Can I install kitchen cabinets myself? Yes, you absolutely can install kitchen cabinets yourself with careful planning, the right tools, and patience. This kitchen cabinet installation guide will walk you through the steps needed for a professional-looking result. Mounting kitchen cabinets is easier than many homeowners think. It just takes precision.
Preparing for Cabinet Installation Success
Proper setup is key to saving time and avoiding mistakes. Before you lift the first box, you need a clean, measured space.
Assessing Your Workspace
Start by emptying the area completely. Walls should be ready for hanging. This means drywall is up, and all plumbing or electrical rough-ins are finished. Ensure the subfloor is clean too.
Key Pre-Installation Checks:
- Check all walls for squareness. Walls that lean affect how cabinets sit.
- Verify floor levelness. Uneven floors cause headaches later on.
- Confirm ceiling height matches cabinet specifications.
Locating Wall Studs Accurately
You must secure cabinets firmly to the structure of your house. Attaching cabinets to studs is non-negotiable for safety and longevity. Studs are the vertical wood framing behind the drywall.
Use a reliable stud finder. Mark the center line of every stud that runs where your cabinets will go. Draw a faint, continuous reference line along these marks. This line helps immensely when hanging upper cabinets.
Tools for Mounting Kitchen Cabinets: A good stud finder is essential. You will also need a long level (4-foot minimum), a chalk line, measuring tapes, high-quality screws, and shims.
Establishing the Layout Lines
This step dictates the final look of your kitchen. Do not skip measuring twice!
- Determine the Tallest Point: Find the highest point of your floor across the entire run where base cabinets will sit. Use a scrap piece of material the thickness of your toe kick base on this high spot. This establishes your starting level.
- Mark the Base Cabinet Line: From this high point, measure up the height of your base cabinet supports (often called the toe kick). Mark a perfectly level line around the whole room. This is where the bottom of your base cabinets will rest.
- Mark the Upper Cabinet Line: Measure the required distance from the base cabinet top to the bottom of the upper cabinets. This gap is usually 18 inches, but check your appliance clearances first. Mark this line levelly around the room.
Mounting Base Cabinets: The Foundation
Base cabinets hold the most weight, including countertops and sinks. Securing base cabinets to wall must be solid.
Assembling and Preparing Base Cabinets
Most cabinets arrive “ready to assemble” (RTA) or partially assembled. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to build the boxes first.
Install temporary installing kitchen cabinet supports like small blocks of wood temporarily screwed to the wall below the level line. These will hold the cabinet while you work.
Setting the First Cabinet (The Starting Point)
Always start in a corner or where a run of cabinets begins. This first cabinet sets the tone for everything else.
- Place the first cabinet onto your temporary supports.
- Check it for plumb (perfectly vertical) on both sides using a level.
- Check it for level (perfectly horizontal) from front to back.
- Adjust using shims between the floor and the cabinet bottom until it is perfect. Shims are thin wedges of wood used for fine cabinet leveling techniques.
Attaching Base Cabinets to the Wall
Once the first cabinet is plumb and level, it’s time to secure it.
- Drill pilot holes through the back rail of the cabinet and into the center of the wall studs you marked earlier.
- Use long, sturdy cabinet screws. These should be long enough to go through the cabinet back, the drywall, and deeply into the stud.
- Attaching cabinets to studs prevents tipping and shifting. Secure the top and bottom rails if possible.
Spacing Kitchen Cabinets During Installation and Joining Them
Base cabinets are usually installed one by one. You must join them securely once they are all hung.
- Place the next cabinet next to the first one.
- Use pipe clamps or specialized cabinet clamps to pull the boxes tightly together face-to-face. This ensures no gap between them.
- Drill pilot holes through the side rails of both cabinets where they meet, usually near the top, middle, and bottom.
- Use specialized cabinet joining screws (often short, coarse-threaded screws) to pull the faces flush. Wipe away any sawdust.
Repeat this process until all base cabinets are placed, secured to the wall, and joined tightly to their neighbors. Double-check the entire run for levelness and plumb before proceeding to the uppers.
Hanging Upper Cabinets: Working Against Gravity
Hanging upper cabinets requires more precision and often a helper. They are lighter but must be perfectly aligned.
Safety First for Upper Cabinets
Never try to lift heavy upper cabinets alone. Get a partner. Remember that you will be working above your head, which can cause strain.
Using a Ledger Board
For upper cabinets, a temporary ledger board is critical. This is a straight board screwed temporarily to the wall studs, running exactly along the marked upper cabinet line.
- The ledger board acts as a shelf to support the weight of the cabinet while you screw it in.
- Ensure the ledger board is perfectly level. Use your longest level to confirm this.
Positioning and Aligning Kitchen Cabinets
This is where careful measurements pay off.
- Lift the first upper cabinet onto the ledger board.
- Use a level vertically on the side facing the wall. Adjust it until it is plumb.
- Use shims behind the cabinet where needed to achieve plumbness, especially if the wall is uneven.
- Secure the cabinet to the studs using screws through the back rail, just as you did with the base cabinets.
Joining and Finishing Upper Cabinet Installation
Once the first cabinet is secure, bring the next one up.
