Install base cabinets diy

Find the highest point in the floor by drawing or snapping a level chalk line along the adjacent wall, then measure down to the floor in several places.

The spot where you measure the shortest distance is where the floor is highest. Use vertical lines to the floor to denote the locations of the different cabinet units. Meanwhile, find the studs along the cabinet wall and mark them.

Keep in mind, you must still be able to see the marks even after the base cabinets are in place, so make them plainly visible and draw them past the top line. Set your base cabinets against the wall where you will install them, and add shims beneath the cabinetry so that its top edge hits the first horizontal line that you drew.

In situations where the wall is not plumb i. Use this wood material—which is often available to purchase from the same place you picked up the cabinets—to shim behind the cabinets at stud locations. Having installed the initial cabinet, move on to the next one.

Continue to shim as necessary. To ensure a flush fit between this unit and its neighbor, join the two with a clamp. Then, drill and countersink four pilot holes and attach with screws. Next, use a level to find the highest spot on the floor.

From this spot, mark the cabinet height on the wall and extend it as a line. Allow for the height of flooring if you are installing the cabinets before it is installed. Measure and mark a line 18 inches 46cm above this line to show where the bottom of the upper cabinets will be positioned.

Make sure not to forget the countertop. Then measure up from this line by the height of the upper cabinets. To support the upper cabinets during installation, fit 1 by 2 or 1 by 3 furring strips into the studs below the line marked for the bottom of the wall cabinets. This will support the wall cabinets during installation. Check the support is level. Drill pilot holes at top and bottom of the cabinet.

Repeat for all the upper cabinets. Set the first cabinet in place on the wall and use the mounting screws to fix it to the wall. However, only tighten them enough to hold it in place for the moment.

Put the second cabinet next to the first, ensuring it is aligned. Hold the cabinets together with clamps and use screws to fix the second cabinet in the same way as the first — that is only tightening the screws sufficiently to hold it in place, and using shims to make it plumb if required. Connect the upper cabinets using a drill with a countersink twist drill bit and the cabinet screws. Continue in the same way for the row, making sure to check the cabinet faces and edges are even as well as level as you work.

When the wall cabinets are all in place fully tighten the rear screws, remove the clamps, and remove the support below. Repair any damage to the wall as necessary. Just like with the wall cabinets, start fitting the base cabinets from a corner.

Use the marks on the wall to mark the stud locations on the cabinet, then drill holes. Put the first cabinet into position using the horizontal line on the wall as a guide, and check it is level and plumb. You may need to use shims below or at the back. Screw in place, tightening just enough to hold it in place. Drill pilot holes in the back as before and put the second cabinet in position next to the first. Even faces and shim if necessary.