How to Install New Kitchen Cabinets (February 23, 2009)

How to Install New Kitchen Cabinets,Install New Kitchen Cabinets,New Kitchen Cabinets,Install Cabinets

we'd all like to visit¡­East Hampton, New York, at the eastern tip of Long Island. In fact, because so many people do visit this area in the summertime, area resident Norm Stavins had recently purchased one of the small summer cottages that dot the area, and he requested Ron's help getting it back into shape before the summer rental season begins. Before Ron's visit, Norm purchased new kitchen cabinets, countertop, sink and plumbing hardware from a local home improvement center, and prepared the kitchen by removing the old cabinets, repainting the walls and installing a new floor. All that was left was to assemble and install the new cabinets, but he wasn't confident he could manage the job without a little expert help and advice. This, of course, is where Ron comes in
When Norm went to a local home improvement center to purchase his cabinets, they provided him with a scale drawing, showing the size, style, and location of each cabinet. Ron and Norm used this drawing as the working plan that allowed them to visualize the finished project. 1. Unpack and inspect cabinets: It is important to double check your order before you begin assembling or installing the cabinets, to make sure the dimensions match your working drawing and your existing kitchen space.
2. Lay out cabinet positions: Use a pencil, a level and a tape measure to lay out the exact positions of your cabinets and mark these dimensions on the wall. First you will install the upper cabinets but you need to measure from the floor to locate the correct position. The base cabinet will sit on the floor and come up to a height that is typically about 34 1/2 inches. On top of that goes the counter top, which is a thickness of an inch and a half, and then 18 inches from the top of the counter top, is typically the bottom of the wall cabinet. In this case, 54 inches total. Mark off 54 inches, or whatever your own calculation is, and draw a level line. Next, tack a piece of 1 X 4 on the wall along that level line. This will provide you with temporary support for the wall cabinets as you put them up. Leave the nail heads slightly extended so they will be easier to pull out when you remove the ledger.
Norm purchased a cabinet kit, which means each piece had to be assembled. Each cabinet came with detailed instructions, which Ron and Norm read carefully. The following describes the steps they took to assemble those cabinets.
3. Assemble overhead cabinets: First install wooden dowels, which will strengthen the cabinet and help position the parts for assembly. Apply wood glue to pre-drilled holes and spread it around with a nail to thoroughly coat the surfaces. Then insert the dowels and gently tap them into place with a hammer.
These cabinets were held together with a knock down fasting system. This system works with what is called a cam and a post. The post is inserted inside the cam. As the cam is rotated, the post is pulled up, pulling the pieces of the cabinet snugly together. The post fits very snugly in the hole so it is helpful to use a hammer to press the post down firmly and tap it once for good measure. As you insert the cams, make sure that the opening of the cam is lined up with the pre-drilled hole on the edge of the panel. Once the hardware is in place, start putting the cabinet pieces together.
Fit the cams directly over the posts then gently turn them to lock the pieces in place. Once three sides are constructed, slip the cabinet back into the grooves located in the sides and bottom. Then you can complete the cabinet with the top panel. The pieces fit snuggly, so a plastic mallet is used to gently tap things into place. A quarter turn of the cams will pull the panels tightly together and hold everything in place. Next, attach the hinges. There are pre-drilled holes for each piece, which makes measuring unnecessary. Assembly is as easy as turning a few screws.
4. Hang overhead cabinets: Instead of putting each cabinet up individually, it is better to attach them together into a sub-assembly. The easiest way to do this is to lay the cabinets on their backs on a flat surface. Then check to make sure that the cabinet faces are flush to each other. If one cabinet is lower than another, it will create a ridge between the two. A way to even them up is to use a putty knife like a shim by slipping it underneath the cabinet. The further you push it in, the higher it will raise the cabinet until both surfaces are flush.
Secure the even surfaces together with clamps and then attach the cabinets permanently with wood screws. Before the cabinets can be hung, the wall studs need to be located and marked. Use an electronic stud finder to simplify the job.
On the backside of the cabinets you will find a hanging strip, which is a ¾ inch piece of wood. The screws have to go through this strip because the back of the cabinet is otherwise too thin. Measure and then transfer the stud locations to the inside of the cabinets along the hanging strip. Now you know exactly where to drill pilot holes and attach the screws. Set the bottom edge of the cabinet onto the top of the ledger strip you attached to the wall earlier, then attach the cabinets to the wall in the locations you have marked. Remove the ledger strip and reuse it on the other side.
5. Assemble base cabinets : Assemble the base cabinets as described above. It is likely that some of the base cabinets will have drawers. For these, you will have to install drawer glides before the cabinets are put together. The glide system for these cabinets has two components. The first goes on the inside of cabinet top piece before the cabinet is assembled. The second is mounted on the bottom end of the drawer. Again, the holes are pre-drilled so measuring is not necessary.
6. Install base cabinets: Use a pry bar to gently remove the baseboards so the new cabinets will be positioned right up against the wall. The first base cabinet Ron installed was the sink base. They chose to center this cabinet underneath the window. Use a jigsaw to cut holes for the water supply lines and the drain on the lower deck of the sink cabinet.
Make sure the cabinet is level before you attach it to the wall studs. If the cabinet is not level, you will need to raise it up on the low side by sliding a tapered shim covered with wood glue underneath. Remove the excess shim by first scoring it with a utility knife and then breaking away the part that sticks out from under the cabinet. Once leveled and flush, again clamp the pieces as you did with the overhead cabinets and then attach the cabinet pieces together with wood screws.
Next, you will need to attach short pieces of wood known as cleats to the top edge of the cabinets with screws. These cleats will be used to attach the countertops to the base cabinets.
7. Install sink and countertop: It is much easier to install the sink and plumbing hardware into the countertop before it is dropped into place and attached to the top of the cabinets. After you have done so, set the countertop into place. From underneath, screw through the cleats and into the bottom of the countertop. Attach the cabinet doors as described above and slide drawers into place.
8. Finishing touches: Nail the toe kick onto the front of the cabinets, replace the baseboards, and slide the appliances into place, making sure not to scratch the floor or pull your back. RESULTS: Norm called on Ron because he needed to update this old kitchen and make it both charming and practical for a vacation rental unit. He certainly hit the mark! The cabinets were moderately easy to install, took just one day and were very affordable. The difference was incredible! Ron Hazelton did it again!
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