The Age Old Wisdom to Perfect Cabinet Handle Locations

Everything you need to know about where to put you handles on your cabinets!
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Can’t thank you enough for watching!

[@terryhanson5525]

Thanks for the tips . . Watching this saved us from installing the incorrect handles . . Thanks again - keep the videos coming

[@conradcoolerfiend]

good tip with the viewing perspective. My takeaway from this video: demo the handle locations with sticky tack and look at it from all angles to ensure you're happy with the look before drilling. The perspectives IRL are different than what's mathematically "centered", and what looks good for one handle might look off for a different one

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Excellent take away!

[@csimet]

Good tips. My top row of drawers are slab and the lowers are all framed, so I went center mounted on the top and placed the handles on the top rail of the lower drawers. My door/drawer rail and stiles are on the thicker side (2 -1/2"). If I had mounted them centered like the top, then the handles would have been on the inset panel and pushed back, not line up when viewed from the side. It also makes them a bit easier to reach and looks nice since all framed doors and drawers have their handles located on the rail or stile of the frames (besides providing a more ridged location to mount).

[@amandabrown9940]

Thanks for pointing out all these little nuances. I was a drafter for a cabinet company and I can’t tell you how many times I had to explain to clients why we needed their handle specs now instead of later on in the project.

[@RB-hj7qc]

Perfect timing for me and very helpful. Just getting ready to buy some handles and was thinking of where to put them.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Awesome, hopefully some of the advice helps!

[@RB-hj7qc]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Definitely did. Decided to user your favorite placement for the drawer handles. Never would have thought of it myself.I can be one of those indecisive people :-).

[@RussoRich11]

Best video I've seen on explaining where to locate handles and why!

[@KatSchlitz]

Wow those vertical handles on all faces, so beautiful! Thank you for this video, great stuff.

[@andrewmiller4818]

This is like the fifth time in the last year that you have posted a video at the same time as i was starting that project. My wife just bought knobs for all of our kitchen cabinets this weekend and this is extremely helpful. Thank you for all of your insights.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Perfect! Let me know if you have any questions.

[@oweeyulo8470]

Super helpful! You saved me from making costly mistakes! Thanks!

[@casiopea1953]

Very helpful, clear and deep explanation for cabinets handles 🙏Thank you very much for sharing stunning ideas!

[@jasonh8043]

Another really good video. Great tip on offset to compensate for perspective. Never thought of that. LOVE the "bloopers". Best to You and Yours.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thanks Jason, good for you making for it to the end of the video!

[@HowIDoThingsDIY]

Wow!!! That's a heck of a lot of information! Thanks Ryan!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

😂when I put all the clips together it was 35 minutes… there was a lot of stories and other stuff I chopped out!

[@HowIDoThingsDIY]

@The Funny Carpenter Hahaha. I bet. I'd like to have a beer with you sometime and then say, "Tell me everything you know about cabinet hardware."

[@wrems77]

Good info! Maybe an additional video to this would be jigging, templating, quickly finding center on drawers. So if you're fresh drilling a whole bunch of cabinets and drawers it's reproduceable and accurate. Then you have drawer handles that complicate just finding center because of the two mounting holes that need to be drilled off center.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Excellent idea William, I’m currently working on that video:)

[@Mr.GucciClass1A]

You make me laugh 😂 soo freaking much. I love your subtle laughing at the dumbass idea to have a cabinet door that only opens 45degrees. Lol 😂. Ok, that happened in a house I lived in a while back, and I cursed the person who designed the kitchen every time I opened the cabinet for 12 years. 😂 Great content. Again, serendipitous!!! I just Finished building the cabinets for my Airbnb remodel, and the next part was “drawers doors and hardware,” and here you go, unbeknownst to you, you've helped me immensely. I’m still laughing at your bloopers. 😂 Personal note: The world can be a challenging place right now, full of anxiety, sorrow, and challenges, but having good people out there to bring light and make life lighter even for 14 minutes is invaluable. Thanks for doing that for me and so many others. ThankYou!!!!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Wow, I really appreciate the message Emanuel, it means a lot.

