Building and Installing Cabinet Boxes

We decided to build our own cabinets. And by "We", I mean my brother, Phu. Jon and I just drilled holes and put in screws where he told us to. Really, it was our only option given our budget. On the plus side, it allowed us to design the layout and storage space that would work most efficiently for us. First off, we had to build and install all of the cabinet boxes.

1. We purchased cabinet grade plywood from Home Depot and cut it to length using a table saw.

2. We drilled pocket screws into each of the side pieces using a Kreg Jig. The Kreg Jig is so cool. I told Jon I want my own (we were using Phu's). There are so many things I could do with a Kreg Jig!

3. We attached all the sides to each other and to the back of the cabinet box using Kreg screws.

4. We mounted the cabinets and screwed them into the wall studs. We shimmed and ensured everything was level before attaching them to the wall. The boxes are heavy. To make mounting the uppers a little easier, we first attached a ledger board into the wall stud at exactly the height where the bottom of the cabinet should be. Basically it's just a scrap 2x4 piece (you can see it underneath the cabinet box in the pic below right in between Jon and Phu) where we could place the cabinet while we attached it to the wall. It was much easier than having one person try to hold up the entire weight of the cabinet while the other person put in the screws.

5. Plywood isn't pretty. We purchased Poplar wood and cut trim pieces to attach to the edge of the boxes using a nail gun.

6. Our cuts for the trim pieces weren't always accurate so we used a router to clean them up so they are flush with the cabinet box. You can also use 60 grit sandpaper too but the router is much faster if you have a steady hand. It is extremely loud and messy. It shoots saw dust everywhere and right back in your face, which is why Phu is wearing a respirator.

7. We covered up the pocket holes using Kreg Jig plugs and wood glue.



image: www.kregtools.com



Put a little bit of wood glue on the end of the plug and push it into the pocket hole.

Saw off the excess wood using a flexible saw.

Sand it using 60 grit to smooth out any rough edges. Prime and paint and you'll never notice it.

After the boxes were installed, we went through and filled in any gaps, knots, gouges, or dents that would be visible with wood filler. Then we sanded for about two weeks. It's a tedious process, even with an electric sander. We first used 60 grit sandpaper to even out any big bumps, then moved up to 120 grit to smooth all the surfaces for primer.

I'm apologizing ahead of time because my posts are going to be out of order. We put up sheet rock first before building and installing the cabinet boxes. I want to share what worked and didn't work for us in that process BUT those pics are on our memory card in the camera that we still can't find. The search continues.