What's the consensus on hanging upper cabinets....gang 'em or individually?

[Dumb_Polack]

Fellas,

I installed the lowers in our church rectory and I'll be hanging the uppers once the counter tops get installed.  There are 2 ways to go on the uppers:

1) Assemble a run of them on the floor and then hump them up and install it as 1 unit.

2) Install them 1 @ a time

I like option A better because I can gang them all together, ensuring the face frames are flush and then shimming them off the the wall to get them dead nuts vertical.  However, if the end cabinet is a little bit away from the wall, there would be a gap.  (the other run ends at a returned wall so any gap wouldn't be visible) 

I suppose if I mounted them individually along the run, if the end one had a gap there'd be no way to conceal it either.  I will check the walls for vertical beforehand so this issue might not surface.


(Funny, I installed our kitchen cabinets 8 years ago and I forget if I went to gang route or individually....it does suck getting old)


What's the consensus?

[jteneyck]

I've never seen anyone gang them together on the ground, or the countertop, and then lift them into place.  I can't think of any real benefit of doing it that way.  

As for a gap at the end of the run, that's why you make the end panels wide and scribe them to fit.  If you are using factory cabinets with no added end panels you still have options.  The easiest is to scribe a thin piece of factory trim stock to the wall and brad nail it to the side of the cabinet after they are installed.   

John

[Woodenfish]

Maybe it’s something geographic but everyone around me seems to gang and hang.

[Phil Thien]

I've never seen anyone gang them together on the ground, or the countertop, and then lift them into place.  I can't think of any real benefit of doing it that way.  

As for a gap at the end of the run, that's why you make the end panels wide and scribe them to fit.  If you are using factory cabinets with no added end panels you still have options.  The easiest is to scribe a thin piece of factory trim stock to the wall and brad nail it to the side of the cabinet after they are installed.   

John

Maybe it’s something geographic but everyone around me seems to gang and hang.

Good timing for this thread.

If you don't assemble the cabinets in a row before hanging, how do you know whether you will be able to get the face frames to flush?

If, for example, the wall is a little wavy and you screw the first cabinet to the wall, then go to install the 2nd cabinet, is it not possible that the face frames with be slightly gappy and you'll have to adjust the first cabinet?  Or do you just pull the face frames flush and screw them off and allow the somewhat flexible cabinet to adjust?

[Phil Thien]

Also, I've heard of people hanging a ledger board, resting the bottoms of cabinets on that board, and shimming/screwing the cabinet in.

But if there is a ledger board, how are you shimming at the bottom of the cabinet (if needed)?

Does anyone have a link to a cabinet-hanging video on Youtube that is "for real?"

[EdL]

Ganging them is nice but, weight becomes a factor really quick.

Ed

[Phil Thien]

I'll be working with my SIL tomorrow to hang some uppers, he sent me this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGNTKFpn-kY

So I think that is how we will proceed.

[jteneyck]

Good timing for this thread.

If you don't assemble the cabinets in a row before hanging, how do you know whether you will be able to get the face frames to flush?

If, for example, the wall is a little wavy and you screw the first cabinet to the wall, then go to install the 2nd cabinet, is it not possible that the face frames with be slightly gappy and you'll have to adjust the first cabinet?  Or do you just pull the face frames flush and screw them off and allow the somewhat flexible cabinet to adjust?

You check the wall before installation to find out where the humps are.  The hump that sits proudest is where you won't need to shim.  If you hang the uppers on a French cleat then installing that will require shimming where necessary to get it straight across the wall.  If you just screw the cabinets to the wall then you can start with the one where the hump is and work both ways, shimming as necessary as you go.  I've done it sitting the cabinets on a ledger and on a box on top of a countertop.  In both cases you just shim from the side to adjust the bottom so the ledger is not in the way except for the cabinet trapped in the corner; do that one from the bottom after the ledger is removed and add more shims under the backs of the others where/if you need to screw.  If you'd rather not start where the hump is, then you have to figure out how thick the shims need to be where the first cabinet goes.  Pull a string across the wall, touching it at the hump.  Measure to the wall where you want to put the first cabinet.     

The most important thing is to get the faceframes aligned and screwed together w/o stressing or twisting the cabinets..  It's better to do that before shimming and definitely before screwing them tightly to the wall.  A long straightedge that spans several cabinets is a great help in keeping everything "flat" and where shims are needed or too thick.  

This has worked for me, but I don't do it for a living.  Then again, mine are straight and the doors lay flat.  

John

[crokett™]

Good timing for this thread.

If you don't assemble the cabinets in a row before hanging, how do you know whether you will be able to get the face frames to flush?

If, for example, the wall is a little wavy and you screw the first cabinet to the wall, then go to install the 2nd cabinet, is it not possible that the face frames with be slightly gappy and you'll have to adjust the first cabinet?  Or do you just pull the face frames flush and screw them off and allow the somewhat flexible cabinet to adjust?

I don't know if this is what the pros do, but I hang them one at a time.  Too heavy to gang them together and hang them if I'm by myself.

You clamp the face frames together and then screw them together.  Then do any shimming to the entire unit.  

Also, I've heard of people hanging a ledger board, resting the bottoms of cabinets on that board, and shimming/screwing the cabinet in.

But if there is a ledger board, how are you shimming at the bottom of the cabinet (if needed)?

I have always used a ledger board.  What I do is, put the ledger board on level.  start at the corner, get the cabinet in plum.  Screw the top.  Add the rest of the cabinets.  Screw the top in, clamp the face frames and screw them together.   Remove the ledger,  shim as needed.    For the opposite wall, install the ledger level to the bottom of cabinets I just hung, repeat the process.

[Dumb_Polack]

Yes, I will be using a ledge board and yes I will be having someone help me.  (The longest run is 8 ft, I'd guess so having another worker bee would help out.