[@joshuahellriegel3354]

I actually really appreciate this video lol.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thanks Joshua

[@thebnbaldwin]

Good tips, thanks! I use the last position almost exclusively. A good template is a necessity. After installing hundreds of handles, my sphincter still puckers every time I take on the job for a customer!

[@WanJae42]

I have learned a bunch. Thanks!

[@tlanc1283]

Great tips as I have both knobs and pulls and was wondering where to place knobs in particular.

[@patnodus]

Thanks for the tips!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thanks buddy, I appreciate you checking out the vid

[@bendaniel6245]

First- great info! All conversations I’ve had with folks before I start popping holes in fresh cabinets- Second- is that a 84” kitchen because if that’s 96” you’re a freakin giant

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

84”😂 I’m not a giant but 6’2”

[@jbrennan9929]

Great tips man. You should really leave the outtakes in! 😆

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

I was thinking of making a separate channel called Funny Carpenter Outakes...Usually there's a few minutes worth of dumb outakes every video. Lol not sure who in the world would want to watch it!

[@jbrennan9929]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter It's a great part of your channel. Many of them are too clinical. It's good craic as we say in Ireland.

[@REGDORTNARG]

great info

[@not-a-raccoon]

Very well handled 😏

[@ibrahimwehbe1153]

Well covered

[@REGDORTNARG]

thanks

[@AzMikeEd]

I was hoping to get your recommendation on where you would place vertical handles on the upper cabinets above the microwave (15") and refrigerator (12"). My handles are 5" (7 3/8" total) and are mounted in the traditional location at the bottom corner area of my other upper cabinets. I'm debating on keeping with that or centering the handles on these last 2 cabinets since my handles are almost 7.5" long. Thank you!

[@Coreyrkennedy]

You mentioned different size handles for different doors (i.e. 3-12 inches). Do you have any guidelines for handle sizes for a given door size?

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

If you take the overall drawer or door width about a 1/3rd of that looks good. In some modern style kitchens with slab doors you will see handles that are fairly wide, like 80% of the door/drawer width. Essentially you just want to avoid drastic proportional differences between different width doors/drawers.

[@jvrvenetianandresin]

What about when you have a pull out larder one side and two cupboards the other but want to make it look symmetrical

[@KurtMGibbs]

The problem I've recently run into is installing pulls on cabinet door whose face is curved. The only solution I could think of was to use the belt sander on the base of the pulls match curve of the door face, to get the pulls to sit flat. If you have any experience with that scenario, I'd love to hear how you handled it. Oh, I've got a loud drinker (Labrador retriever) too, no worries.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That’s interesting Kurt, I haven’t run across that before. I like your ide with the belt sander, the only thing I’d say is have some water on hand to cool the handles as you go- They could discolour if you hear them up too much.

[@ryang3992]

I’ve dealt with this before. I had to make a 1/16 pilot hole and follow it up with a forstner bit the same size as the base of the pull. Only drilling far enough to make a flat spot. After that you can finish widening your pilot hole to 3/16. I was working on solid wood stained doors so I followed up by touching up the raw wood with a Mohawk marker. This technique works well with solid wood but you risk tear out with painted mdf doors. Another option is to choose a pull with a very small diameter base. When you tighten it down the screw on the backside of the door with be pulling from a flat reference point and the small base of the pull will actually eat into the face frame enough to appear flush across the curve. Hope this helps!

[@llamacebu216]

Hey man, I was at home depot and I noticed the "common boards" are always filled. Can they be used as trim for exterior windows, fireplace, etc.. ? Bc it will be painted anyways... I can't really find anything about it except it's a softwood same as cedar but half the price

[@RPmusic06]

Really some great tips bud!! Loved the video. By the way i started off this week with my own little company, and i want to ask you something. If you could go back in time and give an advice to yourself, what would it be? And do you have some tips that i really need to know ? Love the video's bud have a great weekend!🍻🍻

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

I’d say for myself, I would have started a KZbin channel five years ago instead of two. Professionally the best thing you can do is to put yourself in a position where you can work and learn with people that are better than you at what you’re trying to do. I always had the great fortune of learning from my Dad and then some top notch guys along the way. That being said the most important thing is to develop an attitude of problem solving and continuous improvement. Best wishes buddy!

