How to assemble a cabinet

There are three ways to get a closet. You can buy a finished model. Develop it yourself and order components according to the drawing. Or do everything yourself: from thinking over the scheme to cutting materials into structural elements. But in any case, you have to attend to the assembly. Doing it yourself can significantly reduce the total cost of the cabinet. But this is not the main advantage.

Self assembly benefits

In addition to the quality of the materials of which the supporting structural elements are made, the life of the cabinet is also affected by:

  • mounting method;
  • build quality.

REFERENCE! Durable furniture is characterized by a duplicate fastening, when dowels and confirmations or minifixes are used in pairs. If the user is offered a cabinet with self-tapping screws, then you should not refuse it in only one case - the structural elements are fastened with the help of mounting angles.

Employees receive payment upon assembly, so they are interested in the speed of the process. And this, in turn, may not affect the quality in the best way: even if duplicate fixtures are provided, they can be ignored. After all, if the design is fully assembled and does not "hang out", then the work is done.

By independently assembling the cabinet, the owner is interested in his long service life. Consequently, he will check each compound several times, making sure of its strength. And even if the furniture manufacturer made mistakes, with their own installation they can be eliminated in a timely manner, thereby increasing the expected life of the “new thing”.

What is required?

Much depends on the design of the attachment points and hinges. If there is a duplicate connection dowel + euroscrew, then the main working tools will be a rubber hammer and an L-shaped confirmation key of the appropriate size. With the screw and minifix option, a key and a Phillips screwdriver. In a situation where a double is not provided, it is worth buying corners, at the rate of 4 pcs. on the shelf, and screws of a suitable size (no longer than 3/4 of the thickness of the shelf) in the appropriate amount.

Also useful:

  • roulette;
  • drill;
  • screwdriver with limiter;
  • ordinary hammer;
  • nails for nailing the back wall.

About hammers. If you need rubber, but there is nowhere to take it, you do not have to buy it. Its purpose is to seal the junction with dowels without damaging the outer coating of the cabinet walls. This can be done with an ordinary hammer, if you put a shock-absorbing lining in place of the impact.

Step-by-step diagram for cabinet assembly

IMPORTANT! First of all, it is necessary to unpack and, focusing on the drawing, sort the structural elements.

Lastly mounted doors and fiberboard sheets for covering the rear side of the cabinet are laid aside at this stage. Preparation is completed by the release of the workspace and the unfolding of accessories with tools in a convenient place.

The frame can be assembled in several ways: vertically and on the floor. The latter option is often recommended because it is considered the only one that allows you to do without outside help. This statement is not entirely true, since vertical assembly can also be carried out independently.

And it does not have the disadvantages characteristic of horizontal assembly, such as:

  • the need to take into account the diagonal of the side wall - if the value is equal to or greater than the height of the ceiling, then it will not be possible to raise the assembled cabinet;
  • loosening of fasteners during lifting, which affects the overall strength of the structure - the risk of damage increases if self-tapping screws are used.

Stage 1 - bottom

The assembly of the frame is carried out in the direction from the bottom to the cover, so these elements should be carefully inspected. The bottom panel has two-sided markings for fasteners. Having defined it, the upper one is laid aside and the assembly of the base begins.

If the legs are used as a support for the cabinet, then first they are fixed with the help of a central screw, and then you need to screw on the side screws. The base is usually fastened with dowels. In this case, the spikes are first driven into the bar, which is then fixed to the panel that functions as the bottom.

IMPORTANT! There are models of cabinets with a combined base. In such a situation, you first need to install furniture legs, and then the base.

Stage 2 - Wireframe

There are two options for attaching the sidewalls. If they are longer than the internal partitions, then lateral fixation is assumed. When they are equal - from the top to the bottom.

The second option allows assembly in the direction from one wall to another. The first is from the center to the edge. Having decided on the installation order of the verticals, they begin to study the assembly scheme. The following procedure looks like this:

  1. Focusing on the drawing, they select two adjacent partitions and a set of shelves for them.
  2. Dowels are driven into the shelves and with their help they connect vertical canvases.
  3. The resulting part of the structure is mounted on a support and duplicate mounts are mounted.
  4. Subsequent assembly is carried out according to the same principle: dowel in a shelf, it is vertical and connected to the rest of the structure.

