Installing Wall Cabinets
Start by removing all the cabinet doors and drawers:
They only make the unit heavier and easier to damage.
Get a good 4-foot level and use it constantly. Start
with the wall cabinets - they're much easier to hang
before the base cabinets are in place. Begin in a
corner - about the only way to make sure the cabinet
is properly positioned. Once the wall cabinets are up,
install the base cabinets. Unlike the wall cabinets,
which you installed one at a time, you'll put all of
the base cabinets in place and double-check everything
before screwing anything to the wall.
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Step One
Install the upper cabinets first.
It is easier to install them before the base cabinets
are in place. Temporarily drive a couple of long
screws into the studs along the line marking the
bottom of the upper cabinets to help support them
while you're installing. Some installers screw a
board, called a ledger, along the entire length of the
wall to hold the cabinets. The ledger works as long as
the wall is flat and plumb. If it's not, you'll need
to shim behind the cabinets to align them, and the
ledger would get in the way.
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Step Two
Start installation with corner wall cabinet.
Place the cabinet on the screws or ledger. If the
cabinet isn't plumb, slip shims between the cabinet
and wall at the stud lines and adjust as necessary.
Drill and countersink two holes in each of the
mounting rails inside the cabinet and drive 2½-inch
drywall screws through the holes.
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Step Three
With a helper, rest the neighboring cabinet on the
screw or ledger and line up the front with the cabinet
you just installed.
Clamp the two cabinets together. Check for level and
plumb, and shim between the wall and cabinet as
necessary.
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Step Four
On frameless cabinets, such as the ones shown here,
drill the holes for connectors.
Screw the cabinets together. On framed cabinets, drill
holes for 1¼-inch drywall screws in the recesses for
the hinges to hide them.
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Step Five
Drill and countersink two pilot holes through each of
the mounting rails, centering, the holes over the
studs.
(On some wall cabinets, the mounting rails are inside
the cabinet. On others, they are hidden by the back.)
Drive 2½-inch drywall screws through the holes and
into the studs.
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Step Six
Hang the rest of the cabinets the way you hung the first ones, checking for level and plumb
as you go.
Once all the wall cabinets are in place, remove the ledger screws you installed in Step 5.
Trim any visible shims flush with the cabinet using a utility knife.
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Step Seven
If you have a slight gap between the back of the last cabinet and the wall, cover it with
strip of molding.
Cut a piece as long as the cabinet; stain and finish it to match. Nail it in place with a
brad gun, and fill the holes with a putty made by the cabinet manufacturer to match the
cabinet finish.
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Step Eight
If you have a gap between the side of the cabinet and an end wall or appliance, cut a filler
strip to close it.
The cabinet distributor usually sells these strips. Scribe the strip with a compass and cut
along the line with a saber saw. Slip the strip in place and attach it with drywall screws.
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Step Nine
A valance is a decorative piece that connects two wall cabinets above a sink.
Have someone help you hold the valance in position; drill and countersink pilot holes into
the side of the cabinets on each side, and attach the valance with drywall screws.