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We have limited our discussion of cabinetry to the installation of stock cabinetry. There are good reasons for this. First, we feel that the skills required to do custom cabinetwork are too advanced for the amateur renovator. Second, for those of you willing to attempt cabinetmaking, there are many fine, detailed books readily avail able to guide you. Fortunately, there is a wealth of stock cabinetry on the market today. You can find cabinets ranging from the very crude to the extremely sophisticated (both in construction and in price). Bear in mind, however, that cabinetry installation, although not terribly difficult, re quires a certain degree of care and finesse. Materials:
Stock cabinetry is delivered boxed or wrapped in protective coverings. Inspect the cabinetry for any damage caused during shipping. If there is damage, don’t try to fix it. Instead, bring it to the immediate attention of the delivery company and the dealership. You should also keep in mind that once the original finish of the cabinets is dam aged, it's rather difficult to repair. To prevent scratches and dents, keep the cabinets well protected until ready for installation. BASE CABINETS If you have wood-frame walls, the cabinets are screwed directly onto the studs. For this reason, the installation begins by establishing the location of the studs on the wall. With a hammer, gently tap along the wall until you hear a thump rather than a hollow sound. A thump indicates the location of the stud. Drive a finish nail into the stud to find the center line. (Studs are generally spaced every 16” o.c., although in older homes the space could be irregular.) Take a level and a pencil and draw the center line of the stud on the wall from floor to ceiling. Tools:
There are instances where the existing walls aren't wood-frame (gypsum block) or where the walls are so poorly constructed that they can't support the cabinetry screws. In such cases, the easiest approach is to fur out the wall. This involves constructing a new wood stud wall in front of the old one. The wall can be made out of 2 x 4’s on edge to minimize the space loss (1 1/2” stud plus ½” or 3/8” gypsum board gives you a total space loss of 2” to 2 1/8”). Secure the furred-out wall to the existing building by nailing the bottom and top plates to the floor and ceiling structure. If your building has concrete floors, you will have to secure it with drilled holes, screws, and shields, or wire-cut nails. A further advantage of this approach is that the new wall will be plumb. Furring out the wall also proves helpful where you encounter solid-brick walls. Not only is it easier to attach to wood than to brick, but the space between the studs can accommodate plumbing pipes and electrical wiring. The next step is to locate and level the base cabinets. Start by finding the highest point on the floor. This gives you an idea of how much leveling the cabinets will require. Screw together two or three cabinet sections to form a unit not to exceed 5’ to 7’ in length. Make sure that they are aligned in relation to each other. The cabinets are attached to each other through the side walls with screws and little rings called grommets. (Grommets are used to prevent the screws from pulling through the cabinetry walls and to give a more finished look.) While screwing the cabinets together make sure that screws don't project through the cabinet walls into places where they interfere with drawer operation or shelf location. This base cabinet section is then set in position, ready to be leveled and plumbed. Place a level on top of the unit. With the aid of wood pieces shim the cabinet base until level. Keep in mind that to get a level and plumb cabinet, you need to level it from front to back and from side to side. Repeat this procedure for each base unit until all of them are level. Replace the temporary shims with solid- wood blocking cut in thicknesses as required. Most likely the wall behind the base cabinets isn't plumb. Take a look to see how much space is left between the cabinet and the wall at the stud location. These gaps need to be closed up with wood blocking at the points of connection before the cabinet can be secured to the wall. Slip wood blocking in place. Once the gaps have been closed, fasten the cabinetry to the wall by driving screws (with grommets) through the reinforcing board on the back of the cabinet and into the studs in the wall. UPPER CABINETS The installation of the upper cabinets is trickier. Unlike the lower cabinets, upper cabinets hang from the wall. For this reason you need two people to do the installation work—one person to hold the cabinet in place and the other to shim, level, plumb, and screw cabinets together. You should also realize that when full these cabinets can be quite heavy. Because they hang from the wall, it's very important that the connections between the cabinets and the wall be very strong. With these criteria in mind, you can begin the installation. The location of the studs has al ready been drawn on the wall. You can now draw two more lines: one that will indicate the top and one that will indicate the bottom of the cabinet. Check to make sure that these lines are level. The next step is to check the wall for plumbness. There will undoubtedly be some bumps on the wall. Circle any bumps. This way you will know exactly where you will need wood blocking. The installation continues by cutting out and assembling T-shape plywood supports (about 1’ deep) which span the distance between the lower and upper cabinets (Be sure to compensate for the thickness of the countertop. These supports are used to help hold the cabinets in place. With the aid of your helper and the plywood props, lift the first cabinet into position. In pencil, mark the location of the studs on the inside wall of the cabinet. Since the base cabinets are level and the prop supports are the same length, the cabinet should be level. You should double-check any way. The front of the cabinet should be checked for plumbness. Slip wood blocking from the top and the bottom of the cabinetry as required to close any gaps. Wall cabinets should come equipped with hang-rails mortised and tenoned, doweled, or• screwed to the side panels and under the top member. These hang-rails are designed to reduce the possibility of the back panel pulling away from the case. In addition, they provide a much stronger surface for attaching the cabinet to the wall. Using power-driven screws, screw the cabinet to the wall (at each stud). Try to install a minimum of two screws through each hangrail at the top of the cabinet. You should also screw the cabinet to the stud in at least one other location (near the bottom). When in doubt, install more screws. Keep in mind the potential weight of a fully loaded cabinet. Repeat this procedure for all upper cabinets. Once the first cabinet is installed you can clamp the next one to it while plumbing and leveling. If you have a full backsplash, it should be installed before the upper cabinets. See discussion on backsplash installation. Should your base cabinets come without a top surface, cut a piece