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Installing Cabinets -Plumb Level and Square

There are many negative affects of not installing cabinets properly. For instance if the walls are not plumb and the floors are not level, the kitchen or bathroom cabinetry are going to look crooked if they are not fitted properly to the surrounding elements. Cupboards also must be as square as possible after they are attached to the walls or anchored to the floors.

What happens when cabinets are not installed plumb, level or square?

There are many things that will be affected if the cabinetry installer does not take the time to get everything aligned properly.

Negative Affects List

Doors-The doors of the cupboards will not align properly along the edge of the cabinet if the cabinet has any kind of a twist in it. This will also affect the top and bottom alignment of the doors in relation to the cabinet boxes as well. Even though hinges have various adjustments that can compensate for not installing cabinets level or plumb, eventually, somewhere on the cabinets it is going to stand out like a sour thumb.


Drawers-If the cabinets are not installed level and plumb, the drawer faces will not close tightly to the face of the cabinets. Usually what happens is one side of the drawer front hits the cabinet’s frame before the other. When this happens, depending upon the severity of the racked cabinets, the face of the drawer may be protruding off of the cupboard edge by as much as an eight of an inch.

Dishwasher, Range and Refrigerator-All three of these appliances are designed to set plumb, level and square. So, imagine what things look like when the cabinets are not installed properly. You guessed it, the voids around the appliances are going to look crooked.

Space Saver Microwaves- If you do not install the upper cabinets correctly next to the hood/microwave opening, it’s possible that the size of the opening at the top will be larger than the size at the bottom. If the wall cabinets on either side of this appliance are not perfectly plumb to each other, the opening might be smaller at the bottom and therefore, the microwave will not fit.

Your cabinets should always be installed plumb if possible and getting them level and square will save you a ton of headaches in the long run. The toe base, cabinet wall scribes and top starter strips or top scribe moldings should always be fit to the crooked contours of the floors walls and ceilings and the boxes should be next to perfect for being level, plump and square. Take time to get the kitchen or bathroom cabinetry installation correct and you will be glad that you did when you are finished.

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