- Lift the second cabinet and rest it on the ledger board next to the first.
- Check for consistent height relative to the first cabinet.
- Pull the faces together tightly using clamps.
- Drill pilot holes and drive joining screws through the side panels where they meet.
Kitchen cabinet mounting hardware like specialized hanging systems might be used if your cabinets came with them. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for these proprietary systems.
Advanced Techniques for Flawless Installation
A truly professional installation requires attention to small details. These techniques separate a good job from a great one.
Mastering Cabinet Leveling Techniques
Leveling isn’t just about being straight; it’s about consistency.
- Base Cabinets: If your floor slopes significantly, you will use many shims. Use shims at the front and back, and between cabinets, to ensure the tops line up perfectly across the entire run. Shim thickness should not exceed 1/4 inch in any single spot. For thicker adjustments, you may need to shim the entire support structure underneath the toe kick.
- Upper Cabinets: Use the ledger board for initial support. Once secured, check the front face to ensure the line is straight. If the cabinets droop slightly at the ends, you might need to add a small shim behind the back rail near the ends to pull the front edges up slightly.
Dealing with Out-of-Plumb Walls
Many older homes have walls that are not perfectly straight up and down. If you screw a cabinet flush against a wall that bows in or out:
- Use shims liberally behind the cabinet back, placing them over studs.
- When you pull the cabinet tight with screws, the cabinet box itself might slightly rack or twist if the shims are unevenly placed.
- Check the front face and the adjacent cabinet sides frequently as you tighten screws to ensure you are not distorting the box shape.
Importance of Correct Spacing Kitchen Cabinets During Installation
Spacing dictates how trim and filler strips will fit later.
- Allowance for Filler Strips: You must leave small gaps where cabinets meet a wall or meet another cabinet run, especially if there is an appliance like a refrigerator that needs clearance. Filler strips are thin pieces of wood that cover these small gaps (usually 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch).
- Corner Gaps: If two cabinet runs meet at a corner, ensure the cabinets are installed square to each other. Use a framing square across the face of the two touching sides before clamping and screwing them together.
Selecting the Right Fasteners
The screws you choose are vital components of your kitchen cabinet installation guide. Do not rely on basic wood screws.
| Application | Recommended Fastener Type | Length Guideline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attaching cabinets to studs | Structural Wood Screws (e.g., cabinet screws) | 2.5 to 3.5 inches | Must penetrate stud by at least 1.5 inches. |
| Joining Cabinet Boxes | Specialized Cabinet Joining Screws | 1.5 to 2 inches | Designed to pull faces tight without squeezing out wood. |
| Securing to Subfloor (if necessary) | Construction Screws | Appropriate for subfloor thickness | Only used if cabinets need anchoring low down. |
Final Checks and Post-Installation Steps
Once all boxes are up, take a breath. Now, confirm everything is perfect before moving to countertops.
Verifying Alignment and Security
Go through a final check list:
- Visual Sweep: Stand back and look down the entire line of base and upper cabinets. Does the top edge look straight? Does the bottom edge look straight?
- Plumb Check: Re-check the plumb of the end cabinets.
- Joinery Tightness: Gently try to wiggle the cabinets where they join. There should be no movement between boxes. If there is movement, tighten the joining screws.
- Shim Integrity: Ensure no shims are poking out visibly anywhere. Trim any excess wood protruding from behind the cabinet or underneath the toe kick area.
Installing Sink Base Support
If you are installing a sink base cabinet, remember that water and heavy sinks add immense weight. If the manufacturer does not specify it, adding extra support blocks underneath the cabinet rails directly below where the sink bowls will sit is good practice. This enhances the overall installing kitchen cabinet supports.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How far above the counter should upper cabinets hang?
A: The standard distance for spacing kitchen cabinets during installation between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets is 18 inches. However, this may change if you have a specialized range hood or very short users. Always measure against the actual appliances you plan to use.
Q: What is the best way to handle cabinets that meet at an outside corner?
A: When aligning kitchen cabinets at an outside corner, first secure the cabinet closest to the wall. Then, bring the second cabinet up, clamp it tightly, and use a large framing square to ensure the front faces form a perfect 90-degree angle before driving the joining screws.
Q: Do I need to screw the bottom of base cabinets to the floor?
A: Generally, no. Base cabinets are held securely by attaching cabinets to studs through the back rail and by the weight of the countertop. Only screw to the floor if you are using an extremely uneven subfloor and need extra stability, and only screw through the bottom rail into the floor framing if possible.
Q: What screws should I use for securing base cabinets to wall?
A: You should use long, heavy-duty structural wood screws, typically 2.5 to 3.5 inches long. These must penetrate the cabinet back, the drywall, and securely anchor at least 1.5 inches into the wall stud.
Q: What if my wall studs are not perfectly spaced?
A: This is common. You must locate the center of every stud available in the cabinet’s path. Use your longest available screws and aim for the center of the stud. If a cabinet span is too wide between studs (more than 24 inches), you may need to use heavy-duty toggle bolts or specialized drywall anchors for any screw locations that miss the stud. However, for maximum strength, plan your layout to maximize stud contact.