Tim Berky is installing the Merillat cherry cabinets in the remodeled kitchen in Rowley, Massachusetts. Bob remarks that redoing the floors and bringing them to level makes the installation much easier. Berky adds that the new cabinets will be level to within 1/8 inch. Bob reviews the cabinet features, including the track system and compression closing device that prevents pinched fingers. The drawers are dovetailed wood with solid cherry faces. The cabinet boxes are pressboard that is gusseted for strength at the corners. Berky is installing the base wall cabinets with cabinet screws that have a broader head for a better hold. He has premarked all of the studs before drilling so that he will get a solid seat for the screws. Berky roughs in the cabinet, shims it, checks for level, then screws the cabinet into the wall and through the adjoining face frame before trimming off the shim. Berky finishes the installation by dressing out the toe kick with a cherry-stained board that he glues and nails in place. Bob looks at the glass-front upper cabinets and the island that is made to look like an Italian-style table with floating legs and rails. Berky secures the legs to the floor to avoid movement or damage.

Here are some things to think about when you're hanging your own kitchen cabinets. Hang your upper cabinets first, so the lower cabinets won't be in the way. Snap a level chalk line to align the countertops. Use shim shingles to level them, then use drywall screws to secure your cabinets to the wall studs.

Bob meets with Charlie who has all the cabinets in place except for a final one that will go on one side of the new Thermador range. Charlie explains that when installing the cabinets Jimmy first determines the high point in the floor since old houses tend to be out of level. Then he draws a level line across the wall from the high point and shims the cabinets up so that the tops correspond with the level line. The shims will later be hidden by a toekick. Then he installs the cabinets centering the sink base on the wall and working his way across. The cabinets are fastened together with the doors off by driving screws through from one stile to the next. The doors are put on after the cabinets are installed. Next Charlie and Bob work on installing the final cabinet, checking for plum and level and shimming where necessary. Charlie drills a hole through the back of the cabinet and into a stud and drives a screw in to secure it in place.