of plywood and place it over the top of the cabinets as a temporary working surface. COUNTERTOPS and BACKSPLASHES Countertops come in many materials. Those of you who choose stone will find that the company selling you the material will also install it. Once you have the base cabinets in place, give them a call. They will come and take field dimensions. From these measurements (of both counter and backsplash), a plywood template is made which is used to cut out the stone. Other renovators may have decided on composite materials for the countertops and backsplashes. Cabinetmakers usually include installation as part of the job. We don't recommend that you get involved with installation. These materials are expensive and they aren't forgiving of mistakes. Should you make an error in cutting or measuring, you will have to discard the piece and purchase another one. The supplier may know of someone who can do the measuring and installing for you. The following discussion is limited to countertops made of plywood (or particle board) and plastic laminate. The first step is to rough-cut a piece of 3/4” plywood, ripping it to a consistent depth (usually 25”). Go to the base cabinets and measure the lengths of countertop that you need. Transfer these measurements to the ripped ply wood and cut to the proper length. You can now place the counter in position and scribe to conditions. The front and back edges of the counter are provided with a rail both for rigidity and aesthetics. Cut two 3/4” X 3” wood strips, which will serve as rails and screw them to the underside of the counter (front and back edges). Place the countertop in its proper location (do not secure it in place). The next step is fitting the backsplash. Backsplashes can range from full height (from countertop to upper cabinet) to 4” high (the minimum and most common size). Full backsplashes are installed before the upper cabinets are in place since they provide some support. Smaller ones are installed together with the countertop. Start the backsplash by ripping a piece of plywood to the required height (don’t forget to add ¾” to account for the thickness of the counter). Going back to the base cabinets, mea sure along the wall to determine the appropriate length. Measure and cut it. Place the backsplash against the wall and mark the location of any outlet box. Then, using an electric drill (with a drill bit larger than the blade of the reciprocating saw), drill two holes at the corners of the box’s diagonals. With a reciprocating saw, cut out the diagonal and proceed to cut out the box’s four sides. You need a tight fit between the backsplash, the countertop, and the wall. To achieve this, set the backsplash in position (against the wall and over the counter) and trace the line from the edge of the backsplash onto the countertop. Cut the countertop along that line. Just cut the plywood layer; don't cut the wood rail underneath. The wood rail will serve as a small ledge for the back- splash to rest on. You can now screw the backsplash to the back side of the countertop. Set them back in position. It should be a good fit. All the pieces can now be unscrewed from each other for the application of plastic laminate. Applying Plastic Laminate There are some guidelines for the application of plastic laminate: • Spend some time planning out how to cut the sheets. This simple procedure will avoid a lot of waste and expense (particularly if you are using color-core laminates). • Cut plastic laminate with a table saw. • Install the laminate in a sequence where exposed edges occur in the vertical surfaces. Plan out the installation to minimize joints. To avoid waste and trimming, cut laminate to a size about 1” larger than the dimension that you need. • Make sure that the adhesive you are using is non flammable. Keep the area where you are working well ventilated. Apply sufficient glue (sometimes up to three coats). • Make sure the glue is completely dry before applying laminate. Once you have cut the sheet of laminate to the approximate size, start by applying the adhesive. We have found commercial carpet scraps and paint roller trays to be the most effective tools for the application of adhesive. These scraps are soft and pliable. In addition, they eliminate the cleanup time required by brushes. Whenever the glue hardens, simply cut out the dried-out portion of carpet. Paint roller trays make terrific containers for the adhesive. The contours in these trays allow you to dip the edge of the carpet in the glue and also to adjust the amount of glue. We usually recommend applying the adhesive first to the plywood and then to the laminate. The reason for this recommendation is that the number of coats of glue required depends on the absorbency of the wood (generally more than one coat). Let the adhesive dry before proceeding with the application. Whether the piece you are laminating is large or small, start by positioning the laminate, making sure that it's not crooked. If you are dealing with a small piece, hold the piece from one end and put it in contact with the wood. Slowly press the glued laminate to the glued wood. Large pieces are much trickier to apply and usually require two people to install. When you are dealing with a large piece of laminate, start by putting either wax paper or dowels between the plywood and the laminate. Place the laminate on top of the plywood (with the wax paper or dowels sandwiched in between), making sure that the two are properly aligned. Remove one row of wax paper or dowel and push down the laminate against the wood surface. One person should hold the remainder of the laminate sheet off the wood. Re peat this procedure until the entire sheet of laminate is in place. The plywood and the laminate surfaces have to be pressed firmly together. This is done with the aid of a laminate roller. Start the roller at the center of the piece and work your way slowly toward all the edges. Try to eliminate any air bubbles. The edges of the laminate are cut to hug the edge of the plywood with the aid of an edge trimmer or router. Carefully set up and test the edge trimmer or router on a bit of scrap wood and laminate. Keep in mind that covered edges of laminate are square-cut and exposed edges slightly bevel-cut. Make sure the cutter is finely and properly adjusted, for mis-adjustment may cause damage to or destruction of the laminate. Once the trimmer is properly adjusted, run along the edge to trim off the excess laminate. Corners may need to be trimmed with metal shears and a file or a wood rasp. Installing the Countertop and the Backsplash Start by reattaching the backsplash to the countertop using silicone and power-driven screws. (We are using silicone rather than glue because we are attaching wood to a plastic laminate surface, not wood to wood, and we want a watertight joint.) Place the countertop and backsplash in position and secure them to the cabinets. This is done by driving power-driven screws from the underside of the cabinet into the 3” rails at the front and back edges of the countertop. Make sure to use screws shorter than the thickness they are going through (1 1/4” to 1 1/8” should be fine). |
