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of Home Improvements

*Installation of Kitchen Cabinets*

A successful Kitchen Cabinet installation begins with the prep work. The more exact your prep work is the easier your installation will be.

Shut off the water lines to the sink.

Shut off the gas and electricity to appliances.

Move all appliances (stove, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.) out of the kitchen to provide more room to work during the remodeling process.

Remove sink.

Remove old cabinets, countertops, baseboards and any molding when they interfere with cabinet installation against the wall.

Remove old floor covering, if replacing floor.

Remove all doors, drawers and shelves from your kitchen cabinets to lessen weight and enable you to clamp stiles together for installation. Check for uneven floors and walls. Some floors and walls have uneven spots that will affect the installation. Locate these uneven areas and shim or scribe cabinets in order to make the installation plumb, true and square.

Check for unevenness in floors

Using a straight length of 2x4 and a carpenter's level, check the floor for "high" spots. Check all around the room within 22" of the walls where base cabinets will be installed. Once the highest point on the floor is located, strike a level line on the wall all around the room from this point of the floor, using your level and chalk line (see illustration). We will call this the "Base Level Line."

Check for unevenness in walls

Mark the outlines of all wall cabinets on the wall to check actual cabinet dimensions against your layout. Using a straight 2x4, check the walls for uneven spots. Wall unevenness can cause cabinets to be misaligned resulting in "racking" or misalignment of the doors and drawer fronts. Where these uneven spots interfere, high spots can be removed by scraping or sanding off excess plaster. Low spots can be shimmed with thin pieces of wood or shingles.

Finding studs

Tap on wall to locate a "solid" sound. This generally will tell you where the wall framing members are located. You can verify this location by driving a small finishing nail into the wall. Make sure this is an area that will be covered by the wall cabinets. Mark location of all studs on wall surface. Check for receptacle outlets. Studs will be located near outlets. Studs should measure 16" on center (for most homes).

Soffits

If soffits are to be built, they should be constructed and installed before installing the cabinets. Soffits in a room with eight-foot ceilings are normally twelve inches high and fourteen inches deep. The bottom of the soffit should be a minimum of 84" from the floor in order to allow the use of tall cabinets. Make sure there is at least 84" clearance between the highest point in your floor and any existing soffit. If there is not, it may be necessary to start from a point in the floor that will accept this height or cut your tall cabinet down. Consideration should also be given for cabinets greater in depth than 12". Tall cabinets or increased depth cabinets will require a soffit depth greater than 14".

Note: When cutting down tall cabinets from bottom, the toekick will not align with cabinets on either side. In some cases, ½ inch be cut from top. Full overlay styles cannot be trimmed at top of frame.

Installation with an existing soffit

If the wall cabinets are to be against a ceiling soffit, the soffit should be examined to determine if it is level. This can be done with a straight edge and level (much the same as finding the high spot on the floor). This time you are looking for the lowest spot (closest to the floor). Corner cabinets should be shimmed down to this "lowest" height (closest to the floor).

Installing wall cabinets without a soffit

Measure up from the base-level-reference line 54 inches. Place a mark on the wall and with a level and straight edge continue around the room, drawing a line parallel to the base-level line (previously found by locating the high spot on the floor). This 54" line will be the bottom line for 30" standard wall cabinets. As an option, using a 1x2 piece of furring, nail this piece on the 54" bottom line to help support the wall cabinets until they are securely fastened to the wall, using the screws. After you remove the temporary 1x2 brace, repair the small holes with patching plaster.

Install Wall Cabinets First

Note: It is usually desirable to install wall cabinets first. If you are unable to use the 1x2 brace, then use the 54" above finished floor line as a visual reference point, to raise the cabinets to, and use a floor "T" brace made from scrap lumber.

Start in a corner

When installing a full overlay cabinet, a filler or starter strip is recommended next to the wall or soffit. This will allow doors and drawers to open fully without hitting molding around doors and out of square walls.

If you are installing a wall blind corner cabinet (WBC), make sure the cabinet is pulled out from the corner the appropriate distance as called for in your kitchen plan.

When measuring the wall space, be sure to consider cabinets with front frames. The front frame of the cabinet overhangs the "box" by 3/16" on each end. Therefore, any measurements on the wall must coincide with the front frame measurements of each cabinet.

If decorative handles are to be used, it may be necessary to add a filler to the wall blind corner cabinet on the adjacent cabinet and "pull" the WBC cabinet further out of the corner. This will provide 90° opening capacity for the adjacent cabinet doors.

Transfer the measurements of stud locations to the inside top of the wall cabinets. Measuring down ¾", drill 7/32" pilot holes at each stud location mark. Now lift the cabinet into place and support the bottom. Using the screws furnished with the cabinets and a screw gun with a #2 square drive bit; fasten the cabinets to the wall. Now, mark the stud location ¾" up from the bottom inside the cabinet and drill 7/32" pilot holes at each stud mark and fasten to the wall. (Note: 36" & 42" cabinets require additional screws through the center hanging rail.) Do not thoroughly tighten the cabinet to the wall until the next cabinet in line is fastened to the first one and proper shimming has been accomplished. Take the next wall cabinet and repeat the installation previously outlined.

Once the two cabinets are mounted to the wall, use your clamps, clamping the vertical frame members (stiles) tightly together, being careful to line up the bottom horizontal edges. Now drill a pilot hole through the stile of the first cabinet into the stile of the second cabinet. Use the screws supplied in the inside of each cabinet. A little wax on the screws will help you to seat them easily. Draw the two stiles or end panels tightly together then remove the clamps. Continue installing the wall cabinets next to each other in a similar manner. When several cabinets in the line have been fastened together and checks for levelness are complete, the screws holding the cabinets to the wall may be thoroughly tightened.

When installing wall cabinets, it is important to secure all cabinets together. On any wall cabinet that is hung on the wall where both ends are open, it is extremely important to secure this cabinet to the ceiling or soffit studs with lag bolts through the front frame and top panel on both sides.

If there is no soffit or ceiling above the cabinets, a support or decorative leg must be installed through the bottom of the cabinet to the countertop on both open ends for support. If this is secured to studs properly at top and bottom, the cabinet will be completely supported.

Installing Peninsula Wall Cabinets

Installing peninsula wall cabinetry involves many of the same steps used when installing standard wall cabinetry. However, in addition to attaching each cabinet together, peninsula wall cabinets must also be attached to the ceiling through the top frame rails and into a ceiling joist. This will ensure optimum stability. If a ceiling joist is not available, you must use lag bolts (not supplied) to anchor the cabinetry. Be sure to predrill the top frame rails to prevent splitting. As mentioned earlier in these instructions, you must locate the lowest point of the ceiling and shim accordingly before installing peninsula cabinets.

Fillers or cabinets with extended stiles

If it is necessary to use a filler, it is preferred to place the filler or fillers at the ends of the cabinet runs or next to the blind corner cabinets rather than between cabinets in the middle of the run. Fillers or extended stiles should be cut to fit the space required. Valances must be cut to fit the space left between the cabinets. If you have a scalloped valance, find the center and mark ½ of the space required between the cabinets and cut from both ends to maintain the same measurement on each side of the center lien. Attach valances by drilling and screwing through the stiles or end panels of the adjacent cabinets.

Installing Base Cabinets

First, put the base cabinets in place starting with the corner cabinets. If a base blind corner cabinet is used, pull it out of the corner to the proper dimension, as shown on your kitchen layout. Shim this cabinet up to the high spot line previously located.

Full overlay frame style construction blind corner cabinets with decorative hardware applied must be pulled out 3" from the corner to provide a 90° door opening. If no decorative hardware is to be applied, then you only need to pull a full overlay frame style cabinet 1-1/2" from the corner to provide a 90° door opening. In both situations, the cabinet adjacent to the blind corner must also have a 3" or 1-1/2" filler applied.

Base blind corner cabinets may be pulled as necessary. A 3" filler is included with each base blind corner which must be used as an extension of the adjacent cabinet to provide necessary door and drawer clearance.

If using a base lazy susan cabinet, apply a 1x2 strip to both walls at the proper height to support the countertop. These strips should be screwed to the studs and will provide support for the countertop once it is installed into the corner. It is usually better to fasten at least one cabinet in both directions to the LS and be sure they are shimmed properly, attaching the countertop brace described above.

Once the corner cabinet is positioned properly into the corner, use the stud marks on the wall to locate the position of the screws for mounting the base cabinets to the wall. Drill a hole at the stud location through the back rail of the base cabinet approximately ¾" from the top and into the stud. Attach the cabinet to the wall with the screws provided inside each cabinet. Be sure to use the shims under the cabinet base to bring it up to the previously established level line.
Install the next cabinet in the same manner.

Using your two (2) clamps, clamp stiles tightly together, making sure the horizontal frame member rails form a level and straight line. Now, drill a pilot hole through the frame stile of the second cabinet. Use the screws supplied in the inside of each cabinet. A little wax on the screws will help you to set them easily. Draw the two stiles tightly together. Remove the clamps.

After the base cabinets are securely fastened to the wall, reinstall doors and drawers, and check each door and drawer for proper alignment. If a drawer front does not lie flush against the front frame, re-check each cabinet, assuring they are both vertically and horizontally level.

Final Touches

Common service problems you can handle.

As a do-it-yourselfer, you have assumed the role of the contractor. In assuming this role, there are certain responsibilities that at times become necessary to "tune-up" the job once installed. After all cabinets have been installed plumb and level, place doors and drawers back on cabinets. Install doors making sure hinge adjustments are made so reveals between doors and drawers are equal. Make sure these adjustments are made before installing pulls or knobs.

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