommended getting a 30″ to me as well.ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.20.17 - 8:58 AM

      I fought them at the store on it, but she INSISTED we go with a 30″. I honestly don’t think it would have been a big deal to go with a 36″, but we trusted their judgement in the end!ReplyCancel

  • lauren l price11.10.17 - 1:52 PM

    Hi there! SUCH a helpful post!
    One quick question, did you use cover panels on each side of every lower cabinet? I know that we need one on the exposed white part of the end cabinet, but I am wondering where else I really NEED them. I am thinking between where a cabinet meets an appliance(like dishwasher and stove)?
    Thanks!
    LaurenReplyCancel

    • Kim11.10.17 - 2:22 PM

      Hey Lauren! We only used a side cover panel in between the fridge and countertops and on the very end when you first enter the kitchen. We didn’t use any in-between the dishwasher or oven, for example. I think it would be a waste of $$, honestly, as you would never, ever see it.ReplyCancel

  • Katie Belmont12.24.17 - 1:09 AM

    I have a question about toe kicks! If you are using an end cap on the front piece, and then butting the side piece up to it, how are you attaching the side piece, where the leg is already being used to secure the front piece. Hope that question makes sense!ReplyCancel

    • Kim12.24.17 - 8:45 AM

      It makes perfect sense! The side piece still clips to the same leg that the front piece does, but the clip will just go above or below where the front piece clip is. There is enough height on the leg of the cabinet for both clips to have room.ReplyCancel

  • sylwia3.5.18 - 8:42 PM

    Great job! I was wondering where you got the countertop from. Is this an IKEA one as well?
    thanksReplyCancel

  • Barbara4.8.18 - 9:13 AM

    You guys presented a clear and precise tutorial. I have searched and read at least 100 tutorials by different folks re: IKEA cabinets and yours by far the best! Thank you.ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.9.18 - 12:32 PM

      We’re so happy it helped! Thank you!ReplyCancel

    • Marlene12.28.18 - 5:30 PM

      I agree this has been the only post that addresses the panels, fillers, and toe kicks with enough detail and photos to make sense. It answered a lot of the questions I had.ReplyCancel

  • Jessica6.7.18 - 7:39 PM

    What is the blue tape you’re referring too? Is it a type of painter’s tape? Thanks!ReplyCancel

  • Katie6.12.18 - 11:06 AM

    Hi!

    I am just revisiting this post now since we are having a handyman install our same Ikea cabinets. One issue we ran into was with the toe kick under the dishwasher. When we open the dishwasher, the toe kick pops out. Did you have any issue with that, and if so, how did you remedy it? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!! Our handyman was not the right choice to install this and we have had so many issues with him getting things right. : (

    Thank you!
    KatieReplyCancel

    • Kim6.13.18 - 8:40 AM

      Oh, so strange, sorry to hear that! We didn’t have that issue at all, and I’m not sure what could be causing it? We also have our dishwasher on the end, and the wall trim dead ends into it, so that could be helping to keep it in place. If it’s a huge issue with popping off, you could try using a touch of construction adhesive where it connects to the leg? Sorry I can’t be of more help!ReplyCancel

      • Katie6.13.18 - 10:32 AM

        Thanks Kim!

        We went to Ikea last night and they suggested we just cut a notch out of the toe kick which should work. Thank you for your reply and help!! This really has been a learning process, that’s for sure!

        KatieReplyCancel

  • Kathleen Fitch6.24.18 - 8:48 PM

    We are getting ready to redo our kitchen using Ikea cabinets with custom covers and I could not figure out how all the finishing touches were done, now I know (and now I can sleep :) ), thank you so much!ReplyCancel

    • Kim6.25.18 - 7:32 AM

      Happy to help! Those are the things that keep me awake at night, too. Ha!ReplyCancel

  • Jeremy Nelson7.15.18 - 8:25 AM

    Thank you so much for the detailed post! I’m about to start this portion of the project and reading this made me less nervous!ReplyCancel

  • steve parsch8.14.18 - 7:13 AM

    how did you mount the cabinets as very little space on the top between ceiling?ReplyCancel

  • Lauren9.20.18 - 7:48 PM

    Love this post! Great overview!

