In most kitchens, cabinets are attached with screws through either the drywall or plaster into the wood stud behind. An installer will first locate the stud, mark the cabinet for the screw location and then lift the cabinet in place and install the screw.
Attach the cabinets to the studs with at least two screws in each mounting rail, while attaching the cabinets to each other with at least four drywall screws. Once all cabinets are securely in place, trim off the exposed shims with a utility knife.
Installers often use glue when building unitized cabinets into place. That can make removing cabinets from the wall a little trickier, and we'll get into that further down in the How to Remove Glued Kitchen Cabinets section. If you're removing glued kitchen cabinets, you probably won't be able to reuse them.
In general, most kitchen cabinet manufacturers will use a combination of glues and screws to assemble cabinets. The screws provide extra strength to hold the cabinet together and the glue makes sure the parts stay in position and remain tight.
The cabinets should always be screwed into the studs, not just the wallboard. You may decide to cut away some of the wallboard and nail blocking in place between some studs. Replace the pieces of drywall. You don't have to finish the seams with tape and compound, as they are hidden behind the cabinets.
Traditional cabinets that lay against a supporting wall do not get attached to the floor. The only time kitchen cabinets are attached to the floor is when they are free-standing kitchen cabinets, like an island or a peninsula.
Drywall, which provides a smooth, flush wall throughout the house, is also beneficial when installed behind the stove and cabinets. While it's possible to cut and install drywall later, to fit around the cabinets after they're in place, you won't get the same professional results.
Typically, fillers are used to finish the space where an overall dimension of cabinetry is less than the overall wall dimension. Most often, fillers are used vertically at the side of a cabinet, but they can also be used horizontally as crown molding risers or trim.
Any and all kitchen cabinets must be securely attached to the wall AND leveled. If you're putting in an island, they must be securely attached to the floor! It does not matter which brand of cabinet you buy.
Putting down the floor before the cabinets makes for clearer sailing now and into the future. Treat the floors under your cabinets like a permanent installation. They should receive the same treatment as the rest of your floor. Just because they won't show doesn't mean you can cut corners.
Plywood and pocket-hole screws make for a clean, sturdy installation. It's always a good idea to have solid blocking behind drywall for fastening upper and lower cabinets.
Drill and countersink 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 cabinet screws through the holes and into the studs.
A thin bead of caulk can seal or fill that small gap between cabinets and floors in less than 30 minutes. I love a quick win, guys! This DIY works on gaps 1/4″ and smaller. If your gap is larger than a 1/4″, you should use trim first, like quarter round.
Traditionally hardwood flooring is more commonly installed prior to the cabinets and sanded and finished as one of the last steps, but with the increasing popularity of prefinished hardwood flooring the risks of damage during installation becomes greater.
Floating Floor
NO. Never install cabinets on top of floating flooring. Based on seasonal changes in humidity, the flooring material needs to expand and contract. If that can't happen, the weight of the cabinets can cause the flooring to buckle and damage the flooring's locking systems.
Although it makes drywall screws a good choice for drywall, it makes them a poor choice for hanging cabinets.
Though there is no code regarding how deep screws must penetrate studs when hanging cabinets, I'd prefer to see deeper penetration than 1 in. I usually use 2-1/2-in. to 2-3/4-in.
It goes by different names: cabinet screw, washer-head screw, washer-head cabinet screw, or button-head screw. Its large-diameter head bears down firmly on the cabinet's hanging rail, ensuring a solid installation. Attach the cabinets to the wall using No. 8 or No.
Cabinet screws, which can go by different names like washer-head screws, or button-head screws, are made for the purpose of securing kitchen wall cabinets to the wall. The larger head on a cabinet screw bears down on the cabinet's hanging strip/rail which ensures a sturdy installation.
Hang the Upper Cabinets
If it is, drive four 2½-inch deck screws (with washers) through the back of the cabinet, top and bottom, and into the studs. If it's not, slip shims between the cabinet back and the wall at the stud locations.