Cabinet Hardware--Get the Knobs on Right
By Jim MalleryRefacingCabinet.com Columnist
New cabinet hardware is often touted as a quick, easy way to spruce up your kitchen cabinets. But botch the mounting, and your friends and neighbors may think a rank amateur did the work. Here are six steps to get your knobs on right.
- Same place. Your knobs and pulls must be located in the same place on each door or drawer. Be off by even a 1/16th of an inch, and it shows. You can assure consistent spacing by building a jig, a gizmo that sits against the corner of your door/drawer with a hole placed exactly where it belongs. You can find directions to build a quality jig online. Don't want to make a jig? Your Big Box store should have a multi-purpose that works just fine--they can cost from a few dollars to $25. Look for it in the cabinet-hardware area of the store.
- Perpendicular. Free-hand drilling leads to holes that are off perpendicular, hence knobs that may be noticeably off perpendicular. The surest way to drill perpendicular is with a drill press, but not that many family garages have a drill press. You can buy an attachment for your hand drill that sets your drill at a 90-degree angle. Although they are a little cumbersome, they give you a pretty accurate 90-degree hole. If you have a helper, two-way eyeballing can be pretty accurate. As you hold the drill, you can line up the drill on the left-right axis, and a helper beside you can see that it is lined up on the up-down axis. This method can leave you amazingly close to perpendicular.
- Pilot. If you are concerned about the drill bit "walking"--a case of the drill bit spinning off the center of the hole before it bites into the wood, there are a couple of remedies. Drill a pilot hole with a much smaller bit, perhaps a 1/16- or 5/64" bit--the smaller the bit, the less it walks. Then come back and drill the proper-sized hole. Or, you can buy a brad bit--it has a pointy tip designed to eliminate walking.
- Make it tight. Drill the hole the size of the screw, either tight enough that you have to screw the screw through the hole, or so that it just slips through with a little pressure. This helps keep your knobs/pulls tight. A common sized hole is 3/16".
- Splinters? Your kitchen cabinet doors/drawers might be inclined to splinter as the drill bit exits the backside of the wood. You can eliminate splintering by putting another piece of wood against the backside of the door/drawer that your bit hits as it exits the door.
- Countersink. The head of the knob's screw often dents the face of your cabinet as the door shuts, even if you have little rubber bumpers on your doors. To prevent this, countersink the screw heads, either with a bit designed to countersink, or with a larger bit, about 1/4" (a dangerous method, as the bit might grab the wood and advance into it much farther than you planned).
Proper drilling for your cabinet hardware is a bit of a challenge, but with care and good technique, your new knobs and pulls for your kitchen cabinets can look like a pro put them on.
About The Author
Jim Mallery, a semi-retired journalist and onetime registered contractor, has extensive experience remodeling, repairing and rebuilding homes.
