I usually mean well, but will start some home improvement project, then drag my feet on completing it. This time around, I thought of finding some doors to build shelves within the fat wall between the kitchen and living room, then realized a whole cabinet would fit, so I bought two since I have two separate half walls to build under. The first one was done that same night, last Sunday when I bought them, which DD helped me to install. He works installing windows and doors, so hanging cabinets falls within his comfort zone. He had a couple of tools and ideas to make life easier.
He had a drill bit to help me countersink the screws so they would go completely into the wood. He also suggested making pilot holes at 45 degrees on the edges of the studs to make it easier to attach back in the wall at the correct 36 inch spacing. The biggest challenge was dealing with the two electric outlets located right in the middle of where I wanted the cabinets installed. Maybe his biggest help was convincing me to turn off the power to the outlets before starting, I figured I could do most of the work with the power still on, but there were staples to remove and then I had to end up connecting the two ends of the wires that joined at the outlet which again he had a much more robust way of spinning the wires into a tight spiral connection before using the little plastic connectors and then wrapping the whole thing in insulating black tape, which he said he had the high quality stuff. I didn't know that the electrical tape mattered, I had always bought rolls that cost 99 cents then they tend to melt sitting in the garage. His is temperature resistant and good for high voltages, so I felt better learning that.
This Thursday was my off day and I was hoping to get a little help from DD or one of my boys, but everyone is too busy during the week, so I took my time and cut out the hole, then slowly and methodically took out the studs. I was lucky that on the back wall, the outlet was just off to the side enough that I didn't have to mess with it. Once I did those things, I reinstalled the studs at the correct distance, moved the outlet just enough to clear the space and slid the second cabinet in. Baby A did help me to hold things at the very end and luckily everything lined up and was level, so I drilled in my screws into the studs and that was it. I think the cabinets as a pair look great. They are not the same color as our kitchen cabinets, but they are on a separate wall, so I think they are okay and they do match each other perfectly. I am attaching a pic or two, I am so proud of the results.
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