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Install Base Cabinets

Install Base Cabinets

How to Install Base Cabinets

If you are here reading this, odds are you have some empty wall space in your home which is just wasting away. So, let’s spruce up those absent areas with base cabinets to create some new easy access storage that not only looks great, but offers convenient household functionality as well.

Materials

  • Lower Cabinets
  • Level
  • Straight Edge
  • Tape Measure
  • Shims
  • Screws
  • Drill and Drill Bits
  • Stud Finder

Procedure

Note that if you correctly align the first of your cabinets, the rest will fall into place much easier.

Consequently, misplacing the first cabinet will require a series of adjustments and cause a lot of unnecessary trouble throughout this project, so take special care during these first steps.

  1. Find your Highest Ground Point
    • Since flooring is often not level, to position your cabinets so that they will evenly line up together you need to determine the highest point of the ground on which you will install them.
    • This is accomplished by faintly marking a straight and level horizontal line on your wall, and then using a tape measure to find the shortest distance from the line to the ground. The space with the shortest distance will indicate the highest ground point.
    • This is the height in which you will eventually shim your cabinets up to.
  2. Measure and Mark for Cabinet Placement
    • Measure the height of your cabinets and mark a level reference line that represents their height on the wall.
    • Next, measure the width of your cabinet boxes and use these dimensions to create additional vertical lines that correspond to the intended location of each cabinet box that you will be installing.
    • Locate and mark any available studs within this area of wall that you can use during installation. The locations of the studs will be necessary to have on-hand in the next step, so ensure that your marks are clearly noticeable.
  3. Begin Installation
    • Place your first cabinet against the wall, preferably starting with a corner cabinet if you have one, and shim beneath the box so that the top of the cabinet aligns with the height reference line you made earlier in step 2.
    • If your wall is not plumb, you may need to shim behind the cabinet as well to ensure it will be completely level.
    • Now recall the locations of the studs you marked. Drill straight through the cabinet and stud in these spots with an appropriately sized drill and drill bit to create your mounting holes.
    • Lastly, use these holes to secure your cabinet with screws by driving them through the inside of the cabinet box and into the studs of the wall.
  4. Attach Additional Cabinets
    • Once your first cabinet is secured in place, continue by aligning the next cabinet box to the first with the same method of installation.
    • Shim as required to make the cabinets perfectly level to each other, and then connect your cabinets with a clamp too keep them stable before drilling and screwing them together.
    • Repeat this final step for as many cabinets as you need to install.
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