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My house sits on a slab that is currently not level. Given that I have plans to correct the foundation issues in about 1.5-2 years, does it make sense to install the cabinets so that they are squared up against the floor (with the countertop as parallel as possible with the floor - presumably I would still re-shim as best I could following the slab corrections)? Or should I still stick to keeping things as level as possible?

Also, aside from the obvious, what would the consequences be of not keeping them level?

Update: Thes severity of the slope has the bubble on my level almost touching one of the vial markers. So it's not perfectly centered, but is still between them. I'm not sure if that means anything (or if there is any kind of standard that dictates vial parameters like those limit markers - otherwise what's just inside on my level might be different on another level).

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  • How out-of-level are we talking about? Standard practice setting cabs is to find the high spot and work from there. (It's not rare to have an inch difference.) – Aloysius Defenestrate Apr 13 '16 at 4:14
  • Why not put off installing the cabinets until after the relevelling? – Carl Witthoft Apr 13 '16 at 15:40
  • I updated the question to explain how much slope there is. It's not obscene, but if I do make them level, it will visually look strange relative to the half-wall behind one run, and the windows on the wall behind the other run. – Wilco Apr 13 '16 at 22:49
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Step one of redoing the slab is pulling those cabinets back out. IMO, only you can define acceptable. 1-2y, eh? So, like anywhere from 5 years to "temporary-permanant"...?

Just do it right or the doors won't stay closed and all your carrots will roll off. It'd be easier and better to shim the piecemeal cabinets, instead of the entire counter top along each and every one of its contact points all at once.

You have to shim one or the other (sometimes both), why not do it from the get-go? Resign yourself to pulling them out when the time comes and life will be a lot easier. Having "plans" is no excuse for schlock in the meantime.

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  • This is pretty much what I was expecting. Whether or not I get things level now probably won't matter, as I will probably have to re-shim/adjust after the foundation work either way. I'm leaning towards keeping them lined up with the floor/windows/half-wall so that it doesn't look strange for now, and adjust as needed once the foundation work is complete. The slope isn't so obscene as to do much more than eggs occasionally rolling down the length of the counter, which I can live with (as long as we don't slip too far past that 5 year mark, into "temporary-permanent"). – Wilco Apr 13 '16 at 22:53

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