Install Kitchen Cabinets

To make installation easier (especially if you're working alone) screw scrap 1x3 or 2x4 boards flat against the wall, into the studs, with the top of the board aligned with the horizontal chalk line you snapped. You'll use that small shelf, called a ledger, to help support the cabinets and keep them even when you attach them to the wall. You'll remove the ledger when you're done.

Cabinets are lighter and easier to work with if you remove the doors, and removing the doors protects them from damage. But if the door attachment is complicated, you might find it easier to leave them on.

Drill pilot holes in the back of the cabinet that line up with the studs — drill at least two holes per stud, one near the top and one near the bottom of the cabinet.

Lift the cabinet and rest the bottom of it on the ledger. Hold the cabinet with one hand (or have a helper hold it) and screw 2-1/2-inch wood screws through the pilot holes into the studs — you can thread each screw though a cabinet screw washer to attach the cabinet more firmly. Don't tighten the screws fully, because you need some play for shimming.

Install the second cabinet snug against the first one, following the same steps for drilling pilot holes, attaching it to the studs, and shimming. When you shim for plumb, make sure the face of the second cabinet is flush with the first.

Clamp the two cabinets tightly together, being careful not to damage the wood. Cabinet clamps are easier to move and adjust than C-clamps.

Drill two 1-1/4-inch wood screws through the side of one cabinet into the side of the adjacent one — one near the top of the cabinet and one near the bottom. 

Repeat this step to install all the hanging cabinets.

Use a filler to cover any gaps left between the end of a row and a wall. Use a circular saw to cut it to length. Attach it as you did adjacent cabinets: clamp it to the adjacent cabinet and screw 2-1/2-inch wood screws through the side of the cabinet and into the filler strip.

Once you've installed the top cabinets, remove the ledger.

As you did with the hanging cabinets, determine where the run of base cabinets will start and mark it with a vertical snapline.

Use a level resting on a 2x4 to determine if the floor is level. If not, find the highest point on the floor and measure up from that point to where the top of the cabinets will be, based on the height of your cabinets. Mark that point and use a snapline to mark a level horizontal line across the wall that includes that mark. When you install the base cabinets, they all will align with this line.

Remove the drawers and, if you wish, the doors. Although you can install base cabinets separately, it's preferable to connect a row of cabinets first. That way, you can more easily align all the tops, ensuring that the countertop sits flat when you install it.
You might find it easier to work with the cabinets if you rest them on their backs.

Use clamps to connect the first two cabinets, aligning their tops and faces. Screw them together, through the sides, with 1-1/4-inch wood screws.

Push the cabinets into place against the wall and shim under them so the tops are even with the snapline.

Use 2-1/2-inch wood screws to attach them loosely to the wall, and then shim them so they're plumb. Tighten the screws when the cabinets are level and plumb.

To hide the joint where the cabinet meets the floor, install the kick panel that came with the cabinets, using finishing nails. Use the nail set tool to countersink the nails. You can install shoe molding as well; first stain or paint it to match the cabinets.

If you removed the doors, reattach them, and adjust the hinges so all so all the doors align horizontally.

Nothing makes your new cabinets shine than complementary countertops. Install them with our step-by-step instructions for installing kitchen countertops.