Mark Clement: Measure Twice
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October 10, 2008
Cabinet Installers Checklist
I'm a generalist as anybody who reads my blogs has heard me say ad infinitum. One day it's a fence, another a pergola, and recently, cabinets.
I love installing cabinets. This project was a built-in unit for a bedroom. http://www.thomasvillecabinetry.com/
But in jumping between tasks, I need to re-focus sometimes, especially for the finer things like built-ins. To that end, I made a quick checklist before I jumped in.
- I make sure I have a place to stage the cabinets. In this case all the cabinets fit in the room and I had space to work. On larger jobs, I sequester another room and work with the homeowner to afford me the space. This is important.
- I make sure I have the drawings—both elevation and plan views. I then add up all the dimensions and measure the cabinets, scribes and fillers to make sure they really fit.
- On site, I un-box and look at all the pieces to make sure that I've interpreted the drawing properly in real time—indeed this time I had misinterpreted an end cap. Had I not looked at it, my layout would have been a mile off.
- Extra wood for a scribes and backers. For walls where a caulk bead just won't do you have to scribe a 1-by filler. Scribing can be tricky work if you don't do it every day and solid hardwood isn't cheap, so I bring an extra piece of poplar and scribe a test piece before doing the real thing—just to be sure. And you have to nail it to something, so a couple of nice, straight 2-bys does the trick.
- Forget drywall screws, you need screws that stand up to hard wood face frames http://www.mcfeelys.com/ And cabinet screws for the fastening to the wall.
- I have 3 impact drivers – www.makitatools.comwww.dewalt.com for countersinking, pre-drilling, and fastening – each loaded with the right bit.
- 4 levels www.StanleyTools.comwww.Stabila.com and a boat load of cedar shims.
- I also prepare the customer for touch-up drywall repair www.USG.com and paint www.SherwinWilliams.com
Bottom line, it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. What's on your cabinet checklist?
Posted by Mark Clement at 1:43 PM | Comments (2)