    We just installed he same kitchen doors, did you find any white space peaking out next to the door fronts? Any seems like I need to do something or make something, already tried to adjust with screw driverReplyCancel

    • Kim9.20.18 - 8:52 PM

      I think there will always be a teeeeeny bit of white peeking out, but it doesn’t bother us too much. We’ve heard that this is the one issue with IKEA cabinets with super contrasting colors (like white boxes with black doors, for example)!ReplyCancel

  • Tom9.29.18 - 8:59 AM

    I built a custom wooden base for my island cabinet. I cannot find an adhesive that will bond to IKEA’s plastic base in order to glue the base board to the custom wooden base. Can you recommend an adhesive?

    Thanks,ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.1.18 - 10:09 AM

      Have you tried regular Liquid Nails construction adhesive? That will bond to anything, it seems like!ReplyCancel

  • Michelle11.18.18 - 6:52 PM

    Hey there – great post – I am losing sleep over the details. Mostly the amount of space to leave between the ceiling and upper cabinets – I can’t quite tell in your pictures – did you need a filler or did you mount them so close you just left a space (so small you don’t need a filler)?ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.18.18 - 6:55 PM

      The ceilings are low in our garden apartment, and the math worked out in such a way where we didn’t need a trim piece at the top. What’s more important is the space between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinet. You’ll want 18-22″ (depending on height comfort) of space between. We always opt for somewhere around 18-19″ since I’m kind of short, haha. Then you’ll need to see how much space you’ll have between the cabinet and the ceiling, and you can determine your trim options that way!ReplyCancel

  • Sonja11.24.18 - 4:49 PM

    I would like to cover the bottom of a wall cabinet but cannot figure out how to attach it – they are heavy! Would you just drill through the bottom inside the cabinet and countersink the holes?ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.24.18 - 6:09 PM

      Yes! That’s exactly what I would do.ReplyCancel

  • Amber C.12.8.18 - 8:07 PM

    Hi!!!! Working on these dreaded details now. We cut the fridge panel to size and used painters tape to cut down on the chipping, however, it still chipped pretty badly. So much so that I am using a cornice piece to just trim it out and hide the ugly lol. Can you tell me which blade you used. I am afraid I wont be able to hide many more ugly cuts and have a few more to go. Thanks!!!ReplyCancel

    • Kim12.9.18 - 11:27 AM

      Oh no!! Make sure that you’re using a really fine tooth blade for these more ‘perfect’ cuts, since they won’t tear away at the veneer!ReplyCancel

      • Max6.4.21 - 3:21 PM

        I used 40 teeth Diablo blade. Tried even finer but it produced too much friction. Tape both sides. Lower side will not chip at all but upper might so make sure to turn board face down when you cut. Cut only with circular saw with 7 1/4 diameter blade or bigger or it will chip. Go slow. ReplyCancel

  • Amber C.12.9.18 - 11:52 AM

    H! Working on these dreaded details now. We cut the fridge panel to size and used painters tape to cut down on the chipping, however, it still chipped pretty badly. So much so that I am using a piece to just trim it out and hide the ugly lol. Can you tell me which blade you used. I am afraid I wont be able to hide many more ugly cuts and have a few more to go. Thanks!!!ReplyCancel

  • Seth E12.10.18 - 4:29 AM

    Hi,

    I have a burning question about the side panels you fitted.

    I’m currently installing an identical kitchen (grey Bodbyn/Metod). Like many others, I was initially baffled with side panel fitting because of the complete lack of IKEA guidance about its panels and trims.

    My question:

    The carcasses are 23 1/4″ deep, the panels 24 1/4″ deep, and the decorative edge of the doors/drawers about 1/2-5/8″ deep.

    Hence it seems apparent that about 1/2″ has to be cut the whole length of the rear of the panel in order to have the front edge flush with the doors/drawers.

    The IKEA panel leaflet just shows it being screwed on without any adjustment for depth, thus leaving the front protruding a full inch.

