How to Install Prefab Cabinets

Installing new, prefabricated cabinets is an effective way to update your kitchen and add value to your home. In addition, prefab cabinets do not involve the hassle of unfinished ones, meaning that an upgrade to the kitchen and/or bath of your home will likely be worth more than you spend on it. Successful installation depends on knowing a few simple tips on which the professionals rely.

Instructions

1

Dry-fit the prefab cabinets. On the floor, attach all of the face frames before attempting to hang the cabinets. This is necessary for all side-by-side (or butt joint) cabinets. To properly align the cabinets, make sure the face frames are flush. When aligning the face frames, level the bottoms of the uppers and the tops of the lower cabinets. Use two clamps to hold the frames once they are aligned.

2

After aligning and clamping, pre-drill the face frames to avoid splitting. The screws will go all the way through one rail (an upright piece of the face frame) and no more than 5/8 inch into the rail on the other cabinet. Pre- drill a hole for the shaft of the screw using a small drill bit. Next, pre-drill a counter sink for the head of the screw. To counter sink, you will need a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screw head, and to drill slightly deeper than the depth of the screw head. Insert two screws into the face frame for each butt joint. For ease of alignment, disconnect the prefabricated cabinets as you go, so you are never working with more than two cabinets at once.

3

Mark your walls, remembering to always hang upper prefab cabinets first. To find the placement for the upper cabinets, mark 54 inches from the floor. Measure from the floor only once, then use a level to draw the line everywhere it is needed. Find and mark the studs by driving a trim nail through the dry wall. Most of the studs will be 16 inches apart.

4

Hang the upper prefab cabinets. Start in a corner or against the wall. Use the level line marked on the wall for height. Once the cabinet is where you want it, drive two screws per stud--one in the upper nailer (a structural piece of wood on the back of the cabinet used for holding a cabinet to the wall, also called a stretcher) and one in the lower nailer. For side-by-side prefabricated cabinets, attach the face frames that you already pre-drilled before fully tightening the second cabinet to the wall.

5

Install the lower prefab cabinets. Use the same method as for the upper prefab cabinets. Your level line is drawn 1/4 inch higher than the first cabinet. This allows you to avoid problems due to a not-level floor. Use shims to support the cabinets while installing. Placing shims under the partitions (the sides of the cabinets), rather than the toe kicks, will save you the trouble of trimming them finished. Shims should also be placed behind the nailers where the wall bows away from the back of the cabinets.

6

Install a finished toe kick (a thin piece of wood that can be purchased and cut to length), crown molding, scribe molding and finished ends (if desired). All of these items are installed with just a few trim nails each.