Quick Tip For Installing Upper Cabinets

Here’s a quick tip that makes installing heavy upper cabinets a lot easier.
I level a 2x4 and screw it to the wall directly below where the upper cabinets will sit to create a ledger.
I transfer and mark the location of the receptacle to the 2x4 - along with marking out the location of the wall studs.
Now I measure from the right-side edge and transfer them onto the cabinet.
I use my multi-tool to cut out for the receptacle.
Then I start screws at the stud measurements at the bottom and top of the cabinet.
This way I’m not scrambling to start screws while the cabinet is being held against the wall.
Often, it’s just my wife and I installing cabinets, and this makes the job go smoother because we don’t have to support the weight of the entire cabinet.
You just push it against the wall and the ledger does the work.
Now I can hear everyone in the comments saying you put screw holes in the wall below your cabinet, but the nice thing is the tile backsplash covers it up.
We’re thankful for all of you that watch our videos- if you haven’t yet subscribed please consider doing so. ‪@hausplans‬
#build #howto #cabinet #construction #carpentry #diy #contractor #tips

[@Lucas-pv2wn]

This is a great way to do it. If it's a new build, I think it's nice to add 2x6 blocking between the studs where your cabinets will go, to give you solid wood to screw into, no matter where the cabinets sit.

[@hausplans]

👍

[@JOIHIINI]

What I do is I recess that 1/4 plywood insert for the cabinet back paneliwhen building the cabinet in by 5/8s then use strapping behind it so that I can screw the strapping in behind the cabinet then I get a secure piece to attach the cabinet into regardless of the location of studs, that way you get the same effect but don't have to open the wall up to put blocking

[@waltermontoya8212]

Having a 2 x 6 between each what's the helps to actually be able to make it more maneuverable if you decide to move the cabinets a little bit to the left or right if you have to adjust or accommodate for a change in the interim

[@bogpic]

I do this in bathrooms as well for towel rods. Just use scraps and put anywhere a rod could go just in case the home owner wants it moved.

[@BigDaddysYouTube]

Great job. Even if a tile backsplash was not going to be used, screw holes in sheet rock are very easy to fix.

[@hausplans]

True

[@sabemoistowellette5341]

A fam that works together says together, God Bless😊

[@hausplans]

Yes they do

[@davidrasmussen2975]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing. Work safe.

[@AF-ze5kq]

Secrets of the trade by the man who keeps writing the book

[@alandeltoro6437]

I’m always willing to take a page out of another craft man or woman’s book. Knowledge is power.

[@chrisanthony579]

Experienced and formally trained carpenters tend to hid the fasteners, like inside the cabinet. Careful where you choose to get your knowledge from. I like this guy but I'm pretty sure he's on the younger side and mostly self taught, didn't go to school or worked in an apprentice program.

[@joehannock761]

That's the way I always did it. Did many a kitchen solo over the years. Even if there's not going to be a backsplash. A little spackle will dry while you install the base cabinets. Good job.

[@hausplans]

👍👍

[@ProjectExMachina]

Further more, for my usage, I would leave that plank on the wall - it would be super useful for when you want to attach things to the wall without damaging anything

[@wodenswheelgun3278]

I like recessing 1x4 furring strips in the drywall behind where the cabinets mount. No more worries for where the studs land and ending up with only one side of a cabinet being securely fastened.

[@Donvon2.0]

Thats actually purdy smart.

[@hausplans]

👍👍

[@brandonulizzi3081]

This is a great example of a fantastic carpenter, there’s always a way to do it just gotta think smarter not harder

[@draketracy6969]

Good work, this was my method for a very long time. Now using jacks makes job way quicker. 🎉

[@hausplans]

👍

[@vatococina1248]

That's not a quick tip that's sharing your wisdom, thank you.❤

[@hausplans]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@JimDean002]

I've many cabinets that way. It takes a little bit of prep but it really works. It's great if you have a long run and you have a perfectly straight 2x that you can run along the wall. It makes it extremely simple to put the cabinets up and keep them even

[@hausplans]

👍

[@germanarellano5119]

Excellent finish bro. I normally utilize plywood where the cabinets will be installed it saves me lots of time when installing cabinets because I don't have to search for a stud

[@bikeman9419]

I’ve used a piece of matching molding for my cleat and just left it there, looks good.

[@hausplans]

👍

[@brookelord3448]

That's a great idea.

