Install Kitchen Cabinets


"Do-It-Yourself" installations, particularly with modular kitchen cabinets, are now easier than ever. While it's still a big job and you may want to get help from a friend to make sure it’s done right, simply taking a bit of care will let you proceed with confidence.

Steps

Preparation

  1. Make the beginning preparations for your installation project.
  2. Carefully measure and plan your space. If you are replacing existing cabinets, you may want to use them as a pattern. You may also prefer to create a new layout to better suit your purposes.
    • Get brochures from the cabinet company. It will tell you what standard sizes are available (this usually means 12" wide at a minimum, with larger cabinets at 3" increments). You want to have them tune up all your sizes, give you a printout so you can make copies, and include them with your bid request.
    • Also get an idea of your options for finish, styles, materials, and hardware options. In many cases, it is possible to get a custom size to match your needs, but it is always much less costly to use their standard sizes.
    • Draw a layout of your cabinet plans. It doesn't need to look like something an architect would draw, but it should be enough to give you an idea of how everything will line up and fit together.
    • Check the cabinet heights, especially for upper cabinets. If you are especially tall or short, check how far up you can comfortably reach. Many upper cabinets are designed to have a space between the tops and a standard height ceiling, while others will extend all the way to the ceiling.
    • If one of your cabinets will go over your sink or stove, make sure to allow space underneath it for working and to attach lighting or a stove hood.
    • Check how your range hood will fit with any upper cabinets above the stove.
    • Most systems have special cabinets to go under the sink, in corners and in other special locations. Learn how these work and incorporate them into your layout.
    • Check that upper cabinets line up appropriately with lower cabinets, and allow for windows and other features in the wall.
    • Consider how you use your kitchen (or other workspace). Does your layout make sense for you?
  3. Obtain all your materials and supplies for the project. Make a list. Don't forget screws to screw the cabinets to the walls and shims with which to level the cabinets.
    • Remove the old cabinets, if there were any. At the back of the cabinets, you will generally find screws or nails holding them to the walls.
    • Empty the cabinets completely first. It is much easier to work inside them and remove them without loose items rattling around inside.
    • Remove the doors and shelves before unscrewing the cabinets from the walls. Most shelves simply lift off of pegs. Some may need to be unscrewed or pried off their supports. In either case, it will help to have them out of your way.
    • Make certain that you support the upper cabinets somehow as you remove the screws that support them. If the upper cabinets are a one-piece unit, you may have to separate them to avoid damaging adjacent walls since there will be no room to turn them as you bring them down.
  4. Paint the room and replace the flooring if you are going to. It is not necessary to run the flooring under cabinets, but for some flooring materials, it is easiest to do the floor while the cabinets are out. Do not replace baseboards until after the cabinets are installed. If you are installing wood or tile floors, consider the thickness of the floor material when you decide whether it should go under the cabinets.

Hanging Upper Cabinets

  1. The first aspect of installation should be the upper cabinets. This is so you will not need to work over the lower cabinets to do so.
  2. Assemble the cabinets, but do not put the doors on yet. Most modular cabinets come with instructions and go together just like kit bookcases. Take the time to make sure that the cabinets are assembled as securely, squarely and evenly as you can.
  3. Use a stud finder to locate and mark the locations of the studs in your walls. Plumb down from the ceiling and use a measuring tape to mark the height of the cabinet brace or rail you will fasten through. Since the new cabinets will conceal the wall after they are installed, you can simply tap a small nail through it to locate the studs. When you have found one, measure either {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} to find other studs in your wall, since these are typical stud spacings.
  4. Start on one end or in a corner and install the upper cabinets. There are two methods you can use. Either way, get help lifting and supporting them until they are screwed in.
    • The first method, called the French Cleat[1] method, consists of screwing a support, or cleat, to the wall at an appropriate height that allows you to hang the cabinets on the cleat. See the Sources and Citations section below for a link giving the details of this method.
    • The second method will require a partner. Create a support jack by screwing a short length of a 2x4, or other sturdy scrap wood across the end of another 2x4. If you like, cover the end with a rag or old towel to use as a cushion. Have your helper use this T of wood with the bottom end against the floor, and the top against the bottom of the cabinets to support the cabinets while you level them and screw them to the wall.
    • Calculate the distance from the edge of a wall cabinet to the stud(s) behind it. Mark these spots on the back of the cabinet, and drill pilot holes from the back of the cabinet. Be sure to allow for the "ears" on the front of the cabinet. When you place the cabinet to the wall, you'll know where the stud is.
    • Always secure the cabinets firmly to studs before loading them with their contents. Secure cabinets to each other as well as the wall. Drill pilot holes in the cabinet frame and screw together with good wood screws.

Installing Lower Cabinets

  1. Begin work on the lower cabinets once the upper cabinets have been completed.
  2. Mark the locations of your studs for the lower cabinets, then bring in the cabinets and set them into place. Check which cabinet sits highest, perhaps due to a high spot in the floor. It is easier to shim the others up to this height than to shorten the tall one.
  3. Do a test fit and, if the cabinets are backed, make any cutouts necessary for electrical outlets, plumbing hookups, and the like.
  4. Level the top of the cabinets by shimming under and behind them. Remember that you will install a counter top on the cabinets, so you want this reasonably level and all the joints to be flush. Look at the appearance of the cabinet fronts and make sure those are even.
  5. Screw the lower cabinets to the wall. You can often screw right through the shims.

