Installing cabinets is a precision job that requires unique tools that most DIY’ers don’t own. And without spending a few bucks on the right cabinet installation tools homeowners run the risk of damaging expensive cabinets.
After installing over a hundred kitchens I’ve learned a trick or two and am sharing the tools that make installing cabinets easier, faster and with higher quality.
While many tools on this list are available at a big box store near you, these top three tools are usually only available online:
LIFT + HOLD
Hold Upper Cabinets in Place
Lifting and holding upper cabinets is the hardest part of installing cabinets. Cabinet jacks make the job easy by holding the cabinet while you align and screw.
Also available from fastcap.com
Installing upper cabinets is usually a team effort.
One installer lifts and holds the upper cabinet while the other installer aligns, installs screws, drops screws, wants an adjustment and, you guessed it, the fighting can start.
But, using a cabinet jack frees both installers to do the important work by simply fitting under the upper cabinet and taking the weight. And with a micro-adjustment handle allows for precision placement of the cabinet.
Freeing you to worry about alignment, shims, cabinet screw installation and level.
Related Article: DIY Guide to the Best Cabinet Jacks
WALL SCREWS
Cabinet to Wall Screws
Standard screws do not have the shear strength required to hold a cabinet to the wall. Which is why professionals use, of course, a cabinet screw designed for holding hundreds of pounds to the wall.
Also available from fastcap.com
First, FastCap specializes in making woodworking faster and better. Which is why their cabinet jacks and screws are so popular with woodworkers.
And, for cabinet screws, these screws both hold the cabinet AND won’t fall of the tip of your screw gun as they feature a firm fitting square drive head.
If that wasn’t enough, the name of the company actually came from screw “cap” stickers that are made in a variety of colors to hide the head of the cabinet screw.
PRECISE HOLES
For Knobs and Handles
After the cabinets are installed the nerve-testing task of drilling holes in thousands of dollars of doors and drawers is next. To reduce chances of error use a cabinet hardware jig that will proper align your hardware.
Also available from truepositiontools.com
After drilling hundreds of drawers and doors the first experience I had with a cabinet hardware jig was both disappointing and exciting.
Disappointing? Only because I hadn’t purchased one sooner and saved myself the hassle of slightly crooked handles.
Aside from being able to quickly drill repeated holes, this jig prevents drill bits from wandering in course grain wood like oak.
There are dozens of imitations on the market – professionals know True Position Tools has the best jig on the market.
Related Article: Best Cabinet Hardware Jig for Knobs and Handles
Most Used Cabinet Installation Tools
There are three distinct categories of any list of tools, and for cabinet installers the following is generally true.
Specialty Tools
- Cabinet claws
- Cabinet jacks
- Cabinet hardware jigs
- Cabinet wedges
- Crown moulding jigs
- Wood scribe
Basic Tools
- Miter saw
- Six foot level
- Cordless drill
- Stud finder
- Trim nail gun
- Hole saw
- Belt sander
- Jig saw
- Laser level
- Trigger clamps
Everything Else
- Flust cut Japanese saws
- Moving straps
- Color Putty
- Hearing protection
Research and Experience
After building and installing hundreds of cabinets I’ve seen things done the right and wrong way. While installing cabinets might be difficult, building them is harder.
Since starting to build cabinets in the early 1990’s the tools to build cabinets are largely the same. But the tools and accessories to install them have dramatically changed.
Who Should Use This Guide
From installing a vanity, an upper cabinet in a laundry room or tackling a full size kitchen most tools remain the same.
But as the number of cabinets to install increases so does the skill and tools.
Professionals are always looking for the best or newest tools and the industry is always releasing some tool or another.
Serious DIY’ers or contractors that are competent with saws, measurements, and home construction.
DIY’ers looking to install a simple set of cabinets.
Shown: Pony Cabinet Claw
I haven’t installed a kitchen I didn’t use Color Putty on.
Due to it’s plyable, finger friendly application it can be applied anywhere. And with the ability to mix colors to customize to your project it is the ultimate in versatile.
Wondering where you’d use it? Well, crown molding nails, face frame gaps, toe kick, base shoe and any other nail or crack can be quickly made invisible.
Shown: Profiler+ Scribing Tool
So connecting flat cabinets to each other is simplified with clamps and screws.
But how do you match a flat cabinet to a curved wall?
With a wood scribe, of course.
Cabinet to wall filler strip installation is a combination of skill and tools. And typically requires a belt sander and a wood scribe.
Shown: Bosch 30ft Cross-Line Level
I had to re-install the base cabinets in a kitchen a dozen or so years ago when the (extremely) uneven floor caused leveling issues.
Why? Well, the solid surface installers rejected the plane as it wasn’t perfectly flat. I’ll say they were a little too picky, but regardless it cost me a half day to fix.
