[deb2552]

OK...thanks for all the answers to my questions about tools needed for assembly. I'm getting nervous because my cabinets are being delivered (and my Sears appliances) on Dec. 27th. ) I was going to have the appliances delivered later in Jan. nearer the kitchen completion...but since I have the week after Xmas off, I'll be here and can hang out for the delivery. Our contractor starts Jan. 9, so I have a week at least to get started on cabinet assembly.

I was planning on having the cabinets (and the appliances) delivered into my living room which isadjacent to the kitchen/dining area and would assemble my cabinets there. But I saw a pic of someones delivery and I don't think that I'll have much room for assembly if I store the boxrs in here too. ((do they come on pallets?)Would it be OK to have them put the boxes in my basement (unheated but thefurnace is down there) and bring upstairs the pieces I need as I assemble the cabs? I know they are supposed to be in the area where they will be installed...I will start assembling them immediately (I think they said I would have about 156 boxes! I have21 cabinets and assorted toe kicks, cover panels etc.

Thanks again everyone...guess I'll need my hand held through this!!!

Debbie

[frank551]

I unloaded into my garage, assembled in the living room, and stored in a shed (I have good weather) until ready to install. I would install counters inside though.

[nyc_home]

I don't know what cold would do to the cabinets (someone like Tigratus will jump in on that one with the answer,I'll bet) but I would avoid putting them in the basement just on the basis of not wanting to have to carry each box up the stairs when you're ready for it. Is it feasible to move some of your furniture down to the basement during the installation instead?

156 boxes will take up a pretty big chunk of space, though. Ours did not come on pallets, or in any sort or rational order. I made a spread sheet so I could check off that everything was correct before signing off on it (it was). After the delivery guys left I restacked everything to keep it a little less chaotic-- doorfronts, shelves, etc. It also helps to number each cabinet in your plan and then to write the corresponding number on each box.

[deb2552]

Thanks for the replies. I have my husband working on the spreadsheet per your suggestion. I guess the living room will have to act as the storage, assembly areas and temporary kitchen! Myhusband had the same concern about dragging the boxes upstairs.

Would it help to have an automatic screwdriver?

Debbie

[GardenOfDarwin]

Absolutely. Did you see the FAQ on Tools Needed on the Fansite side? It will give you an idea of basic tools needed as well as upgrades that make it easier. Good Luck!

Susan

[saru]

My DH and I just finished the assembly part just last week, so we’re just about at the same point as you. We ended up assigning each of our 19 cabinets a number on the floor plan we printed out. When the order was delivered, we checked off what came through the door on the spreadsheet we made up (whoever came up with the idea to make a spreadsheet—thank you from the bottom of my heart!!) We kept all of the cover panels, shelves, doors, toe kicks and moldings separate since we would not be using them in the initial assembly. After delivery, we placed each piece in a flat pile according to its number and what type of cabinet it was. This took nearly a full day, but was really a time saver in the long run.

We put the all of the wall and the 3 tall (oven and 2 pantries) in the living room with a staging/assembly area and all of the base cabinets in the basement family room also with a staging/assembly area. This seemed to work out very well because my DH was able to work on the wall cabinets while I did the base cabinets and we never once got in each others way and finished the job in only a few days. After assembling the cabinets, we placed the pack of hinges and hangers for each cabinet in a zip lock bag and numbered it according to the cabinet it belonged to and put it inside of the cabinet. We also put a piece of painter’s tape with the cabinet number on the top of the assembled cabinet.

The hardest part so far was finding enough floor space to keep the large and long pieces flat on the floor so they wouldn’t warp. We should be able to finish the rough-in electrical and plumbing early next week and will start installing the cabinets next weekend. I can hardly wait!!

The tools we used thus far were: power drivers, a regular Phillips screwdriver to set the few screws in the really tight spaces, a couple of good hammers, a pair of pliers (so you don’t hit your fingers hammering the nails into the back covers), a regular screwdriver (to remove the drawer front after putting one on up-side-down), and finally a glass of wine (but only after the 1[suP]st[/suP] cabinet was assembled).

Good luck and have a great time putting your cabinets together!