Lacava Cabinet

Lacava- Wall mounted cabinet with fluorescents

Ready to update your kitchen or bathroom? Adding some new cabinets is a great place to start. You will be amazed at what a new set of cabinets can do to freshen up the vibe in your home!

1. Remove Everything from Kitchen. Begin the remodeling process by removing all existing appliances, cabinets, countertops, and moldings from the space where the cabinets are to be installed. Moving these out of the way will allow for easier access to install the new cabinets. Also make sure to shut off the water, power, and utility lines before beginning to remodel as these may present a hazard during the remodeling stage.    

2. Map Out Uneven Floors. In some cases floors have uneven spots that need to be located prior to beginning the actual installation. Check your floor with the following method.

Place a straight 2×4 on the floor up against the wall.  Then place a 4-ft. level on top and shim the low end of the 2×4 until you achieve a level reading. Mark a line on the wall at the top of level and continue this line around the room. The highest spot on the floor will be wherever the distance between the line and the floor is smallest. Mark this point; this is the point of the room you will begin laying out the cabinets.

Map Out Uneven Floors

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3. Even the Walls. Just like floors, some walls have uneven spots. This unevenness can cause cabinets that are otherwise installed correctly to be misaligned. Raised spots should be removed by scrapping or sanding off excess material. Sunken spots should be shimmed with pieces of wood shims.

Even Walls

(Photo Source: Familyhandyman.com)

4. Locate Studs. Locate the studs in the wall either with a magnetic stud finder or by lightly tapping on the wall and listening for a “solid” sound. Mark the position of the studs and extend this line up and down the wall, making sure to keep the line plumb.

Finding Studs

(Photo Source: DIYnetwork.com)

5. Mark Top of Base Cabinets. Measure up 34 ½ inches (the standard high of a base cabinet before the counter top is added) from the highest point you marked earlier and mark a level line at this height. Continue this level line around the room.

6. Mark Bottom of Wall Cabinets. Measure 19 ½ inches above the top of the line drawn in the previous step. Mark a level line at this height and continue it around the room.

7. Draw Cabinet Layout. Double-check the layout of the cabinets by sketching them out on the wall.

Mapping out Cabinets

(Photo Source: Homedepot.com)

8. Remove Draws. Last but not least, do not forget to remove the drawers from the cabinets before you begin installing them! They may fall out during installation if they are not removed.