How to Install Kitchen Cabinets

Install kitchen cabinets in this order: mark a level line from the highest point of the floor, find and mark the studs, hang the upper cabinets on a temporary ledger, then set, level and join the base cabinets. Every cabinet is screwed into studs through its rails, never through the thin back alone, and neighbouring cabinets are clamped flush and screwed together. It is a manageable job for beginners with a helper and a good level.

Tools and materials

• A 4 ft level or a laser level, a tape measure and a stud finder
• A drill/driver, clamps and a countersink bit
• 2 1/2–3 in (65–75 mm) cabinet screws and 1 1/4 in screws to join cabinets
• Shims or adjustable legs, and a straight board for a ledger

1. Mark the layout

1. Find the high point of the floor with a level along the walls: everything is measured from there.
2. Draw a level line at the top of the base cabinets (34 1/2 in, or your carcass plus legs) and another at the bottom of the uppers (usually 54 in) from that high point.
3. Mark every stud above and below the lines.
4. Draw the cabinets on the wall, starting from the corner, with fillers where they meet walls.

2. Hang the upper cabinets

1. Screw a ledger board to the studs with its top on the 54 in line. The cabinets rest on it while you fix them.
2. Start in the corner. Lift the first cabinet onto the ledger, check it is plumb, and screw through the hanging rail into two studs.
3. Add the next cabinet, clamp the two face to face so they are flush, drill and join them with two screws, then screw it to the studs.
4. Remove the ledger when all the uppers are up, and fill its screw holes.

3. Set the base cabinets

1. Start at the corner or the high point, set the first cabinet to the upper level line and level it front to back and side to side with shims or the legs.
2. Screw it to the studs through the back rail; do not pull it out of level, shim behind it if the wall is not flat.
3. Add each cabinet, level it to the first, clamp it flush and join them through the sides.
4. Fit fillers against walls and appliances, so drawers and doors can open past the wall.

4. Finish

Fix the countertop from below through the top rails, fit the plinth or toe kick, hang and adjust the doors and drawers, and add the handles. See how to adjust cabinet hinges for even gaps.

Building the cabinets yourself

If you are building the cabinets too, size them for your wall and the standard kitchen cabinet dimensions. Our base, wall and pantry plans give every panel: