Base Cabinet Installation

     Last night we finished installing the base cabinet boxes! Things are shaping up nicely, and it's actually starting to look like a kitchen in here.

     Steven assembled and installed these frames (above) to support the base cabinets a few weeks ago. He made sure that the support frames were level with each other, using shims as needed, and in alignment across their fronts. The base frames were attached to the toe plate in the wall using 3 1/2" decking screws.

     Next, the toe kicks were attached to the support frames with 1 1/4" screws. The above shot also gives you a glimpse of the Toe Ductor under cabinet ducting kit. We liked the idea of having the HVAC vent concealed in the toe kick, and the installation for this was pretty easy. (Then again, I was the one assisting from above while Steven was in the crawl space...)

     Toe kicks in place! This is the last time you'll see this spot looking like an empty room :)

     We installed the corner cabinet first, then worked our way out (above). Steven made sure all three cabinet boxes that make up this corner section were level across the top, level back-to-front, and aligned across the face frames. He used shims and clamps as needed to hold the boxes in place while he screwed them to the wall studs. The empty space to the left is for the range, and the space to the right is for the dishwasher.

     After the corner section was secured in place, we moved on to the stand alone boxes to either side (above). Again, we made sure everything was level and the face frames were aligned with those in the corner section. Using a 6' long level really helped with jumping the range and dishwasher gaps when checking for level and alignment.  

     After the cabinet boxes were installed, we just had to set the sink in place to see how it all looked! We went with Blanco's Cerana Apron Front Sink (30-inch) for a clean, simple look. Blanco describes this sink as reversible because one side is more rounded for a traditional look while the other is slightly more squarish for a contemporary look. The difference is pretty subtle, and I'd say not even noticeable if you were standing in front of the sink. We decided to have the more rounded side exposed.

     I'm just two clear coats away from having the fridge surround's face frame finished, and hopefully we'll have some upper cabinet face frames ready for finishing before the weekend is out. 

Thanks for reading and have a great Memorial Day weekend!