Kitchen installation, the most common
of the millwork installation projects.
Kitchen installation is the most common
of all types of millwork installations projects. Installing millwork
requires a good level of finishing carpentry experience and better
yet some practical knowledge of cabinet making. Having considerable
knowledge of these trades will help to understand and resolve
unforeseen problematic situations that could happen during an
installation project.
Installing millwork is a task very
difficult to improvise, the consequences of a considerable lack of
experience will show long before the project is completed, very often
with irreversible consequences and damaged materials.
Good millwork installers have the
experience gained through many kinds of installations, after working
with different types of materials, designs, finishing, they get to
know all the procedures and tricks to achieve better results in each
project.
The installation is a continuity and
final stage of the cabinet making process, that's why very high end
custom projects require properly qualify labour or the supervision
of the same cabinets makers involved in the designing and building of
the cabinets.
An updated set of drawings with all the
changes and notes will be an starting point for an installation
project. I usually request my installation drawings ahead of time to
be able to make my own installation notes and prepare for possible
unforeseen needs for the installation process.
Opening all wrapped pieces and
identifying the location of every component and cabinet before
starting to attach them is a always a secure way to proceed.
Calculating the high of the top line
for the uppers cabinets, allows us to mark the bottom line for the
uppers cabinets and double checking for proper high between counter
top and the bottom of the uppers cabinets. A minimum of 18 to 21
inches will leave room for more kitchen appliances that could sit on
the counter top of a finished kitchen without touching the light
balance, of course that distance is limited in some cases for the
ceiling high or a faulty kitchen design.
Some installer, including myself,
prefer to start installing the uppers cabinets first, that way we do
not have the base cabinets on the way and there is not chance of
damaging them while we work in top of them.
No floor, wall or ceiling can be
trusted and use as an straight line or reference to fix cabinets
together, the use of shims are a necessity in the installation.
Fillers pieces against the wall,
between cabinets or creating room in a corner help to maintain
consistence cabinets lines and create the room for doors and drawers
to open clear of obstacles.
One of the main reasons why a good
installation job can not be improvise is due to the requirement of
specialize tools to carry out such a task. Specific levelling,
drilling, nailing and cutting tools intended for this kind of
carpentry work will contribute with a professional finishing.
Identifying the lowest and highest spot
in the floor area cover for the installation will help to offset the
difference at he time for installing the base cabinets following an
straight levelled line.
Most base kitchen cabinets will include
a 4.5 inches high of toe kick space and a cabinet 30 inches high.
34.5 inches should be the rough high before counter tops and 36
inches total finished counter top high.
Toe kicks can be prepare and cut at any
time but should be done in way that can be remove to install the
rooms floor or simply install them after the floor is completed
Perfectly located and tied drilling
holes for pipes, outlets and wires are signs of a neat installation
job.
Countersinking all the attaching screws
and hidden them when possible behind the hinges and shelf's lines
help to maintain a clean finishing look inside the cabinet boxes.
Panels and gables should be scribe to
the wall to eliminate gaps between the panels and the wall due to
unplumbed walls.
The installation of the crown and light
balance mouldings will require the use of a good quality chop saw
with a fresh sharpened finishing blade to be able to obtain straight
and tied mitter joints. I keep a saw with the proper blade that I
only use to cut mitters.
Instead of regular carpenter glue I
prefer to use a profesional wood adhesive with a fast set and cure
time in my crown and light balance mitter joints, the stregnth of a
professional adhesive allows me to avoid using nails to reinforce the
joints.
The use of clamps, shims and laser
level lines allows us to fastening the cabinets boxes together
following straight leveled lines while paying attention not to force
cabinets out of square. All joints lines should be flush and
straight.
Handling and moving cabinets should
always be done with extreme care, avoiding to damage the edgebanding
edges and corners
Selecting and using the proper screw
sizes will prevent breaking through to the other side of panels and
cabinets. I use 1 inch # 8 screws for 5/8 gables and 1 1/8 # 8
screws for ¾ gables. Cabinets should be always screwed to the walls
studs or plywood blocking previously installed inside the walls for
cabinets installation. I use 2, 2.5 or 3 inches screws to attach
cabinets to the studs or blocking. Its always a good idea to be aware
of a shower, bathroom or laundry room in the other side of the wall
in order to be carefull about water lines running inside the walls
when we are screwing the cabinets in.
Adopting the habit of blowing out clean
all the drawers sliders before inserting the drawers back into the
cabinets will prevent the saw dust or dirt from getting inside the
sliders and intering with the proper functioning of the tracks.
Lining up and adjusting all doors and
drawers faces is maybe one of the last things to do before completing
the installation. Drawers faces should always be line up before
drilling holes for the handles installation.
Installing the doors and drawers
handles should be done with extreme care, paying attention to
consistency and symetry.
Every type of millwork installation has
its own unique particularity and details but from the simplest to the
most elaborated and complex, all demand the same concentration and
use of the carpenters knowlegde at every step of the installation
project.
Having the use of the proper scaffold
allowed me to set up the miter saw on top of the platform and turn
this task into a one man project.
