# Have You Installed Your Own Cabinets?



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

That really depends on the DIYer's experience and ability to follow instruction.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Does this include designing and fabricating for custom spaces?

Done that decades ago, in another stage of my life.



Yes, as he said it depends on the persons abilities.

In the past year, I bought 2 small kits to add a bit more handicap accessible space to my place, I assembled them while recuperating from my amputation, The hardest part was doing the heavy lifting while supported with just one leg. 

But I got-er-done. :vs_laugh:

Luckily I have a large carpeted area, just right for an old man to crawl around on, and kit build these. 

Anyone with dedication, and ability can do it.


ED


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Our first kitchen remodel before the one we currently have,
we bought the cabinets from a lumber yard and then installed
them. The installation was the easy part.
They only reason it was annoying is because we put in a 
mud job ceramic tile floor that took several days,
so everything had to be moved to the living room,
The fridge, microwave, hot plate, table and chairs etc...
all the stuff from the cabinets in boxes. For an obsessively neat
person (me) it was stressful. Throw in three kids and a dog
and it was a nightmare. 

The next new kitchen about eleven years ago, we made the cabinets
and installed them quickly, not too much interruption, the longest
wait was for the granite...other than that, it was fairly painless.


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## chiraldude (Nov 16, 2013)

The biggest issue for me was the total time the kitchen was offline. Having a crew vs working alone makes a big difference. 
Also, get the measurements 100% right before you start. Having to stop part way because one of the cabinets is the wrong size really bites!


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I've done it twice. I think the cabinets went in quicker than I expected. The hard part is all the prep work, and of course not having a kitchen. Since mine was part of a bigger kitchen renovation, I'd already installed a temporary kitchen in a back room, so I had the luxury of time.

Probably the biggest challenge for me was that in my old house, nothing is plumb, level, square or true. I had to make a lot of compromises, not to mention very careful measurements. But I'm very happy with the result.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I built and installed the cabinets in our kitchen and installed a store bought vanity in our full bath. I've also installed reclaimed cabinets out in my shop. IMO it was all somewhat easy. I think the main thing is paying attention that everything is level/plumb.


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## Rough Rooster (Feb 7, 2015)

I build and install my cabinets. Not a biggie.
Several years ago I made cabinets and a 3' X 8' roll around island for my church. I was a one man committee, so I chose the laminate counter top that looked as though it had various splotches of spilled coffee. Got a lot of comments about that. Told them it saved on cleaning as it was already stained looking. :devil3::devil3:

Just take your time and go slow. Last cabinets I built I hired a man and told him all he was to do was help feed the red oak plywood through tablesaw. 
If he kept me from screwing up one of those sheets he had made his wages for the day. :wink2:

RR :smile::smile:


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## spitz1234 (Jan 1, 2019)

Installed my own was kind of a pain as the wall were not square or plumb turned out good. Ordered from Home Depot









Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

Cabinet install wasn't especially hard with some shims, a screw gun, a level, and a helper to hold them while you screw them to the wall. 

I do think you have to be a little knowledgeable about what's in your wall though, like we had to be extra careful on one wall because there's pipes and wires going through the wall studs that we could have hit with the cabinet screws.

I'd also say it's usually not just cabinets. When you're designing your own layout you're likely to want to move fridges, sinks, ranges, and dishwashers which can effect both the plumbing and electrical (which a lot of places you have to have those things professionally done - adding cost, time, and sometimes permitting to the project.) 

If you're just replacing the existing cabinets it's fairly easy, so long as you can find the right size replacements - though frankly, at that point, unless you absolutely love every little thing about the current kitchen layout, I'd say it's worth starting from scratch and laying everything out exactly the way you want.

----

I designed my kitchen from the ground up and made a few mistakes, mostly in putting specific cabinets too close to walls - like my 36" fold out pantry unit would be even better if I had another inch or two from the side wall, etc.

There's also some stuff folks might not think of that really needs to be considered. The fridge door & countertop "intersection" for example - while I did plan an easement in the countertop for the fridge door, I do wish I'd pulled the fridge out so the door cleared the countertop entirely (so I could open it fully - it's a total pain to get the shelves out for cleaning when the door can only open 90 degrees, I have to remove all the door bins and do some fiddling to get the shelves out.):







Unfortunately, because the side panel slots into the fridge bezel and because I had the backsplash professionally installed, I can't fix the error without buying a whole new side panel and having the countertop folks come back and reinstall the backsplash:








Also, have to watch how close you're pulling cabinets to walls - I wish I'd spent the extra $500 for the pull-out unit here. I have rubber bumpers on the wall to stop the cabinet doors from getting dented - oh sure, I painted the bumpers, but they're still ugly :vs_laugh:








Then there's little stuff like here. While I did plan a spacer/gap in the corner:







but I never even once considered this:







Totally dodged a bullet, luckily my cabinet doors just so happen to be offset enough to not tangle up in each others handles.


