Kitchen Installation

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.