The procedure for installing the cover depends on the method of mounting the outer walls. In the lateral version, the upper panel is first installed on the partitions, and then fasteners are inserted and tightened. If the lid is located on top of the wall, then the clips first bait, then the fabric is put in place and fixed.

Build completion

After complete assembly of the frame, it is necessary to check it for “distortions”. To do this, using a tape measure, both diagonals of the cabinet are measured. If the measurement results are the same - everything is in order. Otherwise, from the inclined side, the furniture is propped up and tightened by the fastenings that turned out to be weakened.

Back wall

At the end of the inspection, installation of fiberboard sheets is started. If it is one, then first it is fixed in the corners of the structure, and then nailed to all the shelves and partitions. When the cabinet is large and there are several such sheets, they start from the bottom corner. Having fixed it at several points, with the help of a connecting strip the remaining fiberboards are installed and “baited”. And only after the formation of the complete back wall is it nailed to the partitions and shelves.

REFERENCE! To strengthen the structure, diagonal struts can be filled on top of the fiberboard. The measure is relevant for cabinets with swinging doors, as they often experience lateral loads that can weaken the connection.

The next step is to install the cabinet in the space provided for it. Having coped with the task, with the help of a level, a control check of the tilt angles in all directions is carried out. If necessary, adjust the height of the legs, achieving the perfect horizontal on the lid and bottom. Then proceed with the installation of the internal filling: the bar, guides under the boxes, etc.

Doors

Sliding wardrobe doors are installed in rails. The upper one looks like a two-section profile mounted “flush” with the end of the lid. The lower one, consisting of two guides for the rollers, is attached to the bottom with an indent of 1-1.5 cm from the front edge. Before installing it, the wheel stops must be inserted into the grooves.

The next step is the installation of doors. If there is a decorative pattern on the facade, then the unpacked wings are correctly laid out along the wall to determine their insertion order. Start with the inside. The door is first inserted into the upper guide, then the wheel is wrung out and inserted into the lower rail. The action is repeated with the rest of the leaves and the cabinet is ready.

With swinging everything is a little easier. If the furniture manufacturer has provided holes for the hinges, then focusing on them, first mount the corresponding elements on the door and in the case. Then they are connected and adjusted with a screwdriver. Everything to the door installation is completed.

Otherwise, you must:

  • put the door to the case;
  • identify and mark places for loops;
  • use a milling cutter to drill holes, focusing on the depth of the loop bowl;
  • assemble the structure.

After finishing adjusting the fit of the doors, you can fix the fittings. The furniture is ready to use.

How long will the cabinet last?

With proper care and timely repair of minor malfunctions, such furniture has practically no restrictions on the period of operation. But its systematic movement around the house or moving, accompanied by disassembly and reassembly, is not reflected in the best way on fasteners.

When choosing your budget models from a laminated particleboard, you should remember:

  1. It is not advisable to disassemble it, because this fragile material crumbles and during subsequent assembly it will be necessary to further strengthen the joints with glue or mounting corners.
  2. Dampness is the main enemy of such furniture. Plates swell and deform, as a result of which the entire structure becomes unusable.
  3. Long shelves are not designed for heavy loads. On the mezzanine with a width of more than 70 cm, if there are no supporting partitions under it, it is undesirable to put a lot of weight - in the best case, it will bend. At worst, it will break in the center.

Cabinets made of MDV or solid wood are more durable and devoid of most of the shortcomings of chipboard. Moving such furniture is going through almost painlessly. It is resistant to damage, but even if they did appear, wood is restored relatively easily. The shelves under the weight of things do not bend or break in the places of fastenings. But for the quality you have to pay a tidy sum.

Warranty for cabinets ranges from 1 to 25 years. If there is a desire to purchase a durable, wear-resistant option, then the warranty period should be at least 10 years. Such furniture is likely to be inherited. Especially if you assemble it yourself.

Watch the video: How to Assemble Base Cabinet - RTA Cabinets Assembly Instructions (March 2024).

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