Base
Cabinet Installation Basics |
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Cabinet
installations follow the basic rule of carpentry—the final results should
be straight, square, and strong. In new construction, subfloors are usually
in good condition and provide a sturdy, flat surface for base cabinets
to rest on. The same goes for newly erected walls-today's engineered lumber
products combined with good construction practices typically mean walls
will be plumb and true. In older homes, floors are more likely to have
high and low spots, and walls, floors, and corners may not meet at perfect
90-degree angles. Your cabinet installer will remedy minor problems with
a few common tools and a little ingenuity. |
No
two jobs are ever alike, but most base cabinet installations are relatively
straightforward. The first step is to identify the highest area on the
floor and mark it on the wall. One technique is to use a shims and a carpenter's
level. The rear of the base cabinet must be level with the front. If the
highest point on the floor is closer to the wall, the front of the cabinet
must be raised with shims. If the highest point on the floor is farther
away from the wall, the rear of the cabinet must be raised to the equal
height. |
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Drawing a
straight line on the wall to mark the top of the base cabinets will assure
that all of the base cabinets are installed at the identical height and
the countertop will have a flat mounting surface. |
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A
2x4 and a level are commonly used to make sure the line is perfectly straight.
The standard cabinet height in the U.S. is 34-1/2-inches. Note: The height
of the top line should be measured from the highest point on the floor. |
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With base
cabinets, many installers secure all the cabinets to each other before
attaching them to the wall. Standard bar clamps can be |
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used to make
sure each cabinet is secure before installing fasteners, but professional
installers often use a tool called the "Cabinet Claw." Its jaws
pull the face frames of two cabinets together, and a front clamp aligns
them flush with each other. |
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Before securing the cabinets
to the wall, the installer will check to make sure that the cabinets are
perfectly aligned with the line scribed on the wall, and that they are
perfectly vertical from top to bottom, and level across the top. Using
two levels simplifies the process. Shims (tapered lengths of wood, usually
pine) are used to raise areas of the base cabinets off the floor or away
from a wall into a level position. Whenever using a shim to adjust the
cabinet where it meets a wall, it is always placed over a stud. |
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Once
the cabinets are level, they can be secured to the wall. Fasteners should
always be driven through the cabinet and into wall studs. Wherever shims
are used, a fastener must be driven straight through them so they do not
slip out of place causing the cabinets to shift.
The final step is to install the doors,
drawers and hardware. Depending on the style of cabinet, the hinges may
be hidden (installed on the inside of the frame) or visible. Some cabinets
come with supplied hinges and are pre-drilled. To secure hinges on cabinets
that are not pre-drilled, many installers make a template to assure that
all of the hinges line up across the face frames of the cabinets. |
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Copyright Sudprasert Engineering (C)2002
10 February, 2003