5 Common Kitchen Cabinet Installation Mistakes To Avoid

5 Common Kitchen Cabinet Installation Mistakes To Avoid

As a first-time remodeller, you might be worried about all the mistakes you could make when installing your new kitchen cabinets. Admittedly, there are quite a few mishaps that could occur, but as long as you are careful and meticulous with your measurements, everything is sure to fall into place. Here are a few common installation mistakes to avoid as you prepare for your remodel.

1. Buying Kitchen Cabinets With Incorrect Dimensions

As you pursue your options online, you may be tempted to pick cabinets with preset stock sizes. However, you should only choose stock sizes if you know they’re actually going to work for your space. Every kitchen is unique; therefore, the cabinets may need some unique measurements. Being precise in your measurements will help you decide which cabinet dimensions will fit best in your kitchen.

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2. Not Taking Plumbing And Wiring Into Account

If you are changing the layout of your kitchen cabinets, remodeling can be even trickier. As with the mistake listed above, being precise in your measurements will ensure that you don’t interfere with the plumbing and electrical wiring in your kitchen. For example, if you don’t properly map out your kitchen cabinet arrangement, you might install them where your new recessed lighting was meant to go. Or, you might find that you’ve covered up important plumbing that was supposed to connect to your dishwasher. Having a diagram of appliance locations, and sticking to it, will help everything fit where it needs to.

3. Hanging Your Wall Cabinets On Just Drywall

The importance of marking out where the studs in your walls are cannot be overstated. Studs are the sturdiest points in your walls, making them the only places where your hanging cabinets should be secured. If you simply hang your wall cabinets on drywall alone, their weight might initially be supported, but as soon as you load your dinnerware inside, they will most likely come crashing down. You’ll have a real mess on your hands!

As a side note: be sure to always use screws when installing your kitchen cabinets. Nails will not hold your cabinets secure, which will cause them to separate from the wall over time, and maybe even fall off completely.

4. Not Keeping Your Wall Cabinets Flush

When you hang your new kitchen cabinets, there should not be any space between their back panels and the wall. To ensure that there are no unwanted gaps, use tools like a plumb line, chalk string, or level to measure and clearly mark the wall studs. Knowing where the strongest points on the wall are, and installing your cabinets on them, will keep them flush with the wall. You can also use the help of a temporary stud board — or ledger board — to support some of the cabinets’ weight as you secure them to the wall.

5. Not Accounting For Slope

In some kitchens, especially in older homes, the floor is not completely level. In this case, you would want to find the highest ground point and install your kitchen cabinets starting from that point. Installing your cabinets in this manner will help you keep their heights level so that, when it’s time to attach your countertop, you will have a nice, even surface to cook and place your appliances on.

Understanding the importance of measurements, planning, and proper installation is critical to the success of any remodel. But as long as you’re careful, your new kitchen cabinets can come together beautifully.

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