Last time I fitted the kitchen there were three assistants to hold things in place. This time 25 years on, I'm the only able bodied worker. I cant expect somebody to take time off work and I want to do it while the house is empty during the week. Any suggestions for getting those wall cabinets up single handed?
and the cupboards hung from these (also incorporated adjusters) Al
I did one recently on my own and managed OK; I'm certainly no Charles Atlas!
You don't try to hang the wall units with doors or shelves in place which reduces the weight. If you use most of your energy to *push* them against the wall rather than lift them, then it's easier; friction holds them in place - a shoulder and one arm does that while the other arm operates the spirit level and pencil!
Otherwise, stand them up on piles of scrap wood and packing on the worktop beneath.
David
ditto, the modern "claw" type wall unit hangers fit onto short rails you screw to the wall in the top corners, they have a good range of up/down, in/out adjustments, you can slide them left right on the rail.
Last time I did that I joined each row (2.7m was the longest) of upper cabinets together on the worktop and then raised them on piles of books. (Bit like putting up the Britannia Bridge tubes.) Then used the brackets to mark drilling points. Removed the brackets, drilled, plugged and refitted the brackets. Sounds crackers now, but it did get them well aligned despite a poor wall. And I was able to work alone. After 20 years or so they are still there.
Edgar
I used the large clamps that can be 'reversed' by taking off one ends and repositioning it facing the other way- there's a variety of manufacturers (Wolf)- . I used )two) as a from of 'jack' to position first cupboards; subsequent cupboards and 'jacked' into position then clamped to the one fixed with a large spring clamp.
I've never had help fitting a kitchen. I use wall units that hang from brackets and simply measure carefully when fitting the brackets. There is usually enough leeway in hanging the cupboard to allow for minor errors.
In my present kitchen, the brackets all seemed to want to be where there were mortar joints, so I cut sheets of 15mm MDF lengthwise to about 10mm less than the height of the cupboards and fitted those to the wall first. The MDF could then come down again and have the cupboards aligned with it lying on the floor. It also gave me a perfectly flat surface for hanging the cupboards and produced the best aligned wall cupboards I have ever managed. The odd 10mm short went at the bottom and meant that I could fit the top of the wall tiles slightly behind the bottom of the cupboards, which made them easier to fit too. It is something I would definitely do again if I ever fit another kitchen.
Colin Bignell
Yes.
You can use cabinet hangers.
Take a look at
Mark the cabinet positions on the wall and then determine a horizontal line below the top line where the steel brackets will be fitted. Fit all of the steel brackets.
Some cabinets already have this fitting type but of not, they are simple to attach. If they are knock down cabinets, you cut appropriate corners out of the top corners of the rear panel to accomodate the fittings and then assemble the cabinet. The fittings screw into the sides afterwards. Otherwise you will need to carefully remove sections from the back panel.
The cupboard can then be lifted onto the wall. It can be slid sideways on the bracket and then adjusted in and out and up and down using the adjusters in the hanging bracket.
that sounds good, my old ones i was fixing rawlbolts through corner brackets inside the units. Anyone know if B&Q have these easy style mounts or which ones do.
Is B&Q a bad idea? Any recommendations?
this is the best newsgroup!!!!! I post a query and within no time I have 4 techniques and counting.
Thanks all so far and those in the future!
If the place is occupied whilst the work is in progess this puts agreat deal of hassle onto you. You'll probably only do a 1/3 of a day's work each day. With having to leave everything OK and clean at the end of the day. If the kitchen is out of action then try to do the wall units first as the base units will be no longer in your way. And the wall units will make great shelves for tools and bits during the rest of the work.
Most kitchen units from the middle market (say IKEA) and upwards have adjustable fixings.
You can drill plug and screw the wall first. then the cabinet sits on the
3/4 tightened screws. Finally you make a small adjustment and secure the cabinet home with the rest of the fittings, one hand on the drill and one on the cupboard to hold it in place. The second screw is easier. The next cabinet is bolted to the first and so even easier.HTH
B&Q is middle to low end stuff. They have a service void behind at the back which can help. Pretty sure they have adjustable fixings.
yes they do.
excellent, I can be a cheapskate then :-) Is it going to be false economy though? My MFIs lasted 25 years mind you. Except for the worktops that I've replaced twice due to water ingress.
I found them OK, not made of /the thinnest/ chipboard, the plastic legs mean the carcases don't touch the floor to wick-up spills, no bits missing, I went for solid wood doors instead of foil covered ones.
Put the bottom bits in first and then use piles of books to make supports for the tops. I thank diety for that box of paperbacks.
The usual way is to put a 2" x 1" batten the full length of the wall. Get the first unit up, then rest the next on the batten and clamp it to the first by the front edge. This leaves both hands free to drill and fix, and allows you to adjust the distance from the wall if it isn't completely flat. Once the fronts are aligned the wall fixings can be tightened fully. How this system is affected by adjustable plates I'm not sure. I find them a pain anyway.
That way would interfere with the adjustable brackets.
I transferrred the height of a tall larder cupboard across to the wall with the wall cupboards, marked down to the required position for the top of the bracket (the instructions tell you the offset) then marked a level line along the whole run, drilled and screwed the brackets to the wall and slid the cupboards up the wall till they hooked over the bracket, and made minor adjustments.
Easy peasy. Bits of wood to suppot them off the counter top, and another bit wedged at the top going down t the floor to stop them keeling over. Or just use all those spare bibles you felt too guilty to give to the jumble sale, and a few unopened telephone directories, shimmed out with junkmail.
thanks for all the advice, its going fine, I can just lift a 1000mm tall wall cabinet into place from a stack of the old cabinets. Thats the heraviest.
TIP the B&Q units didnt want to hook onto thier wall mountings, till I realised i needed to extend the adj to fully "open" then retighten when in place (instructions dont say this).
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