How to Mount Pull Handles on Cabinets

Custom pulls come with pre-manufactured templates.

Mounting a pull handle on a cabinet door or drawer is a simple matter of drilling a hole and threading a screw through the hole. The downside is that attempting to install the pulls without a template results in uneven handles. A template can be purchased or easily built out of scrap materials. The template provides perfectly positioned holes on each cabinet door and drawer allowing you to mark and drill the holes for the pulls without having to guess the position.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Circular saw
• 1/8-inch plywood
• 1/2-inch wood strips
• Hammer
• Tack nails
• Wood glue
• Clamp
• Pencil
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Screwdriver drill bit
• Cabinet hardware

Instructions

Build the Template

1. Cut two pieces of 1/8-inch sheet of plywood with a circular saw, each 4 inches by 3 inches. Cut three 1/2-inch-thick wood strips to 4 inches. Cut two 1/2-inch-thick wood strips to 2.5 inches.

2. Glue the 4-inch strip of wood to the 3-inch-by-4-inch plywood with the edge of the strip flush with the 4-inch edge of the plywood. Clamp the pieces together. Repeat for the second piece of plywood. Attach one 4-inch strip to both sides of the second sheet of plywood on the same edge, creating a "T" with the pieces.

3. Glue the 2.5-inch strips to the 3-inch edge of the second piece of plywood so that the edges are flush and one end of the 2.5-inch strip is pressed against the edge of the 4-inch strip of wood. Glue the 2.5 inch strips to both sides of the plywood creating an "L" on one side and a backwards "L" on the opposite side. Clamp all pieces until the glue dries according to drying times on the glue bottle.

4. Tap tack nails into the pieces for additional stability with a hammer. The tack nails are not required but are helpful in keeping the pieces together.

Cabinet Doors

1. Hold the L-shaped template against one cabinet door. Hold the hardware against the template to identify the desired position. Mark the position with a pencil on the template.

2. Drill a hole through the mark with a drill and an appropriately-sized drill bit. The hardware package will list the proper sized bit to use.

3. Hold the template against the doors of the cabinet. Mark the location of the hole on the cabinet door with a pencil. Flipping the template over allows you to mark doors opening in the opposite direction from the original door.

4. Drill a pilot hole with the proper-sized drill bit through the mark on the cabinet door.

5. Insert the cabinet pull through the hole. Thread the screw into the pull from behind the door. Tighten down with a screwdriver or screwdriver drill bit and drill. Repeat the process for all the cabinet doors.

Drawers

1. Measure each drawer carefully for width. Mark the center point of the drawer with a pencil and a vertical line on the face of the drawer.

2. Hold the template with just one 1/2-inch wood strip so that the wood strip is centered on the vertical mark and the plywood aspect of the template is in front of the drawer. Hold the drawer pull up to the template in the desired position. Mark the position on the template with a pencil. Remove the template.

3. Drill holes through the template at the desired marks with the proper-sized drill bit.

4. Position the template on the drawer a second time. Mark the location of the pilot holes onto the drawer. Drill holes through the marks.

5. Insert the drawer pulls into the holes. Thread the mounting screws through the back of the drawer into the pulls. Tighten the screws down with a screwdriver or screwdriver drill bit and drill. Repeat for all the drawers.

References

• "Lowe's: Complete Home Improvement and Repair"; Don Vandervort; 2005