subject: The Basics Of Installing Kitchen Cabinets [print this page] Even if your kitchen is a little complex, by learning the basics and what to look out for, you will be able to install your own kitchen.
To start off, I suggest that you become very familiar with your new kitchen layout as this will help you to visualize what the end product will look like. Draw the layout of the cabinets on the walls, and try to visualize how the kitchen is going to look. This is going to help you visualize the layout as well as how to install kitchen cabinets in your new kitchen. Your kitchen designer should have made available to you the drawings of your new layout so that you can visualize how the end product should look like.
By drawing the layout on the walls, you will visualize where each and every cabinet is to be placed. Double check that you have all of the cabinets for your new design. You will want to make sure that the wiring for appliances are in the proper locations, and that any electrical devices do not have to be moved. There might be some of these devices and wiring that will need to be relocated. If you need any wiring moved, give you electrician a call and he will be able to move them easily. Just be sure that everything is where it is supposed to be before you start installing the cabinets.
So, now that you have made sure that the wiring and plumbing is located properly, you will need to find the high point of the floor. Before we talk about what to do next, make sure whenever possible to have the new flooring installed prior to installing the cabinets. This will make the entire process of installing the cabinets much easier. During the cabinets install, protect the floor as much as possible. But, if you are planning on a floating floor or perimeter glued vinyl, these floors will have to be installed after the kitchen is finished. These type of floors need to ba able to move freely or float, and by placing the base cabinets directly on them will prohibit that.
So, once the floor is down, you will want to measure up from the floor at any given spot and place a mark that is thirty inches off of the floor on the wall. Next, you will want to draw a level line all along the walls where the cabinets are going to be placed. Measure up every two feet and find the smallest measurement, and mark where that location is. This is the high point of your floor. Now, measure up thirty four and a half ijches from this spot and draw a new level line around the kitchen representing the top of the base cabinets. This is where the top of the base cabinets will fall and will serve as a reference for the rest of the installation process. There is a lot more to learn about how to install kitchen cabinets than just drawing lines on the walls and fastening the cabinets in place. I have put together a comprehensive resource that covers all of the details that you might encounter in your kitchen remodel.