[@RPmusic06]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter thank you bud!!! I dont have the option to learn with my dad everything i know i have learned on my own for the most part, but its something really usefull and important to surround yourself with people who are better than you and learn from them, thank you so much bud, and ofcourse i learn everytime i watch a video of you😉 thanks bud!! Have a great week🍻

[@ThisTall]

This might sound bad, and I don’t advise it, but as a 15 year installer, I’ve come across dozens of jobs where I know based on certain client character types, if they haven’t brought up handle placement on their own, the last thing you want to do is bring it up or there goes the rest of your day, or worse.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Haha, I always ask the designer beforehand to get a gauge on the situation and a lot of times you're absolutely right! You just keep it moving:)

[@ThisTall]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter 90% of the time, the designer has it worked out ahead of time, but if they don’t, the last thing I want to do is be chasing people around for info after I’ve started a job. Especially the designer, cause their answer is always “stop what you’re doing, I’ll be there in an hour”… lol

[@mattelias721]

Good tips, because handles can be tough to... uh, grasp. Any advice on a good way to keep the single-bolt knobs from loosening over time that doesn't make them permanent on the cabinet? Also, someone noted you're a tall dude below and I noticed that also... I bet I know who in your house is the Designated 'Fridge Top and Stove Vent Cleaner.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Hmm perhaps try a little bit of locktite on the threads…or that mounting/poster putty- put a small amount on the base of the knob and then screw it on.

[@mattelias721]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter I'd thought of LocTite... seems kinda permanent. Hmm.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

@@mattelias721 the medium hold stuff should work perfect

[@davidkahler9390]

I centered my knobs both ways on my doors, and like it. Maybe it's because they're square knobs?

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That’s interesting David, I remember doing that in a dinning room side unit on one job.

[@philipwebb960]

Wow! I thought "everything you need to know" about cabinet knobs might be an exaggeration. It wasn't.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

😂and to think I cut a good 15 minutes out of this vid, because it was getting ridiculous!

[@sdfg88]

also how does the portable makita vac rate as a foot stool?

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

The Makita Vac is legit as a step stool and a seat for lunch… it’s one of my favourite tools.

[@whamases]

I really like soft-closers on cabinets. Makes them silent, no slamming.

[@perniciouspete4986]

But then what does your wife do when she's angry?

[@perniciouspete4986]

I didn't know Makita made furniture.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

I didn’t know Pete’s were pernicious😂

[@c.thompson9771]

Hello, I've beautiful moderate brown natural wood veneered faced doors. But they're from early 80's, and have center face handles. Routed PAINTED edges /*;%($;&!!$#!(!. How do I properly fill two center holes, and pimp out stupid door framing. Common rectangular standard doors, no top swerve. Their EVERYWHERE throughout home. Too $$$$$$ for entire home replacement. Eyikes.. Thank you. I love your delivery, and NO bs, wish I could pay for that, lol!

[@ecoheliguy]

You forgot the good ole long handle on a 45 😄

[@tonyt8592]

Is 'The Handyman' KZbin channel your brother?

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

😂I hear u! I should message that guy and see if he wants to make some type of crossover video.

[@tonyt8592]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Sometimes I have to double check who I'm watching 😄

[@BCTCanadian]

Was laughing at the clock on the stove throughout. Did this video really take 10 hours to put together??? Take care

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Great observation! It’s actually pretty hilarious at how long and how much work it takes me to make a very mediocre video! I do tend to shoot things over a few days and I’ll watch and perhaps reshoot some parts.

[@Mr13147]

This video came two months to late:(

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Oh no! Did you put your handles in a bad spot?

[@Mr13147]

Yup😂

[@Jill-K]

And you have to take into account us tiny 5ft women who can't reach 🤣

[@lostinadream1866]

3:25 very bad advice ha ha ha hah a please folks do not do that ..... in my opinion as a design professional ;)