CABINET INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Please read these instructions through completely before beginning the installation. Thank you for choosing Plato Personalized Custom Cabinetry for your home. Your Plato cabinetry, when properly installed, will provide you with many years of beauty and service. These instructions serve as a general guideline on how to install cabinetry. Some cabinet designs and installations may be far more complex and beyond the scope of these instructions. Keep in mind, if you live in a higher humidity area, it is important to maintain controlled humidity in the installed environment as wood will grow and shrink as it takes on or gives off moisture with changes in relative humidity. In extreme humidity conditions doors and drawer fronts could expand to fill the opening and bind. Never nail cabinets to the wall. Always drill pilot holes and attach cabinets to the walls with screws. Failure to do so makes it very difficult to adjust shims when leveling and plumbing cabinetry. Driving nails may split stiles or rails, causing irreparable damage to cabinetry and will void Plato's limited lifetime warranty. Rev. 5/18 Page 1
ROOM PREPARATION AND LAYOUT 1. Before installing cabinetry, it is important that the room be properly prepared to accept the cabinetry. All electrical and plumbing rough-in work should be completed. If any repair to the floor, walls, or ceiling is necessary that should be completed before installing cabinets. Holes should be filled; any new sheetrock should be taped and surfaced. And while the room is empty, it would be a great time to prime and paint walls and ceilings. In order for cabinets to work properly and look right, they must be installed level, plumb and flush with each other. Figure 1 Inset Cautions: Although installation procedures are basically the same for inset and overlay, it is extremely critical that inset cabinetry be installed perfectly plumb and level as there is very little ability to adjust the doors after cabinets are installed. If cabinets are not shimmed properly, the cabinet may be 'racked' and doors may not close properly. If you have purchased inset cabinetry we strongly recommend that you have a qualified craftsman install your cabinets for you. Once the room is ready, proceed as follows: 2. Locate the floor s highest point using a level. To do this, place your level at the base of the wall, checking several places along the wall until you find the high point in the floor. Mark this spot. Even in new construction, it is seldom that floors are perfectly level. (See Figure 1) Figure 2 3. Measure up from the high point 34 1/2 and draw a mark. From that mark, use a level to draw a horizontal line on the walls wherever base cabinets are to be installed. This line establishes the top of the base cabinets. (Kitchen height bases are 34 1/2 high, vanities may be 30 or 32, desk height is 28 1/2 ). (See Figure 2) Page 2
4. From the same high point, measure up the wall to locate the bottoms of wall cabinets. Using a level, draw a horizontal line on the walls wherever wall cabinets are to be installed. (See Figure 3) The location can be determined as follows: Determine the height of any tall units (e.g., oven cabinets, refrigerator cabinets, or utility cabinets) A Measure the height of the wall cabinets to be installed B Subtract wall cabinet height from the tall cabinet height. The difference is the distance to measure from the floor. A - B = bottom of wall cabinet location If the tall cabinets are 84 high and the wall cabinets are 32 high, the difference is 52. From the high point, measure up 52 to draw your mark. (See Figure 4) Figure 3 Note: Since all Plato cabinetry is custom designed and built to meet your needs, cabinets may be any height. Be sure to refer to your floor plans and elevations to determine tall cabinet and wall cabinet heights. Figure 4 Page 3
5. Locate and mark all the wall studs using a stud finder. (To verify the position of your studs, drive a small finishing nail into the wall in an area that will be covered by cabinets.) (See Figure 5) 6. Many installers prefer to start by installing base cabinetry and tall cabinetry before the wall cabinets. This allows the countertop fabricator to come in and measure for tops as soon as the bases are set. Many installations also include wall cabinets that set directly on the countertop and cannot be installed until the tops are permanently installed. Figure 5 CABINET PREPARATION 1. Remove cabinets from their cartons and remove all packing materials. Each cabinet has a label on the back with all the pertinent information about that cabinet, including the item number (Look for Order: on the label. For example, if 999999.1 -- 06 is the number on the label, the 06 is the item number and corresponds to item 6 on the packing slip). (See Figure 6) PLATO WOODWORK Order: 999999.1-06 Batch#: 01999 PLATO, MN 55370 Cust : ABC KITCHENS Item : Cabinet Code ITEM SPEC. LABEL Figure 6 Retain packing material until the job is complete. Page 4