[@beardedbdub426]

I was looking to see if anyone posted this first. I do the same thing 👍

[@Tool_Addicted_Carpenter]

I always use 1x4 cleats because I dont trust 2x but never thought to transfer my outlets right to it! Great tip sir, thank you.

[@mogibly9430]

Daaaang!!! Such a good idea!!! I'm gonna be buying a new house soon and plan on re-doing everything this is such a huge help. Thank you!

[@dustinpomeroy8817]

I was taught by a union guy to snap a line for the top cabinet height.Than you lay your cabinets out on that line than you drive a finish nail on the line according to the lay out of the cabinets.From there you can just shove the cabinets up to the nails.

[@TheTraumaFactor]

This guy is one of the best, if not THE best freaking channel on youtube in this category. TEACH ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!

[@cheeseheadfiddle]

That’s exactly my routine. Only addition is I make a prop that is like 1/2” longer than floor to the top of the ledger. I push the cab up on the ledger then put the prop under the front edge. It sits there happy while I fasten it.

[@hausplans]

Smart

[@bikerbobschoppers]

Great job pre drilled holes in the cabinets work great.

[@nofrickinwayRW]

❤thank you! I'm going to add a cheap upper cabinet and was wondering how to do this by myself. Thanks 🙏👍

[@hausplans]

Glad it was helpful!

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

Yep, always pays to work smarter and not harder. Thanks for sharing.

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@SLP828]

My husband and I did our kitchen together too. I like the herringbone backsplash and color.

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@travisdoe4663]

If you're in a situation were you don't want to put holes in the sheetrock, you can just build a little frame out of 3. 2 x 4's one cross member and 2 support legs going to the floor or the cabinet below it. There's a little bit more balancing involved but the 2x4s will hold the weight while you put it in the screws.

[@hausplans]

That’s a great point! I’ve seen I’ve seen Cabinet shops do that very thing.

[@dubeen]

Love this channel keep doing what your doing and I’ll keep watching

[@hausplans]

Thanks so much!

[@iglopez63D]

That looks very nice!

[@bmw1617]

That’s what you do, when you know the basics and applied it correctly 😊 with no shortcuts 💪😎

[@steveanderson4768]

Hey, I did the exact same thing trimming out new construction I just used a piece of baseboard, 6 foot level and once you find the first dog personally, I use the trim gun popped it off called it a day

[@RiminiVirage]

Brilliant work, great advice.

[@hausplans]

Thank you!

[@JasonSmith-qx3zh]

Backsplash is on point really nice!

[@hausplans]

Thanks so much, Mrs. Haus Plans gets the credit for that!

[@zombieapocalypsecherokee9224]

You need and install driver Milwaukee makes a nice one. I have a Bosch and i find it to be a must have especially for cabinets.

[@hausplans]

👍

[@Justmyopinion_305]

This is the best way to get work done in my opinion.

[@hausplans]

👍🦺

[@Bluejayount1]

Cabinet jacks are my best friend

[@bateens5733]

Hey I did the same with my kitchen, it made the process soo much easier working by myself

[@hausplans]

Smart

[@inspiringbuilds]

I add blocking anywhere in the house I know something heavy will be hung when doing a new build. This is however the way I do it as well for existing builds and it makes it simple and accurate. 👍

[@tuko99xtheugly56]

Excellent advice, thank you.

[@triviagray3731]

That's smart to prescrew...I will do that next time

[@SRTnotforeignthewin]

This tip is much appreciated!!!!

[@MrDougiefresh69]

Good work, I do similar work and we thought we were doing good by putting the screws in top and bottom of cabinet like you did, thought the job was going fantastic until the customer sat at their couch and noticed all the screws at the bottom of the upper cabinets, everyone is different I guess.

[@hausplans]

👍

[@uuuultra]

They make Dap for a reason

[@dustinpomeroy8817]

Yeah,no ,you always put the screws inside the cabinets

[@MrDougiefresh69]

@@uuuultraThere is a saying that goes with that also. Caulk and paint make a carpenter what he ain’t.

[@tappinthatbassfishing]

I like how that cabinet was coming apart when you screwed it in

[@anthonycaldwell8473]

That's pretty good way if the base cabinets are already installed. I do wall units first and use what we call 3rd hands. 3 poles that are adjustable by hand quickly.

