If you are thinking of a refit for your kitchen you will have wondered “how are kitchen cabinets installed.” If you are quite good at DIY projects it may even be something you have considered doing yourself. The truth is that installing cabinets is not an easy task, and trying to follow the holes drilled by your old cabinets will rarely be possible.
How are Kitchen Cabinets Installed : Upper Cabinets
Of the upper and lower cabinets, installing your upper cabinets is harder. Depending on your chosen material, your cabinets could be heavy. This means that you need strength and at least two people to get the job done. It is definitely a job best left for local fitters you can find here.
The key to successfully hanging upper cabinets is the use of a ledger board. This is a piece of wood that will be drilled to your wall at the height you desire for your cabinets that will be totally straight. If you live in an old property you may find that your room is anything but symmetrical and that you will be left with awkward gaps at the edges of your cabinets when you follow a straight line.
If you do not wish to re tile your kitchen and currently have tiles that meet the bottom of your cabinets, this line of tiles could be used as a ledger. Drilling into tiles will damage them, and if you need to install cabinets at a different height to what they are presently, you will need to remove tiles from your walls and drill a ledger on to your wall. Lastly, due to the weight of cabinets, doors should always be removed from cabinets and added on at the end. When adding on your doors, if they don’t hand straight then you know that your ledger line was not straight, and you will wonder why you didn’t call in the experts in the first place!
How are Kitchen Cabinets Installed : Lower Cabinets
You may presume that installing your base cabinets is easier, and it generally is. But, it is not all plain sailing. You will often find that your floor is not level, even in a modern home. What this means is that you need to find the highest point on your floor. It is easy enough to shim down cabinets where your floor is too high, but it’s impossible to add height onto cabinets that you discover have gaps where your floor is low. Trimming off the bottoms of cabinets is of course a job that is best left to the experts. One foul move could cost you a whole new cabinet.
Once you have found the actual height that your cabinets will be at, you will need to pencil a line along the wall. This line needs to be exactly straight, and you can find this by using spirit level. Once you have your first cabinet in place, you can predrill for the rest of your cabinets.
Installing kitchen cabinets is not a job anyone can do successfully. Using old holes will rarely work, and although there are some standard sizes of cabinets, many are also not standard at all. When replacing a kitchen, you will pay out a lot of money for your new cabinets. So, it makes senses to have them professionally installed. A professional team of kitchen fitters will be able to install a small kitchen in one day.
If your kitchen has never had upper cabinets, then there are other problems that may arise. These will include the walls not being smooth. Walls where cabinets have never been hung before will need preparing to ensure the cabinets fit flush to the wall.
How are Kitchen Cabinets Installed : Conclusion
All in all, the process of installing kitchen cabinets is not an easy one. Especially when working with upper cabinets, you will need strength and also a sturdy ladder to stand on. DIY kitchen projects often turn into disasters where the professionals are called in at the last minute to correct mistakes. But remember, once you have shaved too much off the bottom of a cabinet, you cannot stick it back on. Not all mistakes can be rectified by the professionals, so calling them in from the start of your project is always best. Bristol Builders Network can supply you with kitchen fitters in Clevedon, Nailsea, and surrounding areas. Kitchen fitters that are professional and who will get the job done right the first time!