Hanging cabinets can be an arduous or easy process, depending on the quality of the cabinets and the dimension of the space. If you’re wondering how to install garage cabinets for your San Francisco area home, don’t worry too much because we’ll take care of everything from design to installation.

Cabinet Installation Made (Somewhat) Easy

There are unique challenges that anyone taking on a garage cabinet project will have to overcome. Not least of all, your cabinets will need to be specially made for the specific challenges that your garage is faced with.

Start With Design

The best way to make sure that your garage cabinets have a smooth, seamless installation is to start with the right design. If you go with second-rate garage cabinets or simply attempt to use repurposed kitchen cabinets outside, you’re bound to be a little disappointed. Your garage cabinets need to offer your home more utility and versatility than ordinary or cheap cabinets can possibly hope to match. Because of this, the specialists at Garage Solutions always begin with a personalized design, then move forward with production of your cabinets only after taking into account any specific barriers or obstacles that could arise during installation.

Garages Are Different

Every aspect of architecture in your garage is dramatically different from what is typically found inside your home. For instance, your home was almost certainly built from a completely level and square foundation, then continued the trend of keeping everything in perfect alignment, and finally was finished in such a way that allows for cabinet boxes to evenly fit on all sides based upon the measurements needed to fit them into the area. When it comes to your garage, however, it may not have been built with a completely level foundation and almost never features a perfect 90 degree angle from floor to ceiling. In fact, nearly all garages feature a rounded corner with the flooring extending upwards a few inches up the wall to prevent moisture from pooling at the base of any of the home’s walls. Because of this small portion and the moisture transferring properties of concrete, many garage cabinets are actually “floating,” secured only to the wall, not resting upon the floor at all. In this and many other ways, garage cabinets are noticeably different from your standard interior cabinet.

Keeping Level

Whether you’re installing the uppers or base cabinets, it is important to always only ever install a level cabinet. This means the cabinets need to meet together seamlessly at the front and rest level on the top and bottom. If your cabinets are installed even slightly off level, it can leave noticeable gaps that collect dirt, dust, and damaging moisture over time or, worse, cause your countertops to not rest squarely on the finished surface. This can spell disaster for the finished product, leaving you feeling high-and-dry with poor looking cabinetry in your garage. By starting with a cabinet that was intentionally made for the space in which it will reside, you stand a much better chance at easily installing level cabinets without needing to hack them to pieces just to make them fit.

Utilize A Strategy

Your plan of attack should always start with a cabinet that isn’t going to change based on alteration made to the cabinet next to it; basically, you should always start with either a corner or an end cabinet. From there, you can choose whether you wish to do the uppers or the base cabinets first. The pros of doing the uppers first is that it is noticeably easier (no base cabinets in your way while holding up and securing the cabinet), but the base cabinets are all that is required for countertop measurements, which are often the last thing to come in for your finished garage cabinets. Of course, any experienced team will do the uppers first and complete the base cabinets on the same day, leaving you with the best of both worlds. If you’re a DIYer, we suggest you follow suit but give yourself a couple of days worth of cushion when scheduling your countertop measurements.