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Trim Specialties Inc |
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Cabinet installation page 5 |
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As I am installing the upper cabinets I will check each one with a level placed vertically on the face of the cabinet to see if it is plumb. I will add a shim behind the cabinet on the studs as needed to bring the cabinet back to plumb. Once a section of upper cabinets are installed I will check them with a straight edge to make sure they are flat. This is a very important step if the cabinets will be getting crown molding at the top as it will not want to bend in to fit the cabinets if they are not flat.
These
cabinets need some special considerations. Typically they are as deep as the base cabinets and as wide as the refrigerator.
This creates a cabinet that is quite heavy and much of that weight is toward the front because of the doors. I t is not safe
to install these cabinets to the rear wall only. To be secured properly it must be fastened to each side as well. If it is
in a corner with no upper wall cabinet on one side it needs a refrigerator panel on the open side. A refrigerator panel is
a decorative panel that is full depth and height. It will sometimes have filler attached to the front or it might just have
a finished edge. If there is no wall or cabinet on either side of the refrigerator it needs a panel on each side. These panels
add plenty of support and hide the side of the refrigerator as well. Appliance openings For
spaces that will be left open for appliances like dishwashers, trash compactors, ice machines, wine chillers etc. it is important
to keep the opening at the right opening. I check the specifications on the appliance involved and cut a couple pieces of
scrap wood the width the opening needs to be. I clamp them in the opening one at the top and one at the bottom to hold the
cabinets in place until all the cabinets are installed. If the cabinets on each side of the opening are big enough not to
move afterwards I will remove them when I am done. If the opening has a cabinet smaller than 12” on one side or a decorative
end panel I will cut a piece of wood the appropriate length and tack it in place a couple inches back from the front with
my brad nail gun. This will keep the opening right until the countertop is installed, which will keep it in place.
If I am ending a run of cabinets with a cabinet that will be against the wall and will need to have a piece of filler added between the cabinet and the wall. I will install the cabinet before I add the filler because it can be difficult to wrestle it in place if it is too tight and not damage the previously installed cabinet or the wall. I will measure the gap to be filled and find the widest point; lets say it is 1 ¼”. I take a piece of filler with masking tape applied and attach it flat to the face frame against the wall with a pair of squeeze clamps. I make sure the filler is straight with the cabinet and not the wall, and mark my 1 ¼” on the filler making sure I start the measurement from the cabinet side. I need to make this measurement at the same point where the gap was at the widest point. I then take my compass scribe and set it at the mark coming from the wall side. I can then mark the width of the filler with the scribe and it will give me a line that will correspond with the shape of the gap to be filled. If there is a lot of material to remove on the filler I will first rip it on the table saw to within 1/8” and then sand it to the line with a belt sander beveling it so I take a little more wood off the back, this will help make it tight against the wall. I will leave just a little bit of the line so when I slide it in it will wedge in tight to the wall. Once all the cabinets are installed I will put the cabinet shelves in and replace all the doors. I then adjust all the doors and drawers for a uniform fit. Good European hinges will have three points of adjustment making it easier to dial them in to the proper position. I won’t install any cabinet knobs at this point so they won’t get in the way of the trades that will follow.
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