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## SHansen56 (Feb 16, 2019)

Nearing completion of my second kitchen remodel. The first was pretty straight forward. Just new store bought cabinets. And formica counter tops. Some challenges with getting everything straight and true. And one corner of my counter top never had a nice tight fit. My current reno are with cabinets that were custom built which I installed. This remodel presented a series of challenges since I gutted the kitchen to the studs. The only things I didn't do was the new sheetrock install. I had a contractor do that and do the taping and first coat of mud. I did the rest. And I had a company install the granite counter tops. This remodel was started in late August. And we didn't have a working sink until a few weeks ago. With my work schedule I could only devote a few hours a day. And all day Sunday. I think that this helped me to not over rush the process. I also lost almost a month because my mom fell ill, a stroke, then passed. So I was out of state for 10 days. Working on a 125 year old home has its issues. Some of which caused me to rethink my plans. Like crown molding all the way around the kitchen was more then I could figure out. Just installing that around the cabinets called for some creative use of drawing the molding into the wall. Then learning that caulk can be your best friend! This was my first go at tiles. And I bought marble subway tiles. Which I learned after the fact that they are a little harder to work with.


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## Profkanz (Oct 16, 2018)

Many years (40 or so) ago when I was younger and poorer, I built new cabinet cases from 3/4 plywood, face frames from pine that were veneered with iron-on oak, and solid 1x12 oak slab doors. Also drawers built with 1/2 inch plywood. Then added 2 layers of 3/4 plywood glued and screwed together (this was before the days of cementitious tile backer) for a counter top tiled with floor quality porcelain tiles. Four decades later those cabinets and counter top are still in daily use as one of my sons and his family now live there.


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## CEFreeman (May 19, 2016)

Imagine a home pretty much gutted by fire. 
A destitute chick rebuilding by herself, teaching herself to use her (now-ex) husband's three generations' worth of tools he left behind when he couldn't hang. 

Now picture cabinets balanced on drywall buckets and boards (got pics of this), her standing on the counter top, pressing her head against the ceiling for leverage and screwing them in. BTW. Buckets were necessary 'cause I, er, ah, SHE couldn't get a ledger board in level to save her life. 

Done. Easy Peasy.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

If removing your old cabinets, getting some free ones to replace the ones you destroyed while removing the old ones, using some of the free ones to build an island in the kitchen, cleaning and painting all the cabinets, reinstall the cabinets, realizing you want the uppers moved up, replacing one of the old uppers with a new upper because it is bigger, meets your criteria, then yes, I guess I have. 

Would I do it all again? Depends on my budget. I would rather replace with better quality cabinets than what is there. Still thinking about it. 

Would I install my own cabinets? Heck yes. 

I have installed RTA cabinets, big-box cabinets, semi-custom cabinets. And, full custom cabinets that I bought from a used cabinet store.


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

Is installing cabinets a DIY project? Could be, Could not be. If you run in to problems, how good are your recognizing there is a problem skills? Then how good are your carpentry and figuring out skills to correct the problem?

Besides what was mentioned above, Is the floor level, walls straight, ceiling level, plumbing correct and in place, insulating the walls, adding electrical outlets double to quad, under cabinet LED, do you need to shim under the cabinets, is the floor and sub rotted, are the screws going in straight, have a drill guide, pre-drill holes, consider gluing drill blocks or strips on the back of tops of cabinets and at times drill blocks between base cabinets, are there stove hood ducts in the way, replacing sink shut off valves, moving pipes in the wall. It can be simple, it can be complicated.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

^^ Existing walls & ceilings & floors are /never/ straight or plumb :vs_smirk:

Buy shims!


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

My son owns a lot of property so I have done many kitchens and baths for him. I learned to do upper cabinets first so I don’t have to work over lower cabinets.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Old Thomas said:


> My son owns a lot of property so I have done many kitchens and baths for him. I learned to do upper cabinets first so I don’t have to work over lower cabinets.


Then if you are tall enough you bang your head installing the lower ones.

Done that too much.


ED


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I still think hanging the uppers first is best. Don't like reaching over the base cabinets to place and secure the uppers.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

mark sr said:


> I still think hanging the uppers first is best. Don't like reaching over the base cabinets to place and secure the uppers.


It's the old conundrum, 6 of one, a half dozen of the other.

Whichever way is best at that time is my choice, but usually the uppers are first, due to the reaching over the lower, plus the weight is easier to lift, when you can stand directly under the load. 

ED


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

It's also easier to set a prop under the uppers when there isn't a cabinet in the way [with no top]


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

Bought some books, bought home plans from an architect, contracted for a hole in the ground and a foundation, took a couple of months off from my real job in an office July 1 and started framing. 35 years back, Somewhere in our photo stash is a pix of my wife in her work boots, tool belt and bikini carrying a 16’ two bye ten for the first floor joists! skil saw and hammer. Moved in week before thanksgiving (cold in MA) no heat except for kerosene heater, plywood floors, stud walls, kitchen sink in a sheet of plywood, one working bathroom, couple of electrical outlets and a microwave! 20+ people for t-giving dinner! WeDID eventually replace the plywood counter which was on sawhorses with real cabinets....which we purchased and had delivered. I installed along with Formica counter tops and a three bye seven kitchen island. So, long story short, the answer to your question is really what will your wife put up with....and for how long?.


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