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Installing kitchen cabinets isn't as hard as some might think. All you need is the right tools and a lot of patience. You'll find it would help to have at least two people for the job, to help with moving and lifting cabinets and holding some of the uppers in place while they're being fastened.

Tools and supplies needed: Four foot level

Tape measure

Stud Finder

Shims

1x2 lumber (enough to cover the linear footage of

your cabinet layout)

2 1/2" drywall or wood screws

Clamps

Cordless drill with screw driving bit and a drill

bit (for pre-drilling for the screws)

Table or circular saw

Wood file and/or planer

Pencil

Touch-up-kit (supplied by your cabinet supplier, it

should include wood filler or filler stick,

and stain/paint marker or small can of

stain/paint)

Preparation and Planning:

Using your level, find the highest point in your floor against the wall. Measure up the wall from there and mark the height of your base cabinets without the countertop. From that mark, measure upward and mark the distance you planned to have between the countertop and the upper cabinets plus 1-1/2" (for the countertop). Place your level horizontally on the first mark and a draw level reference line on the wall all along where your cabinets are to be installed. Do the same for the second mark you made. These lines represent the top of your base cabinets and the bottom of your wall cabinets.

Next, mark where all of your studs are, because cabinets must be securely fastened to the wall framing for support. Screw a ledger board (1x2 lumber will work fine) along the bottom of the line you drew for the upper cabinets. This will help to support the weight of your uppers as you are fastening them.

Map out where your base and upper cabinets are going to be placed along the wall. Measure where they fall along the reference lines and where the studs are going to fall on the cabinets and transfer those measurements to the cabinet backs. Pre-drill holes at those points in the nailing strips in the backs of the cabinets.

Remove all doors and drawers from your cabinets so they don't become damaged in the installation process (you may want to label them so you know which ones go to which cabinets when it comes time to reattach them).

Wall Cabinets:

Install the wall cabinets first, starting with a corner cabinet. Put the cabinet tight against both walls and make sure its level and plum using a level on all sides (up, down, front back, and side to side), use shims where needed to adjust and hold plum. Secure the cabinet to the wall by pre-drilling and screwing top and bottom nail strips of the cabinet to the studs.

Set the next cabinet in place tight against the wall and corner cabinet. Line up the face frame with that of the corner cabinet and clamp them together tightly at the frame. Then pre-drill through one frame into the other and secure them with a couple of screws. Shim the second cabinet as needed and secure that one through the back.

If there is a space to be later filled with a filler between an already installed cabinet and your next cabinet, do not clamp or screw the face frames together, set the cabinet as you did the first cabinet, in its correct position, making sure it is level (in the front and up and down) with the others. Continue that way till all the wall cabinets are in place.

Your cabinet supplier should supply you with fillers to fill any spaces between cabinets. To install the fillers, measure the length and width of the space to be filled, using a table saw or a circular saw, cut/rip the filler piece to size. Place the filler in the space between the cabinets, filing or planing where needed. Pre-drill and screw the filler to the face frames on both sides a couple times.

Base:

Start with a corner cabinet. Put it in place, line up the top to the reference line, shim under the back of the cabinet until it is flush with the line, and pre-drill and screw to wall through nail strips. Shim under front and sides of the cabinet until it is level in all directions. Follow the same steps and secure the backs to the studs, always making sure it is level with the adjacent cabinet. Put fillers in where needed in the base cabinets, the same way you did for your wall cabinets.

Finishing touches:

Stand back and take a look at your handy work. If there are any shims sticking out under toe kicks, chisel them so they are at least flush with cabinet frame. Install any finished toe kick or molding pieces that came unattached.

Now look for any exposed screws, nicks and scratches. Using your touch-up kit (which should have come with your cabinets) cover up screws and fix any imperfections.