2. Remove the factory installed protection glides from the bottom of base and tall cabinets and from the top of wall cabinets as they may interfere with the proper setting of the cabinets. (See Figure 7) 3. Remove all doors, drawers and adjustable sliding trays from cabinets before installing. This makes the units lighter and easier to handle and reduces the chance of inadvertently damaging them during installation. Exception: If you are installing inset cabinets, remove drawers and sliding trays from the cabinet, but leave the doors on the cabinet. You can then check door alignments as you install, and adjust shims to assure doors close properly. Use masking tape on the backs of doors and inside drawers to label each door and drawer so you know where to replace them when the units are installed. *** Be sure to store the doors and drawers in a safe place, preferably away from the work area. Use the retained packing material between doors to help prevent scratching and scuffing. *** Figure 7 Page 5
INSTALLING BASE AND TALL CABINETRY 1. Determine where to start installing base and tall cabinets. The logical starting point is: Priority 1 A corner with a diagonal or piecut cabinet if included in the layout. Priority 2 If none are included but there is a blind corner cabinet included, start on the wall with the blind corner cabinet first. This does not necessarily mean you start with the blind corner cabinet. Usually a blind cabinet will be pulled out from the corner to fit the installation specifications. If there is a sink cabinet that must be centered under a window or another cabinet that must be installed in a fixed location, start there and work toward the corner. Figure 8 Priority 3 If a wall has no corner cabinet but does have a tall cabinet in the run, start with the tall cabinet and work away from it. Installing tall cabinets is similar to installing base cabinets. They are just bigger. In general, if a tall cabinet is next to a wall, it is easiest to install it first. If it is not next to a wall, but on the end of a run, install it last. 2. Slide the first cabinet into position. 3. Shim it as necessary to assure the back of the cabinet is aligned with the horizontal base cabinet line(s) drawn. (See Figure 9) Figure 9 Page 6
4. Using a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using to attach cabinets to the walls, drill a hole through the back hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. Be careful not to drill too far into the wall. The screws should slide into the hole with little resistance allowing you to pull the cabinet into position when you tighten the screws. Using 3 x 8 screws (not furnished), start a screw through the hanger rail into each wall stud. Start them into the wall, but do not tighten them yet. (See Figures 9 & 10) 5. Place a level on the top of the cabinet from front to back on one end and adjust shims as needed to assure the end is level. Place the level on the front and check it for plumb. (See Figure 11) Figure 10 Figure 11 Page 7
6. Also place the level on the back rail from side to side to assure it is level. Adjust shims as needed. (See Figure 12) Finally, level back to front on the other end of the cabinet and adjust shims. Place shims between the wall and the cabinet back at each screw to prevent the cabinet from being pulled out of level when you snug up the screws. Caution: If the leveled cabinet does not fit tightly against the wall, do not tighten screws without shimming between the wall and the cabinet. Tightening screws without shimming properly may damage the cabinet. 7. Position the next cabinet near the first. Figure 12 Using a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using, drill completely through the stile on one cabinet near the top and the bottom to prepare to fasten the cabinets face frames together. (See Figure 13) Caution: Be sure not to drill into the second cabinet with this bit. Figure 13 Page 8
