Tech Tip #7 - What Separates a Professional from a DIYer

With the rise of DIY tutorials on YouTube there's a lot of information circulating regarding the best way to hang or clamp cabinets, or what tools you need vs. what tools you don't need. What's worse is that there are quite a few hacks that are less practical, or take longer than traditional approaches. With that, we'd like to discuss some key differences between professionals with years of experience, and DIYers that enjoy using their spare time to work with their hands.

Ledger Boards

I have nothing against using Ledger boards for all kinds of projects, but if you're installing cabinets on a regular basis, they are a waste of time. The time it takes to cut the right stock lengths, set them up, take them down, and patch the holes is too long to justify using them. Typically folks will preassemble their run of wall cabinets and then place their boxes on the ledger board with the help of a partner. And this works with perfectly plumb walls, perfectly square cabinets, and no obstructions like say an outlet. Of course in the real world this doesn't happen and so you may as well install the cabinets one at a time because there's nothing like having to call the electrician to move an outlet for an entire run of cabinets.

Professionals will use dedicated cabinets poles which are a more flexible method installing wall cabinets. Most manufacturers will have some warping and from the changing climates and small turbulence from the shipping process and will be racked as a result. This means a face framed cabinet box could have a level face but have the back of the box down 1/16th or even 1/8th of an inch which is more than enough to mess with the ledger set up. Now this doesn't necessarily mean don't use them, but you won't see a lot of professionals using them in the field.

Face Frame Clamps