First time fitting kitchen - Any tips advise would help

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Jonny Vee

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Hi Everyone after 2 bad experience with carpenters and waiting them for months ending up with quality job worst than a beginners and still paid premium price. I decided to have a go and install kitchen myself.

Units would be Howdens solid pre- assembled cabinets. any tips on how to stick them together and mainly how to stick to the wall would be appreciated.

Wall is solid brickwork with render but has several cable running underneath and some could clash with cabinet fixing points.

Thanks
 
get some cramps and make sure each unit is mm perfectly aligned, particularly if you have any long runs. Also measure the width of two units and get some screws that are 75% width so you can screw them together easily. Once they are all tight you can adjust the feet. A pack of L brackets can be use to attach the backs to the wall as each unit tends to have space at the back for services.
 
motorbiking said:
get some cramps and make sure each unit is mm perfectly aligned, particularly if you have any long runs. Also measure the width of two units and get some screws that are 75% width so you can screw them together easily. Once they are all tight you can adjust the feet. A pack of L brackets can be use to attach the backs to the wall as each unit tends to have space at the back for services.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I saw my old kitchen had a 4x2 pinned to the wall and units screwed to it. is this a good practice?

any tips for the wall hung unit?
 
what kind of wall? If plasterboard, you need to find noggins or build some.
 
Cabinet hanging rail is a great improvement on your 4x2. It is used for wall cabinets but you can use it to hold base cabs to the wall if you want.

It is predrilled with numerous holes, so once you have located the studs (see my "special tool") you can fit it straight and level, and adjustable cabinet hangers hook easily onto it. It is very strong.

Special tool:
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/...-for-wall-hung-cupboards.571221/#post-4966968
 
Cabinet hanging rail is for upper cabinets, John, and won't work on base units. A 4 x 2 is a bit overkill, but certainly a batten (2 x 1 or 2 x 2 PSE) fixed to the wall, upper rear of base units notched to accommodate it and brackets work well enough and allow you to get a decent fix somewhere along the wall
 
Interscrews to connect cabinets together
upload_2021-7-1_18-6-41.png


Brackets.

As much support/fixings to the wall/4"2 as possible so things cannot move.

Be anal with the spirit level. Make sure all legs are adjusted and firmly on the ground.

You probably don't have any straight walls or perfect 90degree corners so judgement call on position so the worktop will require minimal scribing / won't look wonky.
 
I Recently used ‘space plugs’ to fix The cabinets to the wall, wouldn’t go back to brackets now, they are great when dealing with wonky walls.
 
Jonny Vee said:
Hi Everyone after 2 bad experience with carpenters and waiting them for months ending up with quality job worst than a beginners and still paid premium price.

Units would be Howdens solid pre- assembled cabinets. any tips on how to stick them together and mainly how to stick to the wall would be appreciated.

Wall is solid brickwork with render but has several cable running underneath and some could clash with cabinet fixing points.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Base units don’t have fixed securing points?
 
Are you fitting the electrics or have an electrician for 1st / 2nd fix timed in ?
Are you fitting a worktop - and what shape is the worktop going to cover ?
you can purchase worktop templates quite cheaply these days, I paid £100+ when I did it a while back 2000 ish I think my son-in-law paid under £20 for a plywood template , for a Garage worktop job, which is fine for a one-off job

Do you have router ?

I assume you are trade , if purchasing from Howdens , as they would NOT sell to me.
I'm just a DIYer and only done 4 kitchens (2 for me and 2 for family) BUT each time I took the time to plan and draw the layout for the units , plumbing, electrics , etc etc - just to make sure i account for Architrave and door / draw openings, although then i was able to do the electrics before 2005 rules change
 
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ETAF said:
Are you fitting the electrics or have an electrician for 1st / 2nd fix timed in ?
Are you fitting a worktop - and what shape is the worktop going to cover ?
you can purchase worktop templates quite cheaply these days, I paid £100+ when I did it a while back 2000 ish I think my son-in-law paid under £20 for a plywood template , for a Garage worktop job, which is fine for a one-off job

Do you have router ?

I assume you are trade , if purchasing from Howdens , as they would NOT sell to me.
I'm just a DIYer and only done 4 kitchens (2 for me and 2 for family) BUT each time I took the time to plan and draw the layout for the units , plumbing, electrics , etc etc - just to make sure i account for Architrave and door / draw openings, although then i was able to do the electrics before 2005 rules change
Click to expand...

I'm a trader and electric and plumbing are freshly made. Kitchen need to replace a temporary one fitted few months ago after refurb.

I have router and other cutting tools.
 
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Can anyone suggest if the floor standing tall unit are fixed with the other base unit or with the rail wall hung too?
 
jacko555 said:
Interscrews to connect cabinets together
View attachment 237993

Brackets.

As much support/fixings to the wall/4"2 as possible so things cannot move.

Be anal with the spirit level. Make sure all legs are adjusted and firmly on the ground.

You probably don't have any straight walls or perfect 90degree corners so judgement call on position so the worktop will require minimal scribing / won't look wonky.
Click to expand...


Anyone else using interscrew? pro & cons compared with standard screw at 70% into the cabinet?
 
I call them connecting screws. They are neater to insert or remove through accurately drilled holes, and do not chew up the chipboard.

I'm sure it is stronger, too.
 
Personally I prefer to use "ordinary" screws (Iby that I mean good quality screws such as Spax, Reisser or Hospa). I clamp the carcasses together the screw together where the screws won't be seen, e.g. beneath hinge plates, up at the top corners of the cabinet (in the dark corners), beneath drawer runners, behind shelves, etc. With white cabinets, and a limited range of colours, you can get self-adhesive coloured melamine circles to disguise 8the rare screw head you leave visible. Hospa screws are particularly good at not screwing up the chipboard, but then they are purpose designed for MFC (melamine faced chipboard - what the majority of kitchen cabinets are made from). A lot of other guys I know prefer this approach, too. If you brackwtvthe backs if the cabinets to the wall it is that, combined with the weight of the cab and contents which keep it all in place
 
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