Now that you have your new kitchen cabinets, you’re ready to move on to the next big step… installing your kitchen cabinets. While the actual installation of kitchen cabinets is not that difficult, the first critical step is to measure and mark where the cabinets will go. By placing layout markings on the walls and floors, it will not only help you with kitchen cabinet placement and stud locations, it will also help you locate where adjustments and shims will be required. Before you begin, there are a couple of items you’ll need for the project:

Pencil

Level or Laser Level

drill

Measuring tape

study finder

clamps

1″ x 3″ piece of wood (6′-8′ long) or an inverted U-shaped frame (see notes below)

wedges

Screws (long enough to go 1 1/2 into the studs)

cutter or chisel

dial compass

An extra pair of hands (you might have to bribe one of your friends)

As I mentioned earlier, you have the option of using a 1′ x 3′ piece of wood for installation or building a frame to support the cabinets (I’ve included a picture of a sample frame below). This can be made 2′ x 4′ and should be tall enough to support the bottom of the wall cabinets. If you’re planning on setting up more than one kitchen, I’d suggest framing, but a piece of wood will work just fine if it’s a one-time event. In either case, you’ll need another pair of hands to help with the installation.

In this case, we bought ready to assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets from RTA kitchen and bathroom cabinet store. Now that the kitchen cabinets are assembled, we’re ready to start marking our distribution lines. Some people start with the base cabinets, but we’re going to start with the wall cabinets first. There is no right or wrong way to start, I just prefer to start with the upper cabinets first.

1. Use a level and pencil to draw a parallel line along the wall about 3 inches from the floor. Measure down from this line, to the floor, and find the high point of the floor (if you have one), and mark a line at that point. From that high point, measure 34 1/2 inches and draw a level line along the wall to designate the top of the base cabinets.

2. Now that you have marked the top of the base cabinets, measure another 19 1/2 inches and a level line along the wall to indicate the bottom of the wall cabinets. Lightly mark the dimensions and placement of each cabinet on the wall to ensure your original layout is correct.

3. Use a stud finder to locate the wall studs. Use a pencil to mark stud locations at least 6 inches above and below the bottom line of the wall cabinets. Draw straight vertical lines between the top and bottom marks to indicate the center of the studs.

4. If you decided to go with the 1′ x 3′ piece of wood, this is where you will use it (if you decided to go with the U-frame, it will come into play once you have traced all the lines) . Screw a 1′ x 3′ temporary support rail to the wall, aligning the top edge of the rail with the bottom edge line of the wall cabinets. Secure by driving 3-4 two inch screws through the track into the wall studs.

5. Now that we have all the lines marked out, it’s time to start installing your kitchen cabinets. Let’s start with the corner cabinet (this is where the extra hands of your helper will be needed). Place the corner cabinet on the temporary support rail and have your helper hold it in place. Drill pilot holes through the sturdy back of the cabinet or its support rail and into the wall studs. Screw the cabinet to the wall with two screws that are long enough to penetrate the studs by at least 1 1/2 inches. Check that the top of the cabinet is level and that the front of the cabinet is plumb. If you need to correct the position, simply back off the screws a bit and place top shims behind the cabinet at the stud locations. If it is plumb and level, drive the screws all the way in and add several more at each stud to ensure the cabinet is firmly secured to the wall.

6. Now we are going to move on to the cabinets on either side of the corner cabinet. As you install each one, use the clamps to secure each cabinet to the neighboring cabinet, then check that it is plumb with your level. On face frame cabinets, it’s a good idea to drill two 1/8-inch pilot holes through the sides of the face frame and use screws. In this case, with frameless ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets, we’re going to screw down the plywood sides and use shims between the cabinets to ensure a snug fit and make sure the cabinet faces are plumb.

7. Once all the wall cabinets are in place, install the corner or end base cabinet. Shim where necessary to level the cabinet and raise it to the line indicating the highest point of the floor. Make sure it is level front to back and side to side, then screw it into the wall studs. If you do not have a diagonal corner cabinet or a corner blind base cabinet, push the adjoining cabinet into place and clamp the two units together. Add a padding strip if necessary to allow doors and drawers enough clearance to open and close properly. If necessary, tap shims under and behind the cabinet to adjust plumb and level.

8. Drive screws through back of cabinet (and shims) into wall studs. Trim any excess material from the shims with a sharp chisel or utility knife. Continue adding adjoining cabinets in this manner, joining them together the same way you connected the wall cabinets in step 6.

9. If your cabinets end up bumping into another wall, you may need a filler strip to cover the last few inches. If you have custom cabinets they should have been built to fill this gap, but if you are using standard or RTA kitchen cabinets you may need the filler strip. If you need to use a filler strip, leave the last cabinet separate from the other cabinets. Attach a straightedge to the face of the nearest installed unit, extending it far enough so that you can place alignment marks on the end wall. Leave a 3/4″ offset behind those marks (for the thickness of the filler piece) and fasten a cleat to the wall. Then install and fasten the last cabinet and measure the gap between its face frame and the wall.

If the wall is flat, simply rip the filler panel to the required width and clip in place. If the wall is uneven, you will need to mark the filler board. Start by placing a marking compass across the width of the gap, then place a 1″ wide strip of masking tape along the length of the filler panel in the area where it needs to be cut out. Attach the panel to the final cabinet face frame, then trace wall contour with compass Remove plate and cut along line scribed with jig saw, then reinstall to verify fit When OK, insert screws through adjacent face frame into the edge of filler plate Screw or nail other side to cleat.

At this point, your kitchen cabinet installation is complete. If you purchased matching crown molding or any other trim, these should easily install now. Depending on whether you had to use shims under the base cabinets, you may need to install some molding on the feet to cover the shims or any gaps at the bottom of the kitchen cabinets.

I hope this helps make your kitchen cabinet installation as easy as possible. If you need help with cabinet selection, kitchen design tips, or ideas for cabinet styles, check out RTA’s Kitchen & Bath Cabinet Store