Install Kitchen Cabinets on Your Own

It is a big job but one that any handyman can handle. Installing new cabinets in your kitchen is not difficult with the right tools and preparation. The secret to the job is preparing the walls and floor in advance of the actual installation. A level base for your cabinets is essential to achieving professional results.

The first thing you need to locate in your kitchen is the location of the wall studs. Studs are typically run behind the drywall at every sixteen inches. You can use a stud finder to locate them or just use a hammer and nail. Once you hit on the stud behind the wall, measure every 16 inches and mark each one. It is essential that the upper and lower cabinets be screwed into the studs to be safely secured to the wall. Once you have located the studs, you need to run a plumb line across the wall marking the lower point where the bottom of the cabinets will rest. It is a good idea now to draw in pencil where each of the upper cabinets will be located.

It is best to install the upper cabinets before going to work on the lower ones. If you are working by yourself, make a T-brace, which you can use to hold the cabinets in place as you screw them into the wall. Each Cabinet should be secured to the wall studs with two screws going through the top of the cabinet and two going through the bottom. After you have secured all of the upper cabinets to the wall, go back and secure each of the cabinets to each other. Drilling small pilot holes into the frame will make it easier to secure them to each other. You might have to loosen the wall screws a little to make sure that the cabinets meet perfectly. Once they are fastened to each other, go back and secure the screws to the wall.

Once the wall cabinets are up, go to work on installing the base cabinets. Check your measurements and mark on the wall the exact location where each of the cabinets are to be installed. This is particularly critical for the cabinet which will hold the sink since you have to line the opening in the back of the cabinet up with your plumbing fixtures. If the plumbing comes up through the floor you may have to cut out an opening in the floor of the cabinet to make room for it.

Just as the wall cabinets were screwed into the studs, the base cabinets must be secured in the same manner. Before you do so, use the level to make sure that the cabinet is perfectly even from front to back and from side to side. Use shims on the bottom or behind the cabinet to make sure it is set perfectly into place. This is very important so that your countertop is perfectly level when it is put on top.

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