[@ryangodard7179]

Gotta love holding the weight when she’s fumbling for the screws 😂 aha good fix

[@Javyjavy-un2oo]

Nice job it looks PERRON.

[@BrotherCreamy]

We just used a stool as the "reference height", and so installing the upper cabinets was as simple as placing the stool on the bench then placing the cabinet on top... no balancing required.

[@MGKoshgarian]

That’s some fine work.

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@timdermane]

Good job I’m proud of you❤❤

[@spocksvulcanbrain]

Great information. One thing. You do NOT need a huge 2x4 for this. ANY 1 x 2 or similar would work. Even a 1/2 x 2 would do just fine. Basically anything that is straight (wood, metal, plastic). The reason is that once you attach the board to the wall, the cabinets will exert a sheer force on the board. That is incredibly difficult to overcome. It's the screws that are providing that support so just make sure the screws are of sufficient heft.

[@JM-iz3fr]

They make simple lifts that you hand crank to lift your heavy cabinets in place, very simple, compact and one person can do the installation!

[@johnbeckwith1361]

That's how I do it. But I use a kick stick to hold them against the wall... am a one man show :) Also, I put a lazer level on the outlet, then put wall cab in place, trace a line over the lazer line, remove cab and cut the line. Perfect hole cuts every time.

[@Levixm]

I do the same thing! Learned it from the guy I did my apprenticeship with!

[@hausplans]

Nice!

[@warrentopping4442]

Nice clean install!

[@hausplans]

Thanks!

[@anti1987]

Just cut spacer blocks and set them on the lower cabinet and do the same thing. You don’t need to screw things to the wall when you can draw a line and cut sticks to the height.

[@aaronhigareda1516]

Nice work Braaaaah Looks great

[@hausplans]

👍

[@alextheonewarrior]

As a carpenter that frequently does cabinet installation, this is exactly how we do it when we're working alone. Except we usually try to use 4 washerhead screws in each cabinet with more than 2 inches of wood around it, otherwise it may split out or not hold weight properly. We also never have that bar on the bottom, it's usually ugly and adds less support. Tile floated up to the bottom is much stronger, the screws are all inside the cabinets, and there isnt just a tacky wood filler in the back. The french cleat thing another commenter talked about sounds super tedious and annoying and its a good way to get out of level cabinets. Predrilling holes is always a good idea as well, except we use a laser line to get accurate measurements. I prefer using an oversized hole so the cabinet doesn't kick off the wall, we use washer screws (from fastcap) for that reason. And those washer screws also get easily covered with fast caps. (The screw sticker itself)

[@hausplans]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@shonnellYouCantHandlethetruth]

Hey Alex I have a small basement and wa t try and install cabinets by myself. I have done it. Looking for some sort of cabinet warehouse

[@jasonellis1793]

Cabinet installer guy I used to help once in a while made some jack and just jacked the cabinet up to the laser line then screwed it right in.

[@hausplans]

Smarter

[@mcadoohouse3549]

Thats good work brother. And good game. Thanks

[@LongtowerNyc]

Thank you sooooo much for this tip.

[@hausplans]

Thanks for watching

[@heavi-armed-infadel]

Perfect example of 'work smarter, not harder' ;-)

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@odalv316]

I have a preference for Ikea cabinets because they come with a rail. The installation process involves attaching the rail and subsequently placing the cabinets onto the wall.

[@ariwalters520]

Great installation 👍🏼

[@hausplans]

Thanks! 👍

[@l4_mecad473]

That saves a lot of back pain 😅 for the second guy holding the gabinete

[@andrewwalley9589]

Looks great!

[@dontspeak2994]

Oscillating tool is one of the best tools

[@hausplans]

Totally agree

[@patconner2638]

I usually spring for a French cleat, but this'd work great for when ya can't afford the extra 3/4" off the wall

[@davidcarter9211]

You need the m12 installation tool with the offset head. Make your drilling and fastening easier.

[@hausplans]

👍

[@edwardcadena511]

Yup been doing it that way for years 👍

[@izzyc.4746]

Just subscribed love the work

[@hausplans]

Thanks so much

[@F4collector]

Great advice

[@amac4170]

I like also using the 3rd hand from fastcap, and am interested in powered suction cups.

