Installation, Assembly and Hardware
This domain tests the last metre - getting cabinets, countertops and hardware installed level, plumb, square and working. Questions cover layout, fastening into structure, shimming and scribing, and adjusting European hinges and drawer slides.
Layout and fastening
- Establish a level line from the highest point of the floor; cabinets are set to that line, not to the floor.
- Locate studs and blocking; fasten through the cabinet back or hanging rail into framing, never into drywall alone.
- Shim at roughly 400 to 600 mm centres and behind every fastener point; shims carry load, fasteners hold position.
- Use a ledger for wall cabinets when working alone, and check plumb on the cabinet face, not just the wall.
- Fillers and scribe mouldings take up the gap to an out-of-plumb wall; do not force a cabinet to the wall.
Reveals and alignment
- Set consistent reveals - around 3 mm is typical - between doors, drawers and the frame.
- Check that the cabinet run is straight with a string line or straightedge before doors go on.
Hardware
- European concealed hinges adjust in three axes: side (left-right), depth (door in-out) and height. Identify which screw controls which before turning anything.
- Undermount drawer slides need the box square and the rear mounting sockets set to the depth given in the instructions; soft-close mechanisms need the slide level.
- Check that pulls line up across doors and drawers and that all hardware operates through its full travel.
Worked example
An installed door rubs at the top corner, and the gap at the bottom is wide. Reasoning: this is a height plus tilt problem, not a door-size problem. First loosen the hinge height screw to drop the door, then check the cabinet itself for level - if the carcass leans, hinge adjustment only moves the problem. If the door still binds at one corner, adjust depth on that hinge so the door sits parallel to the face frame. Re-check the reveal top and bottom before final tightening.
Traps that cost marks
- Fastening only through drywall or into a plumbing wall without protection plates.
- Shim only at the top, leaving the cabinet base unsupported.
- Over-tightening hinge screws and stripping the chipboard or the hinge plate.
- Cutting a filler after installation instead of scribing it to the wall.