7. Shim the second cabinet so it is aligned with the horizontal base cabinet line. Using wood handscrew clamps, align and clamp the face frames of the two cabinets together. (C-clamps may be used, but be sure to use a block of scrap wood between the C-clamp and the finished cabinet to avoid damaging the finish on the cabinet stiles.) Be sure the stiles of the face frames are flush vertically. Also be sure they are flush on the top and bottom. (See Figure 14) 8. When you are satisfied that the two are aligned and clamped properly, use a 3/32 bit to drill a pilot hole into the stile of the second cabinet. Set the bit so approximately 1 3/4 extends from the drill's chuck). Using the predrilled holes in the stile of the first cabinet as a guide, drill into the stile of the second. The pilot hole will make it easier to screw into the wood and will minimize the possibility of splitting the face frame. (See Figure 15) Figure 14 Note: Standard Plato stiles are 1 1/4 wide. The 1 3/4 extension allows for that 1 1/4, drilling a 1/2 deep pilot hole in the adjoining stile. Use screws that are 1 3/4 to 2 long (not furnished) to fasten the face frames. Figure 15 Page 9
10. Using the drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using to attach cabinets to the walls, drill a hole through the back hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. Be careful not to drill too far into the wall. Using 3 x 8 screws (not furnished), start a screw through the hanger rail into each wall stud. Do not tighten them yet. (See Figure 16) 11. As in steps 5 and 6, place a level on the top of the cabinet from front to back on one end and adjust shims as needed to assure the end is level. Also place it on the back rail from side to side to assure it is level. Adjust shims as needed. If needed, place a shim between the wall and the cabinet back beside each screw to hold the cabinet in place and then snug up the screws. Figure 16 12. Continue the same procedure until all base cabinets on each run are in position, leveled and plumbed, and screwed into place. 13. When each wall of base cabinetry is completed, set a straight edge across the front of the run to be sure all cabinets are set in proper alignment. If there is any gap between the straight edge and the cabinets, or if the straight edge wobbles because a cabinet sticks out too far, adjust the shims between the wall and the cabinet hanger rails as needed to bring them into alignment. You may need to shim the center cabinet(s) forward or pull the center shim(s) to allow the center cabinet(s) to go back. (See Figure 17) 14. Tighten all screws and make one last check with your level to be sure all cabinets remained set plumb and level. When you are satisfied that cabinets are set properly, trim off all shims. Figure 17 Page 10
WHEN A CABINET MEETS A WALL Often the last cabinet in a run must be installed against wall. Seldom are walls perfectly straight and plumb, so some allowance must be made for imperfections. Usually cabinets that butt up against a wall will be ordered with an extended stile an extension of the stile that butts into the wall which can be cut down or scribed to fit the contour of the wall. In some cases, a filler may be ordered instead of an extended stile. If a filler is ordered, it must be attached to the outside stile on the cabinet in a manner similar to attaching the face frames of two cabinets together described earlier (see Figure 18). Figure 18 SCRIBING TO A WALL If a cabinet is being installed between a wall and another cabinet, it would be easier to scribe and fit the end cabinet before the cabinet second from the end is installed. Install all the cabinets on the wall except the last two. Then the following procedure should give you a good snug fit. 1. Using a wider masking tape (2 wide for example), apply tape over the surface of the extended stile or filler. This serves two purposes. It protects the finished surface of the extended stile while you are trimming it, and it provides an easier to see surface for the pencil markings. Figure 19 2. Set the end cabinet next to the wall. Shim it up to the install line, and the plumb and level the cabinet (see Figure 19). 3. Measure the width of the space between the end cabinet and the last installed cabinet (the third from the end). (See Figure 20) Figure 20 Page 11
4. Then measure the width of the second cabinet (the one you set temporarily aside). The opening should be slightly less that the width of the second cabinet from the end. (See Figure 21) 5. Subtract the width of the opening from the width of the cabinet that will be installed second from the end (e.g., if the opening is 23 1/2 wide and the second cabinet from the end is 24 wide, the difference is 1/2 ). 6. Using a compass, set its opening to the difference (in our example, 1/2 ). 7. With the compass point leg riding against the wall, draw down the length of the extended stile (filler) with the compass pencil. Be sure to keep the compass legs a consistent 90º to the wall. This should leave a line on the tape that follows the contour of the wall. See Figure 22. Figure 21 Figure 22 Page 12
