How to Place Kitchen Cabinet Knobs
Kitchen cabinet knobs are a mixture of both practicality and style. Properly placed, they provide enough leverage to allow cabinet doors to be easily opened. They are also available in countless finishes and designs. The knobs that are available today are usually packaged with the hardware needed to secure them. With a few basic tools, they can be installed in minutes. Knowing how to place them correctly can make all the difference between having damaged doors that are cumbersome to open and enjoying attractively customized cabinets that are as much a pleasure to behold as they are to use.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Review all manufacturer's tips and instructions regarding the knobs that you purchased. Take note of any information specific to the brand that you chose before assembling your needed materials.
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2
Take a plastic knob template made for the upper cabinets (that open from right to left) and place it over the lower-right corner, across from the bottom hinge. With a pencil, place a dot in the opening in the template that is between 2 1/2 and 3 inches up from the lower-right corner, opposite the hinge.
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3
Note the exact hole that you will be using on the template. Place a piece of masking tape over the adjacent openings to prevent any mistakes as you continue. All of the upper cabinets that open from right to left will have their holes drilled in the same place. If you also have upper cabinets that open from left to right, this process will be the same, but the hole will be placed 2 1/2 to 3 inches up from the lower-left corner, opposite the bottom hinge.
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4
Take a template for the bottom cabinets and place it over the upper right corner, opposite the top hinge (for cabinets opening right to left). Pencil in a dot in the opening in the template that is between 2 1/2 and 3 inches down from the upper-right corner, opposite the top hinge.
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5
Place masking tape over the other openings in the template as a precaution. Mark in pencil all of the drilling spots on the lower cabinets, that open from right to left, in the same way. Lower cabinets that open left to right will have their holes marked 2 1/2 to 3 inchesdown from the upper-left corner, opposite the top hinge.
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6
Select a drill bit that is no more than 1/64 inch larger than the diameter of the screws that came with the knobs. Hold the drill horizontally, and slowly drill your holes from the front of the cabinet to the back. As the drill bit breaks the surface of the wood, use very little pressure from your hand so you make a clean hole. Pressing too hard will split the wood and ruin the cabinet.
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7
Insert a cabinet knob screw into the hole through the back of the cabinet door. Hold the screw in place as you put the cabinet knob on the other side of the door. Fasten it onto the threaded tip of the screw that is showing through the hole. Tighten securely with a screwdriver, and repeat for all of the other cabinet doors.
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- Photo Credit Stockxpert; Tim Carter
