| Kitchen Desk Area: Upper Cabinets and Lighting Installation |
From "Weekend Remodeling"
episode WKR-312 |
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With wiring complete and tile backsplash in place, the upper cabinets and lights are installed.On the intermediate Weekend Remodeling 1-5 scale of difficulty, this project rates a 2. Time to complete: 15 hours over 2 days
Materials:Wall and base cabinets
Granite countertop
Pry bar
Tape measure
Level
Chalk line
Large felt-tip marker
Reciprocating saw
Hammer
Utility knife
Circular saw
Chop saw
Punch saw
Drill with bits
Framing square
Framing nailer
Trim nailer
Latex paint
Paint brush, rags, bucket
Notched trowel
Rubber float
Tile cutter/wet saw
Wire strippers
Electrical tester
Stud finder
Cut-out electrical boxes and outlet
Non-metallic building electrical wire
Wire nuts
Under cabinet light
Tile
Epoxy tile grout and mastic
1x stock to create trim pieces
- Locate stud locations and mark. Remove the cabinet doors to lighten the cabinets and allow easy access.
- Add filler strips if needed to add a little clearance between new and existing cabinets. Clamp to cabinet frame, pre-drill, then anchor with trim screws. Remove any trim that prohibits a good fit -- here, some top trim is removed from the existing cabinet.
- Transfer measurements to new cabinets and pre-drill. Create a small opening for non-metallic building electrical wire. Cut a notch for the new recessed light. Use a jigsaw to simply cut away part of the frame.
- Lift cabinets into place (get help) and install screws into pre-drilled holes.
- The doors on the second cabinet will need to removed -- as with the first. Measure out from first cabinet to find location of wall studs. Transfer measurements to second cabinet and pre-drill cabinet. Lift the cabinet into place, keeping it snug against first cabinet. Shim as needed.
- Clamp the two frame together while second cabinet is anchored to studs. In this example, the last stud is right on the edge, so the last screw is angled. When the cabinet is securely attached to the wall, screw the two frames together.
- To install the new under cabinet light, feed non-metallic building electrical wire through the knock-out plug int the light. Screw the housing to the underside of the cabinet to attach the lighting assembly. Attach wires and snap on lens.
- Finally, install doors on upper cabinets.
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