8. Using a trim saw, cut along the scribed line, just leaving the line. Use a sander or a small block plane to remove high spots. If you slightly back cut the line, it will make it easier to do the sanding or planing to achieve a tight final fit. (See Figure 23) 9. Place the last two cabinets in place, shim them to the install line, plumb and level them and fasten them together and to the wall. Remove the masking tape from the scribed extended stile. 10. When all base units are in place, contact your countertop contractor to measure for tops. While tops are being fabricated, you can proceed with wall cabinet and trim installation. Figure 23 Page 13
BEFORE INSTALLING WALL CABINETRY Wall cabinets designed to set on the countertop in most cases should not be installed until after the countertops are installed. Before starting, check to make sure the wall cabinet lines you drew during the preparation phase are accurate. Use installed tall cabinets as a reference since the tops of wall cabinets usually install flush with the tops of the tall cabinets. As countertops are probably not yet installed, lay 1/2 or 3/4 plywood or particleboard across the tops of the installed base cabinets to protect the cabinets beneath and to provide a work surface during wall cabinet installation. For added protection, you may want to drape drop cloths over the fronts of the base cabinets. Figure 24 **You will need a means of supporting the wall cabinets in position while you are aligning them. Some installers will temporarily fasten a 1 x 4 ledger strip with its top against the wall cabinet install line. The cabinet can then be set on the ledger strip while fastening it to the wall. There are disadvantages to this system, however, as you still have to hold the cabinet against the wall while manipulating tools. It is also impossible to shim out the bottoms of the wall cabinets until the ledger strip is removed, and once it is removed, the screw holes have to be repaired. A set of simple home made jacks are actually more helpful. The jacks should be slightly shorter (1/4 to 1/2 ) than the distance between the material you laid on the countertop and the bottom of the wall cabinet and approximately 14 deep. They can be easily constructed of 1 x 4 material (See Figure 24). Simply set them on the countertop, set the wall cabinet in position on top of them, and use shims to raise it to the wall cabinet install line. You don t need an extra set of hands to support the cabinet and they can be positioned so you can easily shim behind the cabinet as needed. And there are no screw holes to repair. Now you are ready to begin wall cabinet installation. Page 14
INSTALLING WALL CABINETRY 1. Determine where to start installing wall cabinets. The logical starting point is: Priority 1 A corner with a diagonal or piecut cabinet if included in the layout. Priority 2 If none are included, but there is a blind corner wall cabinet, start on the wall with the blind cabinet. This does not necessarily mean you start with the blind cabinet. Since it will probably be pulled out from the corner, you will most likely want to start from the end opposite the corner, or next to a window if one is in the wall. Priority 3 If there are no corner cabinets, but there is a tall cabinet in the plan, start with the wall cabinet to be installed next to the tall cabinet and work away from the tall cabinet. 2. Set the cabinet jacks (or equivalent) on countertop beneath area where the first wall cabinet is to be installed. Set the wall cabinet on the jacks and push it back to the wall. (See Figure 25) Figure 25 3. Shim it as necessary between the jacks and the bottom of the cabinet to assure it is aligned with the wall cabinet installation line. If it is installed against a tall cabinet, check to make sure the top of the wall cabinet and the top of the tall cabinet are flush. (See Figure 25) 4. Wall cabinets have hanger strips on the back on both the top and bottom of the cabinet. It is essential to fasten the cabinet to the wall with screws through both the top and bottom hanger strips into the wall studs. Failure to do so may result in misalignment and/or cabinets falling off the wall. (See Figure 26) Section of Wall Cabinet showing hanger rails. Figure 26 Page 15
