What's the best way to hang brand new kitchen cabinets?...?
Question:when you have a pantry that sits on the floor and a bookcase that sits on the counter - both of which need to align with the top of the rest of the cabinets, but the floor isn't level or smooth and we need to shim up.
Any suggestions on hanging them would help!
Answers:
Let's keep this simply. Take one cabinet, hold it against the wall so the top is even with the tops of existing work and the side butts evenly with whatever is along the side. One person hold it there while the other draws a line on the wall under the cabinet -where the cabinet bottom sits next to the wall.
Now take the cabinet away and screw a straight piece of wood on to the wall, the top of which is even with your line. If you want some "wiggle room," drill holes in the wood piece that are too big for the screws, so you'll have some "play." Once you've got it lined up right, screw it in tight.
Now put the cabinet back on the wall, resting on that wooden strip. One person can do it if you've got your tools and screws handy; otherwise one holds it up there until just one screw is put in at the top by the other guy. Turn in the rest of the screws, get the next cabinet, put it on the strip ...etc.
When done, unscrew the strip and fill the screw holes with putty, plaster, whatever.
If, for any reason, you can't screw a wood holder piece onto the wall, then build a platform to rest on the counter, whose top is even with your mark.
Use a spring loaded toggle bolt that way you can make all the finale adjustments just before tightening them into place and they can be loosened to make final adjustments.
It is much easier to set and level your base cabinets, and then make a wood box from scrap lumber and some ply-wood to use to hang your top cabinets. Just sit the form on the counter top, sit your upper cabinets on that form and anchor them to the wall. Since the base cabinets are level (and hopefully your form is square), then top cabinets will be level on the wall and to each other. You'll have to decide how much space you need between the top of the counter and the base of the top cabinet, though. Just subtract the height of the base cabinet from the pantry cabinet and then subtract the height of the upper cabinets from that, and that is how tall your form needs to be.
You have to shim under the pantry first, then your bookcase will be level. Then you may have to use small trim to make up the out of plum wall. Crown molding at the top of the cabinets always looks swell.You may have to put base shoe around the floor also. Or you could do it the crap way and caulk around the sides and the floor.
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