how to level an old cabinet on uneven floors?

Most antique cabinets sit unevenly on modern floors. Houses settle and historic floorboards are rarely flat. You can use small wooden wedges or folded card slipped beneath the feet. Push them in until the doors stop swinging open on their own.

I have a tall cabinet with glass doors on top but the doors keep binding against the frame when I try to close them, is there an easy fix?

Binding doors usually point to the cabinet sitting out of square rather than swollen timber. If the carcase leans slightly to one side, the door frames drop out of alignment. Try lifting the front corner of the cabinet on the side where the door rubs. Slide a wedge underneath and test the swing. If adjusting the level fails, check the brass hinges. The screws often work loose over time, causing the door to sag. Tightening them usually restores clearance.

can I remove antique cabinet shelves?

It depends on the construction. Many nineteenth-century glazed cabinets feature adjustable shelves resting on wooden pegs or metal brackets. Older pieces sometimes have fixed shelves. Makers cut shallow grooves into the side panels and slid the shelves in during assembly. Pulling fixed shelves out requires dismantling the carcase back. Leave them in place to avoid damaging the joints.

We are looking at a large mahogany cabinet that comes in two parts but the top section feels quite wobbly when it sits on the base, should it be attached somehow?

Most two-part antique cabinets rely simply on gravity and locating blocks. The top section sits within a shallow wooden moulding attached to the upper edge of the base. Sometimes you find metal brackets screwed across the backboards joining the two halves. Makers added these when the cabinet depth was narrow and at risk of tipping forward. Check if the locating blocks are missing. Replacing them stops the top section shifting around on the base.

Home > Furniture > Cabinets > Page 9

Antique Cabinets

← Page 9 of 19 →

Designed primarily for storing and displaying valued possessions, an antique cabinet typically features a wooden carcase fitted with a combination of solid or glazed doors, internal shelving, and sometimes small drawers.