Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Cabinet Installation

I'm about to install my new cabinets and was wondering how large I should predrill the holes in the cabinet frame. I am concerned if I don't make the hole large enough, I will have a difficult time aligning the faces of the adjacent cabinets because the screw threads will prevent the cabinet from moving. Is this a valid concern? Should I predrill large enough so the screw threads don't bite into the cabinet, thus allowing it to move freely when aligning the faces?

Align the cabinets and clamp them top and bottom across the stiles (not where you will be drilling, of course). This will hold them together enough for you to countersink and predrill a hole for the screws without movement of the cabinets.

I'm not worried about the cabinets moving, I'm worried that once I screw both cabinets to the wall, I won't be able to align the faces because the screw threads will prevent the cabinets from moving. Therefore, it seems that I should predrill the holes large enough that the screw threads won't grab the cabinet. Can someone help me out here? Should my predrill holes be larger than the screw diameter?

If you screw both cabinets to the wall tight... yeah you won't get the face frames lined up.

So don't screw them both tight to the wall yet, because you pretty much do what Chandler said. Let's say the cabinet on the left is screwed in. And you are putting up another cabinet to the right of it. You need to support the bottom of it temporarily so that it can just rest there (at the right height, but you are able to slide it left or right as needed) without being screwed to the wall. (most of us seem to use temporary stands for wall cabinets if we are working alone)

At this point you would use a couple pony clamps to pull the face frames together, like Chandler was saying. You are worried they won't line up. What you do is loosen one screw in that left cabinet. You loosen it just enough that the face frames will line up. With both face frames clamped together tightly, you then predrill a pilot hole through both face frames at the same time. (being sure the drill bit is at least as long as the screws are, but not so long that it comes out the other side!) Run the drill bit in and out a few times as you drill so that you don't accidentally break off the drill bit in the face frame. Hardwoods do that sometimes. Then run your screws in. You don't need to drill out one larger than the other because you have them clamped together. But you can if you want to. If the hole is sloppy on the screw, however, the face frames may become offset when you screw the cabinets back to the wall.

Once the face frames are screwed together, you can let the clamps go... you can make sure the new cabinet is still at the right height, and then screw that new cabinet to the wall, and you can tighten the one screw that you loosened in that left cabinet. If you have another cabinet to install on the right, don't screw the right side of the new cabinet tight to the wall yet.

I usually screw the cabinets together on the floor first, (I take the doors all off and the shelves out to make them lighter and assemble as many as I can lift at one time) and then set them up on my temporary stands. Seems easier than doing them one at a time on the wall, but that's just me.

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to do all the fastening while on the wall because I have a 12" - 30" - 12" - 30" design. In this case, should I partially fasten all four cabinets to the wall, align and secure all faces, then tighten all cabinets to the wall, or should I work from left to right? Also, I will be installing the cabinets myself, so I planned on securing a 2x4 to the wall to support each cabinet as I am mounting them. Will this suffice, or do I need some other kind of support?

You will want to work left to right like I mentioned. (or vise-versa). The 2x4 cleat will work, but you may also want to have something to support the front of the cabinet, to steady it while you use both hands to clamp the faces together... or reach for your drill... or your coffee cup. :coffee:

Since you will have a 2x4 in back, why not screw 2 pieces of 2x4 together (to form an upside down L) and use a pair of those to support the front of the cabinet. You could screw them to your cleat on each side, and once the cabinet is up, move them to the next location. This allows the cabinet to just rest on the supports until you have the face frames joined. Then you can screw the cabinet to the wall... loosely.

Ok, so you're saying the first thing I want to do is attach the faces then screw them to the wall? I thought I was supposed to start by loosely screwing two adjacent cabinets to the wall, then attach the faces, then tighten the cabinets? Or are all cabinets (four of them) supposed to remain somewhat loose until they are all attached to one another? If so, this would mean that I would tighten all cabinets to the wall at the end. Is this correct?

Ok, so you're saying the first thing I want to do is attach the faces then screw them to the wall?

Correct. Left cabinet loosely screwed... cabinet on right no screws until the face frames are attached. Then screw left cabinet down tight... loosely screw in newly attached cabinet on right. -Repeat-

I thought I was supposed to start by loosely screwing two adjacent cabinets to the wall

Yes, but once you have two cabinets screwed together, you can screw the left one to the wall tight, leaving only the last cabinet you installed as the loose one. Reread earlier comments if needed. Sometimes after reading things several times with the right understanding it will all make sense.

Or are all cabinets (four of them) supposed to remain somewhat loose until they are all attached to one another? If so, this would mean that I would tighten all cabinets to the wall at the end. Is this correct?

You could do it that way provided you are only leaving the screws about 1/4" loose, and you are sure you are hitting the studs as you go along.