How to Hang Kitchen Cabinets

Hanging kitchen cabinet has the advantage that it does not occupy any floor space. When you hang new cabinets in your kitchen, it will not only provide you with some additional storage space, but also transform the look and feel of your kitchen completely.

How to Hang Kitchen Cabinets

Preparing the Wall
When you have planned to hang kitchen cabinets, the first step is to take appropriate measurements of the wall where the cabinets need to be hanged. Using a pencil and a ruler, mark the exact area where you want to put up the cabinets. Also draw straight lines on the wall where you want the upper and lower edges of the cabinet to be. Thus, you can estimate the size of the cabinets that you require. The straight lines that you have marked will ensure that when hanged, the cabinets do not look slanted. In your measurement, do not forget to include the space required for kitchen countertop. Keep in mind that the gap between the upper and lower cabinets should be at least 18 inches.

Once your kitchen wall is marked, look for the stud. You can do this using a stud finder which has all the directions for installation provided with it. After locating a stud, make a mark 16 inches away from that point to mark the position of next stud. This has to be done on all the walls where you plan to hang the cabinets. The alignment of the wall stud cabinets should match up with the layout of the cabinets. The upper cabinets must be fixed to the wall where studs are located.

Hang Frames of the Cabinets
Check each and every cabinets to find out whether they match up with the measurements that you have taken. Read the instructions for cabinet installation, given by the manufacturer carefully to find out the tools required for hanging the cabinets. Make sure you have those tools with you. Take out the cabinet doors and drawers from the frames of the cabinet. First, hang only the frames. This is because, the cabinet along with the doors, are very heavy and are difficult to lift. When you start hanging the cabinets, hang the upper cabinets first as then, the lower cabinets will not interrupt with your work. The best way to hang kitchen cabinets is to attach all of them together before you hang them.

Assemble and Hang the Cabinet
Start assembling the upper cabinets first. The bottom of the upper cabinet should be set upon a one-by-four for support. Place the upper cabinets on their back on a floor or any other flat surface. Fix all the even surfaces of the cabinet with the clamps and then attach wood screws. Take care that all the surfaces are at the same level. At the back of the cabinet, there are hanging strips whose length is around one-inch. The wall stud should be inserted into the strips. Once the upper cabinets are attached to the wall, start assembling the lower cabinets. If you take out the baseboard from the lower cabinets, the task will be much easier. Begin with the construction of the base corner unit and then move on to affix other lower cabinets. When the entire frame of the kitchen cabinet has been hung, attach the doors and drawers. Then fix up the kickplates and base boards. Finally, screw the door knobs and handles and other accessories of the cabinets. Mostly, the holes for the screws are pre-drilled and you need not drill any holes.

In many cabinets, brackets are given by the manufacturer. You have to fit the brackets to the wall first using the wall studs and then the cabinets are hung onto the brackets. Now, that you know how to hang kitchen cabinets, you can start this DIY job.