How to Install Wall Cabinets

The most important step in how to hang a cabinet on the wall is to gather your tools and materials. Wall cabinets are heavy, so everything should be nearby and at the ready. This list is not exhaustive, so read any instructions beforehand and understand your specific project.

Tools:

• Cordless drill
• Laser level/level
• Measuring tape
• Pencil or item for marking
• Stud finder
• Chalk line
• Clamp
• Hammer or mallet
• Utility knife
• Brad nail gun
• Step ladder

Materials:

• Washer head cabinet mounting screws
• Wood screws
• Shims
• Strips of moulding
• Filler strips
• Putty
• Touch-up/repair kit
• Crown moulding
• Cabinet hardware

Before mounting a cabinet, make a plan and prep the area. Here are a few things to start the process of how to hang cabinets.

• First, locate the highest point in your floor using your level. Then, using your tape measure, measure up from the floor about 48-inches and use a pencil to mark. Using your laser level, trace a line along the wall.
• Next, outline where the first cabinet will hang. Start with the corner cabinet and measure up from the line you drew to the height of the cabinet.
• Label the location of the kitchen wall cabinets and appliances on the wall. Draw a vertical line to line up the edge of the first cabinet to be installed.
• Use a stud finder to find the studs you'll use and mark their locations with painter's tape.

Tip: A general rule to follow when determining the best height to mount a cabinet is to keep it 8- or 9-feet high. This means they should be hung so that the bottom edge is 54-inches from the ground.

Installing upper cabinets starts with answering the question: How are kitchen cabinets attached to the wall? Typically, this is done by using a stud finder to locate studs and by drilling wood screws through drywall to attach the cabinet.
This creates a temporary ledger during installation. The ledger becomes the level line, the cabinet sits on it as a support, and it is removed afterward.

• Begin this process by using the laser level to create a line that runs the bottom length of the cabinets.
• Temporarily drive a couple of long screws into the studs along the line, marking the bottom of the upper kitchen cabinets to help support them while you're installing.

Tip: Consider removing drawers and taking doors and hardware off of cabinets prior to install to prevent damage.

• Place the corner wall cabinet on the screws or ledger. If the cabinet isn't plumb, slip shims between the cabinet and wall at the stud lines and adjust as necessary.
• Drill two holes in each of the mounting rails inside the cabinet. Then drive 2 1/2-inch washer head cabinet screws through the holes.
• Check to make sure the cabinet is level front-to-back as well as side-to-side.

Tip: Whether installing ready-to-assemble or custom cabinets, be sure to check measurements prior to hanging.

• One of the most important parts of learning how to hang cabinets is having a helper lift and support your kitchen cabinets.
• With a helper, rest the neighboring cabinet on the screw or ledger. Line up the front with the cabinet you just installed.
• Clamp the two wall cabinets together. Check for level and plumb, and shim between the wall and cabinet as necessary.

• On frameless cabinets, drill the holes for connectors. Screw the cabinets together.

• On framed cabinets, drill holes for trim head screws in the recesses for the hinges to hide them.

• Drill two pilot holes through each of the mounting rails, centering the holes over the studs. On some wall cabinets, the mounting rails are inside the cabinet. On others, they are hidden in back.
• Drive 2 1/2-inch washer head cabinet screws through the holes and into the studs.

• Hang the rest of the cabinets the way you hung the first ones, checking for level and plumb as you go.
• Once you've reached the end, you may need to install an end panel to cover any exposed sides.
• Once all the wall cabinets are in place, remove the ledger screws or holding screws you initially installed.
• Trim any visible shims flush with the cabinet using a utility knife.

• If you have a slight gap between the back of the last cabinet and the wall, cover it with a strip of moulding.
• Cut a piece as long as the cabinet. Stain and finish it to match.
• Nail it in place with a brad gun and fill the holes with a putty made by the cabinet manufacturer to match the cabinet finish.
• If you have a gap between the side of the cabinet and an end wall or appliance, cut a filler strip to close it. The cabinet manufacturer usually sells these strips.
• Scribe the strip with a compass and cut along the line with a jig saw.
• Slip the filler strip in place and attach it with drywall screws.
• You may need to stain or paint the filler strip to match the cabinets. Be sure to use a touch-up kit for any issues.

• Crown moulding is a decorative piece that connects two wall cabinets above a sink.
• Have someone help you hold the crown in position.
• Using a brad nailer, attach the crown to the cabinet with brad nails.

When you measure the cabinets you want to install, you may discover they aren’t wide enough to reach two or more studs in the wall. This might happen in projects in small spaces, including laundry cabinets and bathroom vanities. The process for how to hang a cabinet on the wall may need to be expanded in this case. Consider reinforcing the cabinets by attaching two screws into the stud. You can also anchor the cabinet to the drywall using French cleats or toggle screws, but only if you also secure it to a stud. Heavy cabinetry shouldn’t be attached solely to drywall.

After everything is installed, reattach any cabinet doors you removed. Whether they’re the kind of doors that go on top of the frame or the ones that are set inside the frame, you will need to be sure they are aligned properly. They’ll either need to be horizontally and perpendicularly level, or they’ll need to be flush within the frame. Realign the cabinet hinges if necessary to get the right fit for the doors. Reinstall any drawers you removed as well. The drawer slides should already be aligned properly, but adjust them if they aren’t.

The final installation step for many cabinets is adding drawer pulls, cabinet knobs or handles if they aren't already attached. If you aren’t exactly sure where you want them, use putty to temporarily adhere hardware to the doors. You can also use the top of the door rail as a guide for cabinet hardware placement. Once you’re happy with their locations, attach them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Now that you’ve finished installing your cabinets, take some extra time to double-check your work. Mounting a cabinet properly includes making sure it looks nice and that the finished product is safe.

Push the cabinets lightly to test their attachments to the wall. The cabinets should feel stable and strong at every point of connection.

Additionally, make sure the cabinets are level. If they aren’t, determine where any slanting occurs. You’ll need to loosen screws or other wall attachments and put in shims. Tighten the screws a little at a time until the shims correct the cabinet’s horizontal orientation. Once you’ve tightened everything, making small corrections as needed, do a final check with the level.