    Did you in fact trim the rear of the panels, in order to get the front flush with the doors, or am I missing something and the doors/drawers are themselves 1″ thick when attached?!

    Thanks for any guidance!ReplyCancel

    • Kim12.10.18 - 7:31 AM

      I believe that once the doors or drawer fronts are on, it makes the panels flush! If I’m remembering correctly. Have you installed the doors and drawer fronts first? You’ll want to do that regardless, just to make any fine tuning adjustments – whether that’s leaving the panels alone or needing to shave off the tiniest amount.ReplyCancel

  • Rinna3.6.19 - 9:03 PM

    Hi! I love your post and just finished getting our Ikea cabinets installed. We did not get those panels that are supposed to cover the underside of the upper cabinets and I’m somewhat regretting that now because I can see the metal screws all the time (our cabinets are higher up than normal because of a passthrough in the wall). I see that you had some of those showing also (in the area over the sink) and wondered what you ended up doing with that, if anything. Did you find any sort of plugs or some panels or anything?

    Thanks for any suggestions!ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.7.19 - 7:43 AM

      Hi Rinna! We left ours alone, but I’ve seen people put white stickers on the screws to help conceal them. I think ikea might even sell something to cover them, or you could try looking on Amazon for stick on screw covers – I know I’ve seen them used before, we just don’t have personal experience.ReplyCancel

  • Mike6.10.19 - 3:54 PM

    Thanks for this, I’m installing my own Ikea kitchen and also like to fret over the details.
    I couldn’t make my mind up if it looked odd having the filler pieces against the wall not flush with the cabinet doors. 
    seeing yours finished with the fillers flush to the cabinet and not the door has put my mind at ease that I’ve done the right thing. 
    Good job.ReplyCancel

  • Chas Nantel11.28.19 - 10:18 PM

    For visible places between the cabinets and floor such as the front edge One installs a toe kick guard section.  Possible along the left and righ sides as well.  What about along the back of the cabinets between the bottom and the floor where no one save the cat might see; do people install a kick guard section here?  Thanks.ReplyCancel

  • Gigi3.2.20 - 4:44 PM

    We installed cabinets in our master, kitchen and laundry.  We’ve discovered the bottoms in the vanity are warping about 5″ from the front and there’s no water or liquid. Anyone else have this issue?  The other problem is the kitchen base end caps pop off for no reason.  Any idea where we can order?  The Ikea staff (3) said we’d have to order new cabinets.  For a 3″ x 1/2″ plastic piece?  ReplyCancel

  • Anna4.23.20 - 7:21 PM

    Any chance you know how deep you made your panel beside the fridge? We’re so unsure of how deep to go! Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.23.20 - 9:46 PM

      It’s the same depth as the countertops, 24”ReplyCancel

  • Dawn Lambert6.12.20 - 9:18 PM

    Where can I get Ikea toe kick corner piece?  Do you know part number?ReplyCancel

    • Kim6.12.20 - 9:29 PM

      IKEA should be able to find the number for you!ReplyCancel

  • Jinelle6.29.20 - 4:14 PM

    Hello-
    So happy I found this. Thanks for sharing.
    Any tips for covering the white of the base cabinet? We went with the wood cover panels and fronts for our Ikea base cabinets. I can see the white frame poking through… not pretty! 
    Thank you-
    JReplyCancel

  • Adam C8.20.20 - 12:28 PM

    Great information here!! Regarding the 30″ over the stove cabinets…
    I am planning out my kitchen now. I have longer wall cabinets on both sides of the 30″ stove wall cabinet.  Is 30″ for sure enough space? I want the floor cabinets beside each end of the stove to line up perfectly with the wall cabinets above them. Even the ikea room planner warns me that the stove needs 20mm space on either side, thus throwing my alignment off. Why wouldnt they just make the stove suppers 30.5″ or something? What do you think?ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.20.20 - 1:11 PM

      I think ikea might round up – we’ve never had issues with having our cabinets next to the stove.ReplyCancel

