Having the right cabinet installation supplies is a must for a cabinet installation. Both pros and DIY’ers will sometimes make the mistake of not having suitable screws, shims, or other essential parts on hand. And off to the hardware store, you will go looking for supplies.
But it’s more complicated – having the right supplies is a must.
For example, having shims doesn’t mean you have the correct shims. How so? Because not all shims will be suitable for a cabinet installation. Take, for instance, a composite shim that will easily break and reduce the need for cutting versus its wooden cousin, which is a pain to cut and splits readily.
Or perhaps the suitable cabinet screws need to be the right length, not fall off the tip of the bit, and are self-tapping.
I’ll show you all the tips and tricks for the right supplies in this article.
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Cabinet Installation Supplies
1. Composite cabinet shims
See on Amazon: Pro-Grade Composite Shims
On one hand you can install cabinets with traditional shims, but on the other why deal with cutting them? Composite shims just snap off, and no need to cut them. When it comes to cabinet installation supplies, this is an absolute must-have.
Typical uses of shims:
- Underneath base cabinets to level them
- At the top back of the base cabinets between the wall and the cabinet. Shims prevent pulling the cabinet out of the front-to-back level.
- At the top and bottom of the upper cabinets between the cabinet and wall (same reason as #2).
So, what’s wrong with wood shims? The grain runs the long direction and anyone who’s worked with wood knows two things happen. First, putting a screw into a thin wood strip invites splitting. Second, wood shims won’t break off. You’ll need to cut them.
2. Cabinet knob drill guides
See on Amazon: King & Charles Knob Jig
At the end of almost all cabinet installations is the nerve-wracking process of drilling holes for knobs and handles.
What makes this so traumatic? Well, drilling a hole is permanent, and cabinets are expensive. If you aren’t an every-day professional, there are many areas of potential error.
A cabinet knob guide will do two things:
- Allow one-time setup of hole placement.
- Provide a guide for drill bits to avoid “wandering” that can cause crooked handles.
3. Magnetic drill bit holders
- Rare earth neodymium magnet is 2x stronger than magnets in standard insert bit holders
- Xtreme torsion technology is engineered to allow the torsion section of the bit holder to flex under load, taking pressure off of the bit tip for increased durability in high torque applications
- 2 piece design is engineered to allow the torsion technology to fully activate
- High quality steel engineered for use with impact drivers
- Designed exclusively for high torque impact drivers
Last update on 2025-07-03 at 16:52 / Images from Amazon
Although you can install cabinets without a magnetic drill bit holder, it makes the job a lot less challenging to have one. Why? Well, when the day comes for installation, you’ll find yourself holding an upper cabinet, drill in hand, screw on the bit, and…off falls the screw. Hopefully, nobody is around to hear your disapproval after a few attempts.
4. Magnetic wristband
See on Amazon: RAK Magnetic Wristband
Keeping on the theme of magnets, one of the cabinet installation supplies you’ll be reaching for all the time is pilot hole bits, cabinet screws, and various bits. Why not make that job more accessible and have a magnetic wristband hold what you need?
During my years installing cabinets, I’ve lost quite a bit of time hunting down bits, losing screws, or even bringing an upper cabinet back down to the floor to grab more cabinet screws.
5. Saw horses - A Place to Work and Hold Trim
See on Amazon: Metabo HPT Sawhorses
- Setting upper cabinets on for marking pilot hole locations
- Supporting saws – such as your miter saw
- Makeshift worktable
- Storing crown molding, cabinet filler strips, and other supplies off the floor
6. Miter saw stand
See on Amazon: BORA Miter Saw Stand
While you can use your miter saw from saw horses (or even the floor), I recommend a good quality miter saw stand to improve the quality of complex cuts with long trim.
Most installations require cutting of filler strips, base shoe, toe kick, and complicated cuts with crown molding.
7. Color putty
See on Amazon: Color Putty Blending Kit
I’ve used this for twenty years to hide minor imperfections in face frame joints following an installation. While #7 on this list of cabinet installation supplies, I never install a kitchen without it.
This putty comes out of the jar as a workable clay-like putty that you work into seams in cabinets to blend and hide imperfections. I recommend buying 3-4 different colors (light to dark) and mixing them as needed to find the perfect match for your cabinet color.
8. Clear finish for touch-ups
See on Amazon: General Finishes
An inevitable ding or improvised board or joint on most kitchens needs a little finish touch-up. While this is the last of the cabinet installation supplies, you will almost surely need it.
9. Sheer-rated Cabinet Installation Screws
See on Amazon: FastCap Cabinet Installation Screws
Last but not least, you need sheer-rated cabinet screws to install cabinets to properly make a secure cabinet-to-wall connection.
Can you use drywall screws for installing cabinets? Some do, but they weren’t made for the weight of cabinets.
Summary
After you’ve picked up your supplies be sure to check out our cabinet installation series for more on how to install cabinets:
Cabinet Installation Series
Planning & Tools To Install Cabinets
Guides for Cabinet Installation
Finishing Cabinets With Molding and Hardware
- About the Author
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Eric has been a professional woodworker for over thirty years and has worked in small cabinet shops making everything from kitchen cabinets to hand-made furniture. Now working from a home woodworking shop Eric is sharing his passion for woodworking, tool advice and how-to knowledge from his Minnesota-based woodshop.
