How to Install Kitchen Cabinets

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By nurseryguy
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Finished Kitchen Cabinets

Installing kitchen cabinets is not that hard to do if you have an extra hand to help. New kitchen cabinets also add value to your home.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Cabinets
Clamps
Screwdriver
Level
Plywood
Pencil
Screws

Step 1

Find your wall studs and mark them

Before you begin, find your wall studs and mark them with a pencil. Then measure from the ceiling to where the cabinets will be placed and make a line. Use a line level to level the line. Now take a ledger board (a 2 x 4 will work) and screw it along the line.
Step 2

Remove all cabinet doors and drawers

Now that your wall studs are marked and the ledger board is in place, take out all the cabinet doors and cabinet drawers. Be sure you number them so you know where they go when you put them back together. This makes the cabinets lighter and easier to work with.
Step 3

Screw the cabinet in place

Now lift the cabinet into place and have a helper hold the cabinet steady. Screw in two screws into each stud one at the top of the cabinet and one at the bottom. If you are only going to hit one stud, use a toggle bolt to secure the cabinet.
Step 4

When you are going to install cabinets around a sink you must first measure the plumbing around the sink and mark where the holes need to be cut. Cut along the marks then set the cabinet in place. Adjust the cabinet so it is level and flush with the other cabinets and use clamps and shims to secure them in place.
Step 5

Pre drill holes

Pre-drill holes where cabinets will be attached together then screw them together through these holes. You may need to use shims if they are uneven. Then use dry wall screws to screw the cabinets into the dry wall and through the shims and secure the cabinets.
Step 6

If there are gaps between the cabinets and the wall do not worry about them. Walls are sometimes uneven; these will be covered later with counter top. Just be sure to keep the front of the cabinets flush.