Fitting a kitchen - advice required.

Escudo · 13 Sep 2007

Hello all,

I promised the girls in the office that I would fit a row of kitchen units for them to use as a stationery store.

I have taken delivery of some flat packed units, holes for hinges etc pre drilled.

What is the best way to approach this job given that the floor is uneven and the wall is not straight? I presume this starting point is quite usual?

Is it necessary to screw/glue the individual units together or does the weight of the top keep things in place?

How do I go about cutting the top to match the uneven wall? I also have to cut out a piece to allow for some boxed in pipes in one corner.

The units have adjustable feet so I can see that with a spirit level I could make things level. How do I deal with the skirting?

Any tips / advice would be great. Thanks, fellas

Cheers, Esc.

MooreToolsPlease · 14 Sep 2007

On something like this, make all of the units up first and put them roughly where you want them.
THe backs to the carcasses are usually 50mm or so in from the back.
This is so that you can cut around pipes, cables and can make the fronts of the units straight.
After this has been done, the units come with connector bolts. put 2 of these between every units. I usually hide them behind the hinge plate.
They just tie in everything together to make for a much stronger job.
Depending on how high the skirting is, the bottoms of the carcasses wont hit.
There is usually a 150/160mm plinth that runs along the bottom of the units,
if you are returning the plinth back into the walls then just scribe the plinth around the skirting to moake it nice and neat.
WIth the worktop, cut it to length approximately then sit it in place.
If each end of the worktop hits the wall, but the middle doesnt, then measure the gap in the biggest point. Then use a packer or something similar thats the same thickness as the gap. MArk the worktop all the way along the wall and cut to this line.
If the middle of the worktop is hitting the wall and either end doesn't, equal the gaps each end and repeat as above.

Scrit · 14 Sep 2007

Hi Escudo

To add to what Matt has written when I'm installing I always strike a horizontal line across the wall at the height of the tops of the carcasses using at least a 1metre builders level - for standard kitchen carcasses this should be 870mm above floor level (720mm carcass height plus standard 150mm plinth height). If this is marked from the approximate centre of the run it should be possible to measure the drops at several points to see where your high and low spots are. If you have any really low spots, i.e. anything which will require more than the width of your plinth to cover, I'd suggest dropping the overall height slightly and striking a new datum line rather than cutting wider plinth stock.

Having roughly positioned the carcasses I level up the two end ones to the datum line (side to side and front to rear) then check the wall for straightness with a chalk line, measuring and noting the amounts which have to be removed from the rears of intermediate carcasses to accommodate any bulges. Remember to take into account any scribing which will need to be done on the two outer ends to accommodate bulges or out of plumb in the wall. You are aiming to scribe only the outer ends of the two end cabinets and just trim the backs of the intermediate cabs so they'll fit - as that won't be seen it needn't be the most perfect of jobs and chipping-out doesn't really matter.

Scribe the end cabinet at one end of the run into the wall then position that cabinet. The best blade for scribing is something like a Bosch T101BR or equivalent (downcut) run with little or no orbit on the jigsaw and with a baseplate set-up to give you a few degrees inwards tilt. This end cabinet can now be anchored in position with a couple of angle plates (out of sight at the back) and you start to relevel an attach each carcass in turn. It is necessary to constantly recheck the levels in both planes each time you attach a carcass. As Matt says some units come with connector bolts, but not all. If they don't have connector bolts then some 1-1/4in x #7 or metric equivalent CSK HD chipboard screw can be used to connect the carcasses, hiding them beneath hinge plates, shelf ends, etc - just remember to cramp the cabinets together to stop them "jacking out" as you tighten them up

Scrit

Escudo · 14 Sep 2007

Thanks for the advice fella's,

I have printed out your tips and will refer to them when I make a start, hopefully next week.

The girls in the office don't think I am up to the job, but they will be in for a shock!

Cheers, Esc.