[@hausplans]

The suction cups are cool

[@dreams_from_another_life]

If ur not putting a backsplash just use a 1x and 18ga nails with blue tape on the drywall first the little holes they leave can be covered easy, thats how ive done it 3 nails per stud n it’ll hold what ever u sit on it

[@waynecharlton954]

In the uk you could do it this way that's if the room is a studded wall in the 🇬🇧 the walls are sometimes brickwork

[@fishhuntadventure]

I’ve made cabinets from scratch and installed who knows how many manufactured kitchens. (And bath cabs) That’s a good idea but I prefer my screw jacks and a drill-powered old car jack. I do the bases first and set in a plank, use the jacks off of that. Plus if you’ve had to level the lowers you can just set the uppers to them without having to compensate anything.

[@hausplans]

👍👍

[@wakawaka1976]

Great way to create extra hands and ensure levelness

[@michaelrobinson4677]

Great tip!!

[@bigbuck2720]

Only thing I would change is using black screws with those dark cabinets, just did a kitchen same way makes it easy

[@MaydaysCustomWoodworks]

Not bad! I'm a cabinet engineer. If you ever get into CNC machining, then you have more flexibility. I have a blind nailer in back of my cabinets with a rabbet on it and then I have concealed upper hangers. Works like a French cleat that you dont have to remove. It completely supports the weight of the cabinets and you can slide it left and right on the cleat to get a perfectly consistent scribe or filler width on the right and left (if the cabinets are between 2 wall ends)

[@hausplans]

👍

[@mitchellmartinez7161]

Good job that's the best way to do it

[@hausplans]

👍

[@jeffmilner-nt9si]

Nice work.

[@hausplans]

Thanks!

[@dw6410]

Good job brother well done

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@KenBlankenship-v2r]

Try a story stick next time it’ll really help speed things up even more

[@bradlk623]

Great kitchen…..thank you

[@threefive2954]

Great work!

[@hausplans]

Thanks!

[@matthewkuhns9297]

Damn that’s a good tip, and fuck it everyone’s gettin back slash from here on out if it means I don’t have to balance cabinets off the back of my neck anymore

[@rickbabcock6397]

Good job ,the only thing that seems like asmall problem is how do you slid shims behind the cabinets to plumb them off the wall

[@hausplans]

The ledger would make that tricky. You’d have to put them in place before setting the cabinet up.

[@uuuultra]

You don't. All that matters is that they are level

[@creature_of_the_undergroun261]

Nice job

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@arnolddumm]

I would say that if you do something after thinking about the pros and cons and are okay with both then you made the right decision. The problem would be if you didn't think it through before you started

[@WandaJordan-lw4un]

Wow. Wow. Wow beautiful

[@hausplans]

👍

[@soulacoustic9235]

If you're doing a fair bit of these you could also invest in a telescopic cabinet levelling system😊

[@johnscerbo130]

Great idea

[@hausplans]

Thank you! 😊

[@dabeast7404]

Great job!!

[@hausplans]

Thank you!

[@dabeast7404]

@@hausplans Very welcome!

[@DanielDelgado-l1n]

Good job bro....

[@jeromegarcia5396]

Sink next to the frig is kinda funky layout 🤔

[@hausplans]

Yeah, it’s just a little kitchenette for a break room at an auto body shop

[@jeromegarcia5396]

@@hausplans ahhh makes sense now 👍🏼

[@tovarseasycleaning]

Love it! Great job!

[@hausplans]

Thanks so much!

[@quailhunter9343]

Very nice good job sir thank you

[@hausplans]

👍😊

[@nineteen70six]

The problem I have with the ledger is not being able to shim behind cabinets and when you torque the screw the corners pull apart and show the non painted part in the seam, like it did in this video.

[@skinlab4239]

Run your back splash behind the fridge a couple rows on the top and side

[@devingimple]

Nice to know, I’m not the only one that calls that a multitool

[@hausplans]

🦺👍👍

[@HolyEyeWasHere]

Very nice! 👏

[@hausplans]

Thanks

[@kendean4278]

Well done. I’ve installed a few hundred in my time

[@hausplans]

👍

[@danparker1976]

ive installed a few thousand..ive never uses this method but we are a 2 man team..we set all the base cabinets first thn we take 2 pieces of scrap 3/4 plywood and cut them 20 and1/4 and put our uppers on those scrap piece and then screw them in..we obviously screw our face frames together as well..if its a bank of cabinets we put them together then install them all together..we usually install a set of cabinets and all the trim in a few hrs

[@obrapro]

Good tip

[@hausplans]

👍