How to install kitchen base units

Inspired by the Wickes how-to series. This guide is based on "How to Install Base Cabinets" from the official Wickes UK channel, which walks through the full process clearly — legs, levelling, and wall fixing included. Their section on starting from the highest point of the floor is genuinely useful advice that saves a lot of grief later.

1. Plan your layout before anything goes in

Draw the run on paper first. Mark where the sink, appliances, and any corner units will sit. Check this against your actual room measurements before you open a single box.

That said, kitchens rarely go in exactly as planned. Check for soil pipes, gas supplies, and existing electrics before committing to any position. Better to know now than halfway through the fit.

2. Find the highest point of the floor

Most floors are not flat. Use a long spirit level to find the highest point along the run. This becomes your reference height — all cabinets get levelled up to it, never down.

Mark a level pencil line along the wall at worktop height (usually 870–900 mm) to keep everything consistent as you work along.

3. Set the cabinet legs before placing any unit

Adjustable legs screw in and out to raise or lower each corner. Wind them all down to roughly the same height before sliding a cabinet into position. It is much easier than trying to adjust them once the unit is against the wall.

Aim for the top of each cabinet to hit your pencil line. Adjust one leg at a time, checking with a spirit level front-to-back and side-to-side as you go.

4. Start with the corner or most visible unit

Corner units go in first. If you have no corner, start at the end that will be most visible and work away from it. Getting the first unit perfectly level and plumb means everything else follows from it.

Push the unit firmly against the wall. Check it is level in both directions. When it is right, fix it to the wall using the hanging bracket inside the carcass — most flat-pack kitchens include these.

5. Join carcasses together before fixing to the wall

Use the joining bolts or screws provided to clamp adjacent carcasses together through the side panels. Pull the faces flush before you tighten. A clamp helps here if you have one.

Work along the run, joining each new unit to the last before securing it to the wall. Do not fully tighten anything until the whole run is in place and you are happy it is sitting right.

6. Fit the plinth at the end

The kick plinth clips onto the front of the legs and hides the adjustable feet. Measure and cut it to length, mitre the corners if needed, and snap it into the clips. Most kitchens supply more clips than you need — use them all.

Mind you, leave the plinth off until you have finished under the cabinets. You will need access to the pipework and cable routes. It is the last thing to go on, not the first.

7. Check every door and drawer before you finish

Open and close everything. Doors should hang level with an even gap around all sides. Drawers should slide without catching. Most hinges have three-way adjustment screws for fine-tuning.

If a drawer front is slightly out, loosen the fixing screws behind it and reposition it by hand before tightening again. Patience here pays off — small adjustments make a big difference to the finished look.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the walls are badly out of plumb, the floor is severely uneven, or the kitchen involves moving plumbing or electrical supplies. Fitting a full kitchen is a solid day's work with the right tools — sometimes two — and the preparation stage is where most things go wrong.