If your kitchen will have solid surface counters AND you have an L or U-shaped kitchen it’s worth using a laser level to ensure your base cabinets are installed flat.
To use one of these tools you’ll want to install it on a pole in the center of the room, set the laser line for the upper cabinets (bonus, not required) and base cabinets so you have a visual reference as to “perfect”. Then simply install and ship cabinets to this highly visible line.
If you have the budget a 360-degree laser is best.
I had to re-install the base cabinets in a kitchen a dozen or so years ago when the (extremely) uneven floor caused leveling issues.
Why? Well, the solid surface installers rejected the plane as it wasn’t perfectly flat. I’ll say they were a little too picky, but regardless it cost me a half day to fix.
If your kitchen will have solid surface counters AND you have an L or U-shaped kitchen it’s worth using a laser level to ensure your base cabinets are installed flat.
To use one of these tools you’ll want to install it on a pole in the center of the room, set the laser line for the upper cabinets (bonus, not required) and base cabinets so you have a visual reference as to “perfect”. Then simply install and ship cabinets to this highly visible line.
If you have the budget a 360-degree laser is best.
Now this tool might be a surprise to even a cabinet installation professional.
The cabinet wedge is an air powered wedge that will help with a task you don’t even know will be an issue: lifting base cabinets just ever-so-slightly to find perfect level.
And then you can place the shim.
But seriously – is this worth it? Yes! Leveling base cabinets on uneven floors is a major pain-point and this nifty tool (or 3 of them, in fact) will make the job easier.
The alternative? You’ll be lifting, shimming, and leveling while fussing with shims and bulky cabinets. And I don’t like that amount of time on the floor.
Shown: FastCap Jack of All Trades
As an upgrade to the cabinet wedge (at least for base cabinets) and a 2-in-1 deal for frameless cabinets make this FastCap unique tool a professionals consideration.
Key features:
- Reversible jaw for lifting or clamping
- Large, heavy duty trigger clamp for holding frameless cabinets firmly in place.
- FastCap innovation and reputation
And coupled with the cabinet jacks the combination provides a quick and effortless way to steady a cabinet and securely screw it with perfect alignment vertically and horizontally.
Shown: OX Tools Tradesman Level
You can’t install a kitchen without a level. And I’m not talking about that 12″ long plastic level you have in the utility drawer.
A cabinet installation requires at least a 6′ level for a number of reasons:
- Ensure cabinets spanning gaps over ranges, sinks, and other areas are level with each other.
- Checking cabinet alignment vertically between upper and lower cabinets.
- Making sure your lower cabinets are absolutely flat for installing solid surface tops.
Shown: SKIL 6-amp Belt Sander
I can’t remember an installation where I didn’t use a belt sander to adjust either a face frame or cabinet back.
Due to kitchen walls and drywall that aren’t perfect you’ll need a belt sander to adjust the cabinet sides, face frames or bases.
Because your woodworking aspirations will determine what size and type of belt sander you’ll need there is a range of cheap to professional. For example:
- A single installation a belt sander can be found for under $50 that will do the job.
- But for around $200-250 you’ll find sanders with more power, better dust collection and larger belts.
Shown: ProSensor 710 Stud Finder
Cabinets falling off the wall.
Drilling a cabinet knob in the wrong spot.
Hitting an electric line or plumbing with a screw.
Look, there’s no reason to hit anything behind the wall while installing cabinets. Due to readily available 4-in-1 stud finders that can locate just about everything behind the wall you cannot safety install a kitchen without a stud finder.
Want another option? Check out cabinet hanging rail systems for an alternative to screwing cabinets directly to the wall.
Features of popular stud finders:
- Locate wood stud edges to center screws
- Find electrical lines
- Identify plumbing / utility lines
- Metal stud identification
While I prefer a composite shim for cabinet installation because they snap off, if you found yourself with wood shims, a Japanese saw is a fantastic way to do flush wood trimming.
A great benefit of this tool is it’s reusable for future woodworking projects where flush cuts are needed (dowels, thru tenons, etc.).
Cabinet installation almost always involves some sort of trim – including the tough-to-tackle crown molding.
And while you could tackle this with a pilot bit, brads and a hammer with a nail set I’d recommend against it.
Especially with four common nailing tasks:
- Crown molding installation
- Toe kick installation
- Base shoe
- Skirt molding (often used to conceal lighting)
Best of all, if you own one of the modern battery ecosystems there’s a cordless option to skip the noisy air compressor.
Related Article: Best Cordless Nail Guns for Woodworking
Every cabinet installation requires a miter saw to cut trim and crown molding.
Because it makes quick work of helping install cabinet filler strips between face frames, cutting trim, and slicing complex angle crown molding you’ll find installing a kitchen without one a challenge.
