Many real estate and interior design professionals say that the most important rooms in a home are the kitchen and the bathroom. For this reason, home owners make an effort to keep their kitchens and bathrooms updated as they live in their homes and others make the choice to update their kitchens before selling their homes. Regardless of the reason for updating or remodeling a home, the cabinets are a major component of the update. Cabinets can also be installed for organizational or storage purposes like in a laundry room or office. Installing cabinets without professional help may seem like a daunting task but it is achievable with careful planning, measuring and drawing. There are certain factors to consider when installing cabinets.
The first factor to consider is the exact location you are going to install the cabinets. The style and type of cabinet you will install has to be compatible with the wall and ceiling that will hold it in place. Look for the ceiling height as well as any uneven spots in the ceiling, crown molding and trim. Ceiling height affects the kinds of upper cabinets to buy and install because there has to be enough room between the cabinets and the countertops. Check with an expert or a representative at a home improvement store to find what the industry standard for the gap is.
Cabinets should always be installed level. If the ceiling has uneven spots, leaving a gap between the ceiling and the cabinet is recommended. The gap can be covered up with crown molding or trim. Some people also choose to use the crown molding or trim between their upper cabinets and the ceiling as decoration. The same applies for the floor holding any lower cabinets. Another factor to consider when installing cabinets is the type of cabinets to use. There are many types of cabinets made of different material, hardware and decorative style on the doors and drawers. There are three kinds of cabinets to choose from namely stock, semi-custom and custom.
Stock cabinets are offered from a store or catalog as they are. They cannot be altered or modified to fit the location they will be installed in. Semi custom cabinets can be modified in size to fit a certain floor plan and also offer the customer more choices in door and drawer designs. Custom cabinets are made specifically for the location and floor plan they will be installed in. They offer the best flexibility in material, size and design. They are also the most expensive type of cabinets.
Tools needed for installing cabinets is another factor to consider. It is best to talk to the person you are buying the cabinets from for a complete list of all the tools needed for installing the cabinets. Some of the tools are a level, a stud finder, a marker and a drill.
Careful planning, accurate measuring and paying attention to detail leads to a successful cabinet installation project. Completion of such a project saves money on the labor charged by professionals for installing cabinets in a home.