Counter Tops

  1. The counter top should be the next task once the cabinets have been completed.
  2. Test fit the counter top. Cut it to length if required, and cut out the sink opening and the opening for the stove (hob) if it will be built in. You may need to cut the counter top short so that it will set in if it is between two walls. If you allow a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} on the overall length, you can caulk the ends after it is installed.
    <br.
    • For post formed (laminate on particle board) counter tops, you will get better results cutting it to length with a "finish", or "plywood" blade rather than a ripping or combination circular saw blade.
    • Cutting with the counter top upside down will reduce chipping, but make sure you support the piece until the cut is complete.
    • For cutting a sink opening, invert your sink at the location it will go, mark the outline of the outside rim lightly with a pencil, then make another mark about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} inside this line for your cut. Place masking tape on the outside of the cut mark, and use a jigsaw to make your cut. If you cannot "plunge" your jigsaw (starting inside the cut line), you may drill a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} hole to drop your blade into to start your cut.
    • Seal all cut surfaces of post formed counter tops before installing to prevent moisture from swelling the material later if your caulking fails to seal.
    • More durable counter tops can be made from synthetic marble (Corian, etc.), natural granite or other stone, cementuous backerboard or plywood covered with ceramic tile.
  3. Place the counter top on top of the lower cabinets. Screw it in from underneath, making sure that the screws you use are not so long that they will break through the material to the top.

Caulking

  1. Begin work on caulking once the counter top has been finished.
  2. Apply caulk around the sink cutout and lower the sink into place. Check the fit and location, then secure it into place with the brackets underneath. Apply caulk around the rim of the sink.
  3. Apply caulk around the edges of the counter top and between the backsplash and the wall.

Final Steps

  1. Complete these final steps to finish installing your kitchen cabinet.
  2. Install the stove in a similar fashion, if it is a range top model.
  3. Install the cabinet doors and hardware, and adjust the hinges so that the doors hang properly.
  4. Bring in and reinstall any other appliances you removed during your re-modelling project.
  5. Replace the baseboards, if you removed them.
  6. Finished.

Tips

  • Refacing is just replacing the cabinet hardware, (the hinges, handles, and drawer pulls) to give them a fresh look without tearing out the entire cabinets.
  • Secure them well to the wall and to each other.
  • If your existing cabinets fit your space well enough and you just want to freshen up the look of your kitchen, don't rule out refinishing or refacing. Both of these options are likely to be less costly than replacing the entire cabinets.
  • Refinishing is replacing just the finish, by sanding off or stripping the old, worn paint or varnish if necessary and applying a clean, new coat.
  • Measure the space multiple times to make sure your layout is correct. Otherwise, you may find yourself installing cabinets that don't fit your kitchen.
  • Make sure that they are level.
  • Install the upper cabinets using a cabinet support jack (T-JAK). It will save your back and help you set the cabinets perfectly.
  • Many new modular cabinet systems have particle board for their interior. If your old cabinets are solid wood and in good condition, consider keeping at least the interiors.
  • Get any appropriate permits that may be needed ahead of time!
  • Get several quality levels of different lengths. As you are installing, check the level on as many axes as possible: along a run of cabinets, corner to corner, across appliance openings. Measuring the level during and after installation avoids starting over or problems after you start using the kitchen again. It's a good idea to check the level of the floor as well, especially for long cabinet runs. If the floor is uneven, draw a horizontal level line on the wall, and level your wall cabinets from this line.
  • Plan to have your kitchen out of service during a remodel such as this. You can cook on a camp stove (outdoors) or with a crock-pot in another room, or dine out for a while.

Warnings

  • Be sure to use the right screws. Screws used specifically for hanging cabinets are stronger than common "drywall screws," which are weak and could shear off.
  • Always lift safely and make sure the cabinets are supported as you work.
  • Top cabinets need to be secured to studs so that they don't fall on people when fully loaded.
  • Some stud finders locate items like electrical conduits and piping behind walls, as well as studs. If this is a concern, get an electronic stud finder that can distinguish the difference between these items.

Things You'll Need

  • Several carpenter's levels or laser levels of different lengths
  • Lots of shims (little slats of wood for leveling)
  • Clamps to hold cabinets together while you are arranging. C-clamps will do the job, but there are many different types of clamps that will work better. Remember, the clamp is the only thing holding two cabinets together until you secure them to the wall and to each other.
  • Stud finder
  • Counter top
  • Two 2x4s or a T-JAK quick adjusting cabinet jack
  • Hinges (if not included with cabinets)
  • Drawer pulls and door handles
  • Any sinks, faucets, or other fixtures you will replace at the same time
  • Paint and replacement flooring, as necessary
  • Caulk (can usually be color-matched for the product you choose)
  • Basic power tools (circular saw, drill, jigsaw, screw-gun)
  • Screws for hanging cabinets

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Details on the French cleat method
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Install_Kitchen_Cabinets&oldid=311905"