A few things to look for:
- You can skip the cost of the compound, sliding miter saw if you use a General Tools jig as mentioned above
- But, make sure you invest in blocking or an in-feed / out-feed table for supporting the trim
- 10″ is fine for homeowner use (I build kitchens with a 10″ saw)
Related Article: Best Miter Saws for Woodworking
Shown: Dewalt Cordless Jigsaw
While not something you think about first, every cabinet installation requires a few outlet holes and plumbing holes to be cut.
And, if your project will continue to installing laminate counters you’ll need this for cutting out the sink hole.
A few features that should be top of mind for a jigsaw:
- Adjustable stroke for aggressive cuts in soft wood, or less aggressive in harder woods (and laminate tops)
- Smooth machined bottom to not scratch the surface
- And variable speed control to adapt to number of teeth on the blade
- Cordless to avoid (literally) cutting the cord
Shown: Dewalt Hole Saw Set
Every kitchen or bath installation involves drilling a few well placed 1-3″ holes in the cabinets for plumbing hot/cold water supplies, waste return lines, and dishwasher hoses.
While you can saw these holes, I prefer to take a few extra minutes and locate the holes and then use a slightly larger hole-saw.
A few things to look for:
- Variety of hole saws up to 4″
- Quality of the mandrel
- Depth of the hole saw for thicker material
Fortunately, most hole saw needs in cabinets are for thin material up to 3/4″. So, no need to break the bank on a cabinetmaker-grade set of hole saws.
Shown: 3M Bluetooth Ear Muffs
This is a part of cabinet installation most forget about until the saws and nailers start.
But, you’ll need high quality noise reducing headphones to avoid ear damage.
And with bluetooth hearing protection you can listen to music or make and take calls from these earmuffs.
Shown: Shoulder Dolly Moving Straps
Don’t forget the first part of installing cabinets is getting them in the room.
And for a DIY installation that can mean a heavy lift of bulky cabinet boxes.
So, why not take a page from appliance movers and prepare ahead with shoulder straps designed to redistribute the load and prevent injury?
Shown: Dewalt Cordless Vacuum
At the end of every cabinet installation there is a mess.
As you can guess, dust from the saws, wood chips from drilling holes in the cabinets, and drywall dust from any minor wall modifications are all over. Since you’ll need to get into small spaces all over the kitchen a compact vacuum is a time saver.
Best of all this doesn’t have to be just on of your cabinet installation tools – it’s versatile for your workshop as well to cleanup dust around and in your power tools.
The alternative? A shop vac or a vacuum that wasn’t made for dust and chips (and one I’d get in trouble using…).
6 Cabinet Installation Blunders
Maybe you’re thinking these tools are a bunch of gadgets and you don’t need them.
Well, before taking a look at the tools, let’s take a look at what happens if DON’T invest in the basics.
- Skipping the stud finder leaves you wondering where the studs are. And plumbing. And electricity lines.
- While belt sanders seem optional, the only way to perfectly grind a filler strip or crooked cabinet is with one. Skip this tool if you want unsightly gaps.
- Using cheap clamps to hold cabinets together while shimming or drilling results in poor quality.
- Manually drilled handle holes are a recipe for a new cabinet door.
- Asking friends to hold 75-pound cabinets in the air while you try to drill holes. Use a cabinet jack.
- Improperly leveled based cabinets will invite your solid surface installer to reject the installation. I’ve seen it happen, so use a laser level.
And, well, you get the picture.
Don’t try to save a few hundred dollars now and be frustrated on installation day.
Frequently Asked Questions for Kitchen Cabinet Installation Tools
What tools are needed to install kitchen cabinets?
While there are many tools required, a cordless drill, miter saw, jigsaw, cabinet jack, cabinet claw and a level are the main tools required.
Can I install kitchen cabinets myself?
Yes but only with the right tools like a cabinet jack or cabinet lift that will allow you to support upper cabinets while in the air.
What screws do I use to hang cabinets?
The standard screw is the GRK Cabinet Screw with a length of 2-1/2″. However specialty screws like the GRK Trim Head are used for connecting face frames.
How do you hold cabinets in place during installation?
To hold cabinets in place during installation use a cabinet jack that will allow you to make minor adjustments to the cabinet height and hold the cabinet in place.
Conclusion
By now you probably realize the right cabinet installation tools are the difference between a good and great installation. So, rather than find out during your installation you could use a tool grab them first.
Cabinet Installation Series
Planning & Tools To Install Cabinets
Guides for Cabinet Installation
Finishing Cabinets With Molding and Hardware
Last update on 2022-06-28 at 03:53 / Images from Amazon
Great article, thanks for putting all of this together! I was laid off last year and started building cabinets, looking to fill a gap and start installing them myself as well. I’ve been piecing some of this together but this is thorough and comprehensive. I’ve also been helping out Sleep in Heavenly Peace lately as well, awesome organization.
Adam,
Appreciate the nice comment and hope things are turning around – SHP is a great organization and good to hear you are able to help!
Eric