4. Using a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using to attach cabinets to the walls, drill a hole through the back at the top hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. Be careful not to drill too far into the wall. The screws should slide into the hole with little resistance allowing you to pull the cabinet into position when you tighten the screws. (See Figure 27) ** To make it easier to know where to drill, measure carefully and transfer the stud lines from the wall to the inside of the cabinet. To keep the interior of the cabinet clean, only make a mark where you intend to drill. 5. Drill a hole through the back at the bottom hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. (See Figure 27) Using 3 x 8 screws (not furnished), start a screw through the bottom hanger rail into each wall stud. Start them into the wall, but do not tighten them yet. Figure 27 6. Using your level, check the cabinet for level and plumb. Place the level across the bottom from side to side to check for level. Place it vertically against the side of the cabinet and against the front frame to check for plumb. Shim behind the back of the cabinet on the top and bottom as needed until the cabinet is plumb and level. Place shims next to the screws. Draw all screw up tight and recheck for plumb and level. (See Figure 28) Figure 28 Page 16
7. Move the jacks down and position the second cabinet next to the first. Using a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using, drill completely through the stile on one cabinet near the top and the bottom to prepare to fasten the cabinet face frames together. (See Figure 29) Caution: Be sure not to drill into the second cabinet with this bit. Shim the second cabinet so it aligns with the first. Using wood handscrew clamps, align and clamp the face frames of the two cabinets together. Be sure the stiles of the face frames are flush vertically. Also make sure they are flush on the top and bottom. 8. When you are satisfied that the two are aligned and clamped properly, use a 3/32 bit to drill a pilot hole into the stile of the second cabinet. Set the bit so approximately 1 3/4 extends from the drill s chuck. Using the predrilled holes in the stile of the first cabinet as a guide, drill into the stile of the second. The pilot hole will minimize the possibility of splitting the face frames. (See Figure 30) Figure 29 Note: Standard Plato stiles are 1 1/4 wide. The 1 3/4 extension allows for that 1 1/4, drilling a 1/2 deep pilot hole in the adjoining stile. Use screws that are 1 3/4" to 2" long (not furnished) to fasten the face frames. Figure 30 Page 17
9. Using a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screws you are using to attach cabinets to the walls, drill a hole through the back of the second cabinet at the top hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. Be careful not to drill too far into the wall. Using 3 x 8 screws (not furnished), start a screw through the hanger rail into each wall stud. Start them into the wall and draw them up most of the way, but do not tighten them yet. 10. Drill a hole through the back at the bottom hanger rail centered on each wall stud mark. Using 3 x 8 screws (not furnished), start a screw through the hanger rail into each wall stud. Figure 31 11. Shim behind the back of the cabinet on the top and bottom until the cabinet is plumb and level. Place shims next to the screws. Draw all screw up tight and recheck for plumb and level. 12. Continue the same procedure until all wall cabinets on each run are in position, leveled, plumbed, and screwed into place. 13. When each wall of cabinetry is completed, set a straight edge across the front of the run to be sure all cabinets are set in proper alignment. If there is any gap between the straight edge and the cabinets, or if the straight edge wobbles because a cabinet sticks out too far, adjust the shims between the wall and the cabinet hanger rails as needed to bring them into alignment. Bear in mind that if you adjust shims on the bottom of the wall cabinet, you will need to do the same to the top shims to maintain the plumb and level. (See Figure 31) 14. Tighten all screws and make one last check with your level to be sure all cabinets remain plumb and level. 15. Replace all doors and drawers. Page 18
INSTALLING TRIM AND MOLDINGS When all cabinetry is installed, trim and moldings may be applied to the cabinetry using customary installation procedures. Note that the top rail on Plato wall cabinets and tall cabinets are 1 wider than other stiles and rails. This allows a 1 wide area for attaching moldings around the tops of cabinets. For trim details, see the Plato dealer from whom you purchased your cabinetry. Page 19