I’ve never installed or shopped for cabinets. I’d like to put some in my mud room and laundry room. I’m not trying to spend $4k+ on custom ones.

Is it as simple as ordering some pre-made cabinets from Lowe’s and screwing them to the wall?

Is there a better, cost-effective option? Something to avoid?

I’ve installed 4 kitchens worth of IKEA cabinets and find them to be easy and similar or sometimes better quality than those purchased from big box stores.

Go to Lowe’s. Meet with cabinet people. They will design the room.
Order cabinets.
Identify studs.

If you're even reasonably capable with tools and grasp a bit of building sense, you should have no issues installing cases. A couple hints. One, if tackling this by yourself, install a 2x4 or 1x4 horizontally across the wall at the height you want for the bottom of the cases, then set the cases on it when you're installing them. When done, remove this 'ledger board' and patch and paint the couple holes left behind. That will keep the cases level and provide a helping hand so you don't drop one. Two, only use cabinet grade hardware (i.e. no sheet rock screws).

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
If you're even reasonably capable with tools and grasp a bit of building sense, you should have no issues installing cases. A couple hints. One, if tackling this by yourself, install a 2x4 or 1x4 horizontally across the wall at the height you want for the bottom of the cases, then set the cases on it when you're installing them. When done, remove this 'ledger board' and patch and paint the couple holes left behind. That will keep the cases level and provide a helping hand so you don't drop one. Two, only use cabinet grade hardware (i.e. no sheet rock screws).

Excellent advice right there!

Other than that, a stud finder is very handy for these projects. Simple magnet device to find the stud locations, which (in the US) will typically be on 16" or 24" centers, so once you locate one it is pretty easy to find the others.

Good quality fasteners are a must. Keep in mind that the fasteners will have to go through the cabinet wall, then through the sheetrock, so about 1" penetration before they connect with anything solid to hold the weight to the wall. For wood stud walls I use 2.5" to 3" screws and locate them to use the most solid part of the cabinet framing. More screws are better than fewer screws, spread the weight over as large an area as possible.

Many of the big-box home improvement stores (Lowes, Home Depot) can provide decent unfinished oak plywood cabinets for utility uses (laundry room, garage, etc) at pretty reasonable prices. They may not carry open stock, but you can order at the store or on-line.

One of those projects that really doesn't require that you graduate from barber college to get it right.

It really depends on what you want it to look like, if you like the I did it myself but it sucks then go to the big box stores. plan on nothing fitting the space correctly, adding 1/8 finished end panels, buying everything in 3 inch increments and putting fillers in to cover the ugly mess.

If you want cabinets to use every inch of the space, made from high quality materials and increase the value of your home then find a local 1 or 2 man shop and talk it over with them just because they are custom doesn't automatically mean high price.

lots of small cabinets shops out there that would love the chance to work with you.

My experience, 34 years as a one man cabinet shop.

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Originally posted by XLT:
If you want cabinets to use every inch of the space, made from high quality materials and increase the value of your home then find a local 1 or 2 man shop and talk it over with them just because they are custom doesn't automatically mean high price.

This is excellent advice if you have an appreciation for quality and the additional coin to afford the upgrade you'll be getting with a local shop, and you plan on keeping your home for some time. But I am going to deviate from XLT just a bit though. I have a large sticker on one of the cabinets in my shop that reads...."Experienced labor isn't cheap, and cheap labor isn't experienced". You will pay more through a local cabinet shop, but the end product will be far superior to what the big box stores offer.

Call uncle David, he just might have something on hand...

Very easy to do, as I added some in our laundry room and added a bar/counter area in the new house we bought. Wanting to match the cabinets they had installed, which came from Lowe's. Ours are the Diamond Now Wintucket. Come already assembled, though I would removed the doors when hanging, much lighter.

Before you start, I would measure and check for studs. If you're really worried about it, you can remove some drywall and add more support between studs across the whole width of your wall that is getting cabinets. Most are not that deep (wall cabinets) and how much weight do you plan on putting in them anyway?

Lastly, if you are doing more than one, you will need to get some screws to attach them to one another as well as the wall.

If you have someone to help, you can attach them to one another laterally, all on the ground, then lift and attach to wall. Conversely, you could tack up a straight 2x3 or 2x4 onto your wall so you have something to rest them on while attaching to the wall.

Dont blindly put in screws. Make sure your going through the meat of the cabinet and not the 1/4 backing. Use cabinet washers or use the Spax screws with the wide head. Sheetrock and deck screws are a no no.

Check Craiglist. They might have brand new cabinets that are out of style from the manufacturers.

Retired cabinetmaker with 35yrs and still have all 10 of my fingers intact. All of the advice given so far is topnotch and on point. Depending on what you are wanting for the final outcome would dictate which route you take be it custom made to fit between wall to wall or something freestanding. Proper anchoring is most important. You get what you pay for. ..................... drill sgt.

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Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Go to Lowe’s. Meet with cabinet people. They will design the room.
Order cabinets.
Identify studs.

^^^ This (and he isn't referring to a bunch of college junior and senior women on the beach volleyball team )

I did a small kitchen myself with IKEA cabinets and was very happy with them. I'd buy them over HD or Lowes cabinets any day.

They have a rail system for hanging that is very good that you don't see with other cabinets.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I did a small kitchen myself with IKEA cabinets and was very happy with them. I'd buy them over HD or Lowes cabinets any day.

They have a rail system for hanging that is very good that you don't see with other cabinets.

Related to IKEA cabinets.
I visited some friends in Munich about 15 years ago, and they had just rented an apartment.
Apartments there do not come with a kitchen. One need to bring their own cabinets, appliances, etc.

They bought a used set if IKEA cabinets and used the rail system to hang the cabinets.
Similar to a french cleat.

It seems to me, this would make updating the cabinets when remodeling the kitchen a bit easier, at least for the wall cabinets. Still have those pesky countertops and sinks to deal with in the base cabinets.

IKEA cabinets are fine; note they are melamine-coated MDF, with some risk of damage from water in a room where flooding (e.g. from washing machine) might occur.
Their hardware is very good. I put a SEKTION tall cabinet in our garage for a pantry, used their drawers which run on Blum slides. One problem is that the widths are fixed, so it might involve some work to fit the cabinets into a space of fixed width.