How to Install Kitchen Cabinets

There's no doubt about it, the cabinets are the first thing people notice when they enter a kitchen. Beautiful and well designed cabinets truly enrich the beauty of any home. And most real estate agents will tell you that the kitchen is usually considered one of, if not the most important room people consider when purchasing a new home. The kitchen is also where you can expect to recover all or most of any costs of remodeling.

That said, you now have a great excuse to replace those old worn-out cabinets. They came with the house and you've been promising yourself that you would upgrade them for years now. But after checking out the price of custom cabinets and the cost of having them installed, you realized you simply couldn't afford to pay someone to put them in.

No problem. You can do it yourself. However, there are a few basic steps to take before you rush out and order or buy the cabinets. First, decide if you are going back with the same layout as before. This is quite honestly the simplest and easiest solution. If you keep the same layout, all you have to do is measure the cabinets, get new ones in the same size, and then install them right back in the same place.

However, if you hate the layout of your kitchen, now is a great time to rearrange it. If you do decide to change things around, the first thing you should do is sit down with a pencil and paper (graph paper works great) and draw out the layout of your kitchen. Each small square can represent one foot. Be sure to draw in windows, doors, and appliances.

The next thing to decide is where your kitchen sink will be. Most people will center the sink on one wall, perhaps beneath a window. Since your plumbing is already installed for your kitchen sink, the simplest solution is to put the sink back in the same spot. If you decide to change the location of the sink, you will have to redo the plumbing for it and the dishwasher. Keep in mind, also, that if you move any appliances, you may have to redo some electrical wiring. This could lead to quite a bit more work than most do-it-yourselvers want to tackle.

Sink base cabinets come in standard sizes of 60 inches, 36 inches, and sometimes 30 inches. Of course, custom built cabinets can be designed to whatever measurement the homeowner wants. For this article, we'll assume you are using standard, stock cabinetry. Decide which width you want for your sink base. Once you have this measurement, simply draw it in on your graph, centering it in the location you have chosen. This allows you to figure how many more cabinets and the sizes you will need to fill in the space. Stock cabinets come in more sizes than most people realize, from the 60 inch base cabinets down to 12 inches. And don't be alarmed if you realize that you could end up a few inches off. You can fill in the space with filler strips of matching wood.

When you start measuring for the upper cabinets, start at the corners and work out. Stock corner cabinets are designed to face out from the corner. They run two feet out from the corner on adjoining walls. Measure the distance you will need to cover to reach the ending spot for the top cabinets. Remember to figure in shorter cabinets for over the range hood and over the refrigerator. Most people will try to balance the layout of the cabinets. For example, they will have a 15 inch wide cabinet on either side of the cabinet above the stove range. Although this is not a requirement, it does help to give a more uniform look to the layout.

You can install either the upper or lower cabinets first. If you have adequate help, installing the upper cabinets is usually easier. Locate and mark studs in the wall so that you will know where to put the mounting screws. Be sure and make the marks low enough so that you will be able to see them once the cabinet is in place. The screws should go through the top and bottom reinforced section of the cabinet. Mark where the bottom of the corner cabinet will go and then measure the distance from the ceiling down and from the floor up. Go to the opposite end of the wall and measure it also. Chalk a line between the two. Check it with a level to ensure that the line is level. If not, adjust one end and rechalk.

Once the first corner cabinet is up, attach the second to the wall and also to the corner cabinet by predrilling a hole through the inside frame of the cabinets. This will not only help support the cabinets, it will draw them tightly together. Continue this until you reach the end cabinet. Do the same with the other walls. Again, if you end up a few inches short of the wall, just use a filler strip.

Make sure the base cabinets are level. If not, use small wedges to level them. Then attach them to the wall with screws into the studs.

Congratulations! You've mastered the concept of installing kitchen cabinets. You're now ready to install the countertops and new handles and pulls.