Tips for Installing Kaboodle Kitchen Cabinets (What Nobody Tells You First)
When we started planning our DIY kitchen renovation we went back and forth on cabinet options before landing on flatpack Kaboodle kitchen cabinets.
Kaboodle is one of the most common DIY cabinet brands in Australia (being Bunnings’ main line), but like any flat pack furniture install there’s definitely a learning curve.
We’re on our fourth kitchen renovation now but the first time we had a cabinet maker install, the second time we just painted existing cabinets, and the third time we installed the cabinets ourselves but they came already assembled.
So, this time around we learned a lot about the process (and a lot about Kaboodle kitchen cabinets specifically) so here are the practical tips that will hopefully save you some time, money and headaches along the way.
Kaboodle Kitchen Cabinets
Before You Start: What to Have Ready
Tools You’ll Actually Need
Most Kaboodle installation guides list the basics, but here’s what you genuinely need on hand before you start:
- Drill and drill bits
- Laser level or spirit level — both if possible
- Stud finder (my favorite are the magnetic kind)
- Tape measure and pencil
- Clamps (more than you think you’ll need and one-handed is best!)
- Rubber mallet
- Jigsaw for any cutouts (around outlets, for the sink)
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection (these ones with Bluetooth are the best)
Plan Your Space Clearance
You will need more space than you think for building and storing flat pack boxes and I didn’t plan ahead for this enough. For each cabinet, you’ll need to open the box and usually set out each panel individually to put them together which can get crowded quick on those big 900mm pantry cabinets, I’ll tell ya that much.
Before your delivery arrives, clear the room you’ll be building in and have a staging area ready. Kaboodle boxes are large and heavy, and you’ll want somewhere to work that isn’t in the middle of your kitchen. We had the delivery guys drop all the boxes in the room we planned to assemble in which was dumb because then we had to move them all a second time to be able to build.
The Installation Process: What to Expect
The Build Is Surprisingly Quick…
One of the most surprising things was how fast the actual cabinet assembly goes. Kaboodle kitchen cabinets have all pre-drilled holes and use a cam-lock system that clicks together quickly once you get into a rhythm and every box is built basically the same way. We could build a standard base cabinet in probably 15 minutes, but the bigger ones and any with drawers take a bit longer.
…But the Installation Takes Much Longer
Here’s what actually takes the time: getting everything level, plumb, and properly fixed to the wall. This is where most DIYers underestimate how much time it’ll take.
Your walls are almost never straight and your floors almost never level. You’ll adjust the cabinets more times than you expect to make sure it’s level side-to-side, front-to-back, flush with the one next to it, you get the idea.
So, factor in probably double the assembly time for install time!
Nothing Is Level Until You Make It Level
This is the most important mindset shift for a successful Kaboodle installation. Assume nothing is straight and check everything with a level before you fix it permanently. Adjust, check, adjust again. It’s tedious but it’s the difference between a kitchen that looks professional and one that looks DIY.
The good thing about Kaboodle kitchen cabinets is that they are assembled with adjustable feet on the base so there’s no messing with shims, you just twist the corresponding leg to make it higher or lower.
Connect a row of cabinets to each other before connecting to the wall to make it easier, and it’s handy to have both a shorter and a longer spirit level on hand.
Key Tips for Installing Kaboodle Kitchen Cabinets
Protect Your Floors Before You Start
Lay down drop sheets, cardboard, or floor protection before anything goes into the room. Cabinet bases, tools, and boxes will scratch floors faster than you’d think and you’ll have a lot of traffic in and out. We didn’t do this properly and I’m so annoyed at myself.
Find Your Studs Before You Start Marking
Fixing Kaboodle kitchen cabinets to studs is super important and you want ideally every single cabinet to be secured into at least one stud. Use a stud finder and mark your studs clearly before you do any drilling – it’s so much easier to do on a blank wall than when you’re leaning over cabinets. I like to use painters tape along the stud line because then I don’t need to worry about rubbing off a pen or pencil mark.
Use a ledger board for uppers
Installing upper cabinets suck at the best of times but using a ledger board makes it way easier. This is basically a piece of scrap wood (2×4 is ideal), that’s screwed into the studs just underneath where the upper will go and you can then rest the cabinet on that while you screw so nobody is bearing the full weight of it.
You just mark a level line along where you want the bottom of the cabinet to be, then drill your ledger board into the studs with the top of it aligning with that line (and remove it when the cabinet is secured, of course).
Clamp everything
You might think ‘oh it’s just one little screw, I probably don’t need to clamp it’. YES YOU DO. Make sure to always clamp cabinets to each other so they’re flush at the top and along the front because it’s so frustrating to have one side slip as you’re driving in a screw and having to put multiple holes in your nice new cabinets.
Don’t underestimate filler panels
Filler pieces, baseboards and trim are going to make everything look a million times more professional so if your cabinets are looking a bit meh, don’t judge them until you get those pieces in place.
Will Installing Kaboodle Cabinets Actually Save You Money?
Yes, but with a caveat. A Kaboodle flat pack kitchen can cost a lot less than a custom or semi-custom kitchen, and for us it was about $4k difference.
But, that’s also because we own a lot of the tools needed already, plus little things like caulk and adhesives, etc. that tend to add up. Then of course there’s the fact we’ve done a lot of IKEA builds and custom built-ins with stock cabinets, so we’re pretty confident in being able to get assembly done quickly – time is money!
Is It Worth It?
For us, yes! We’ve only recently finished installing the cabinets but they look great, saved us a ton of money and hopefully will last a long time (but I’ll need to keep you updated on that).
It’s really not as hard as it seems for a medium-experienced DIYer, but it does take longer than you expect, and the details matter more than you’d think.
Have a question about our Kaboodle kitchen cabinets install? Drop it in the comments below, and make sure to follow along on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter.
