Cabinets

The easiest cabinets to install are the pre-assembled and pre-finished cabinets that you can find in any large home improvement store. The benefit to these is that they come in stock sizes and you can pick them up when it is convenient for you. They are also much less expensive than custom cabinets. You may also purchase them unfinished, and paint or stain them to really customize your kitchen.

After removing the old cabinets, take careful measurements. Since cabinets come in a wide variety of sizes, you can mix and match to fit your space. If you like the layout of your original cabinets, but just want new style, then purchase the same sizes as the old ones. You will also want to purchase a stud finder, a level and a couple 2x4 pieces of wood.

If you are doing both lower and upper cabinets, always install the upper cabinets first, since this is easier to do without the base cabinets in place! Use the stud finder to locate the studs in the wall. Normally, studs are placed sixteen inches apart. Mark the location of each stud with a pencil. Now you need to find a reference point for the cabinets. There is normally about twenty inches of space between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets. So measure that distance from the floor (or your countertop) and mark the wall. You now want to use your level and draw a line along the wall where the bottom of the cabinets will be. Attach the 2x4s to the wall with some temporary screws, with the top of the wood right where your level pencil line is for the bottom of the cabinets. This piece of wood will give you a little resting point while you hang the cabinets, and will make sure they are level. Then remove all the doors from the cabinets - this will make installation easier.

Install the corner cabinets first. Place the cabinet up against the wall with the bottom ledge on the 2x4, and drill a screw into one of the studs. You must attach the cabinets to the studs so they will support the weight of your dishes. Make sure you do not tighten the screws too much, as you might need to shim the cabinets. Check to make sure the sides are level, and shim if necessary.

Now install the next cabinet. This is the trickiest part - to make sure the cabinet fronts are flush with each other. You will probably need to shim the second cabinet, or adjust the shims in the corner cabinet to make them flush. Once they are flush, screw the second cabinet into the wall studs, and then screw the cabinets to each other with the long screws provided. Clamp the cabinets together.

Follow these steps for the subsequent cabinets. If there is extra space between cabinets, or at the end, you can purchase filler strips in the same material as the cabinets to place in these gaps. Simply screw long screws into the adjacent cabinet and clamp together.

Once the cabinets are installed, tighten all the screws, remove the clamps and attach the doors. Take care to make sure the doors are level with each other, adjusting them as needed. Remove the 2x4 and patch the screw holes. Now attach your hardware.

Installing new upper cabinets can be done in a weekend, and will add value and beauty to your kitchen.