      • Adam C8.21.20 - 11:05 AM

        Thanks for the reply!  That’s definitely a flaw in the ikea room planner. You’d think they’d use exact measurements!  Do your countertops over hang the base cabinets at the sides of the stove? ReplyCancel

        • Kim8.21.20 - 11:32 AM

          I don’t believe so, maybe the teeniest tiniest bit??ReplyCancel

  • LD10.14.20 - 10:47 AM

    Did you follow the Ikea recommendation to install the suspension rail no less than 3/4″ from the ceiling?  Yours appears to be much closer to the ceiling than that, which is how I’d like to install my cabinets if possible (due to low ceilings).  But I want to make sure I don’t run into any issues.ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.14.20 - 11:25 AM

      We have a filler panel above our cabinets, so it’s a few inches lower than the ceiling.ReplyCancel

      • LD10.16.20 - 2:52 PM

        Oh. OK. You’d neve know from the photos.  Thanks for the reply.  ReplyCancel

  • Amanda3.2.21 - 11:50 AM

    Did you use cover panels on each side of the range? Trying to decide if we need them or not. Thanks!ReplyCancel

  • Marion5.5.21 - 9:25 AM

    During my research I happened upon your site. We are putting in our own Ikea kitchen and see on the instructions for the base cabinet that holds the sink that there is a panel that you can insert in front to hide the sink when the cabinet doors are open. Do you happen to know where on Ikea you purchase this panel as it does not come with the cabinet?ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.5.21 - 10:33 AM

      Hi Marion! You need to add filler panels to your order! The people that work in the IKEA kitchen department always help us with all our fillers before we place our order. It’s helpful to go in-store and ask questions if you’re able!ReplyCancel

  • Vaishali7.2.21 - 3:42 PM

    We are starting our reno to our kitchen, and this is super helpful, thank you! I do have one question—Ikea seemed to be hell bent on using a 36×96” end panel for the fridge, which seems so wasteful for a 24” depth—and when they have a 25×90 piece—could I use the 25×90 and rest the bottom on the adjacent base cabinet’s’ legs?ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.2.21 - 4:04 PM

      Keep in mind that you want the end panel to completely cover the ENTIRE side of the fridge, ideally, so that’s why the 36″ depth will come in handy. You want the panel to hide the side of the fridge, not just be the counter depth. Hope that makes sense!ReplyCancel

  • Leah8.5.21 - 1:55 PM

    So I know you don’t use the predrilled IKEA holes to attach the side panels, but do you predrill your own hole in the side of the cabinet and the side panel?ReplyCancel

    • Scott8.5.21 - 2:06 PM

      Hi Leah! We’ve found that that particle board of the IKEA cabinet boxes is soft enough that pre-drilling isn’t necessary. Standard wood/drywall screws bite nicely and hold well. Hope this helps!ReplyCancel

  • Jaimee10.19.21 - 7:50 AM

    Looks amazing! How did you hide all the holes in the bottom of your overhead cabinets? We are currently putting our ikea kitchen together and wanting to avoid a cover panel under my overhead cabinets so my doors still sit flushReplyCancel

    • Scott10.19.21 - 10:37 AM

      For this kitchen, we didn’t cover any of the holes.ReplyCancel

  • Chelsea3.6.22 - 7:57 PM

    Hi! Thank you so much for such a detailed guide! Can you help me with the corner piece you used on the toe kicks? Is there product number for that? Not finding anything on ikeas website right now and definitely don’t want to leave a raw cut exposed!ReplyCancel

    • Scott3.7.22 - 9:41 AM

      Hi Chelsea! That’s a tricky one. This was more than a few years ago and we don’t recall if it was included with the toe kicks or had to be ordered separately. Sorry we couldn’t be more helpful!ReplyCancel

    • Sarah3.16.22 - 11:37 AM

      That comes with the toekick — the plastic piece that comes stuck inside one end of the toekick breaks into several pieces that can be used to finish it off.ReplyCancel

  • Robert6.4.22 - 8:46 AM

    Hello — About the wrap around for the toe kick… The front set back is 3″ I assume. What is the depth on the sides? 1″?ReplyCancel

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