I know there has been a discussion on where to buy pulls/knobs, but I don't recall seeing a thread on "how" to install them.

Our cabinets throughout the house do not have pulls/knobs on them. I have been thinking on installing them. 1) I think it would give some additional characteristics to the kitchen and 2) It may be easier to childproof the cabinets by not having to install childproof locks that screw into the cabinet doors, etc.

So given that... I'm looking for some general tips.

A) How do you determine the location of the knobs on the cabinets? When the doors are at your knees, do you put the knobs at the top of the door? In the middle? What about when the cabinet is at eye level?

B) Do they make some sort of a jig that helps install the pull at the center of the drawer?

C) The drawers throughout the house have a finished front plate on them? Do the pull manufacturers take this into account, or do you need to buy longer screws to account for this? The front plate is about 0.75" thick and then it attaches to another piece that is about 0.75" thick. See the pics below.



So here are a few pics of the kitchen. Any thoughts? Especially regarding (C)? See pic #5 below. Sorry for the messy kitchen too...

What's the best location for the cabinet knobs???






See how the front plate is attached???

 

Do yourself a favor and make a jig like THIS.

I made one at my last house and it cut the measuring down to almost nothing. Just hold it square and drill.

If I remember correctly (for the top cabinets), I measured in 1-inch from the side and 2.5 - 3" up from the bottom. I turned it upside down for the bottom doors. You'll have to hold up a knob and have Mrs. Scrib step back and see if she likes it. If she likes it, you'll now exactly how the jig should be measured.

For the drawer faces, I measured each one individually as many of them were different sizes and a jig for the drawers would have been a waste. I put the knob directly in the center (dead center) for each drawer front.

 

Its really all up to you.

I just made alot of measurements until I got the layout I liked.

I made my own jig, but had I known about it I would have probably used a $1 template from IKEA. I had bought templates from HD/Lowes, but they sucked, or only worked with 1-hole knobs. The IKEA template is SWEET as it works great with multiple mounting point handles/etc.

 

OH, and yes, you'll need to buy longer screws. I had to buy #8 machine screws of varying lengths for all my cabinets.

 

I was an interior carpenter for four years throughout college. A speed square, tape measure and pencil are all you'll need to mark up the drawers and doors.

Drawer pulls are easy...
Measure the center of the drawer (Left to right, top to bottom) then measure out from the center for the drawer pull holes. Use a 3/16" drill bit and drill from the front. You may need a paddle bit to counter sink the screw heads if the longer ones aren't provided.

For doors, go three inches up from the door, center the hole on the raised part of the wood. Mark it on your speed square. If you have door handles, then mark up again for the length. If the door handles need recessed, you need to be absolutely precise.

I suggest marking everything up first then go back through and drill everything.

 

OK, thanks.

For the upper cabinets, certainly the knobs should go towards the bottom. But where would you guys put the knobs for the cabinets at knee level? At the top or in the middle?

 

For asethetics, you'd want symmetry, so the same 3" down method for the base cabinet doors.

EDIT:

If you have one of those hidden garbage can type doors (slides straight out), you can either omit or see if you like the knob centered on the raised part of the wood across the top... your choice.

 

this thread made me redo the knobs and pulls on my cabinets. I didn't realize how high I placed the pulls on the upper cabinets. Now I have holes to fill. Thanks.

 

Really?

Post some pics.

 

We centered ours across the top for easier opening (handles, not knobs). It looks great.

 

Took about 2 hours total to do 31 knobs and 5 pulls. I was a bit nervous at first, but it went fairly quickly and smooth. I found a template at the store for the knobs and I made one for the pulls.

 

Oh No!! You put them all on backwards!!



j/k. They look great and obviously make the entire kitchen "pop". Well done

 

Looks great. Adds alot. Nice choice!

 

good work! nice!

 

Nice job. Nice choice of knobs and pulls. Our old apartment had the same look except with a darker laminate countertop.

 

nice... now you just have to twist them all so that the grain is all in the same direction :ocd:

 

Looks real good and makes a huge difference.

 

thats what i would do, good thing i think its just the light on the metal

 

I had mine in the middle of the damn cabinets. I didn't kno there was a rule for this thing. After I saw your thread I went to the kitchen and realized no one under 5 feet can reach them (wall cabinets). lol!