Installation Is Half the Cabinet
A 30,000 cabinet set installed poorly performs like a 10,000 set — doors misalign, drawers bind, and gaps appear within months. Here's the 12-point check to run before, during, and after your Naperville installation.
Before installation day
- 1. Floors and walls: confirm the floor is level and the walls are square. Cabinets hide nothing — a bowed wall means scribing, and you should know that before day one.
- 2. The delivery check: every box inspected before the crew starts. Dents, scratches, and water damage get photographed and reported immediately — not after installation.
- 3. Layout walk-through: cabinet positions marked on the floor, appliance openings verified against your appliance specs.
During installation
- 4. Leveling: every cabinet level and shimmed — not just "close enough." A pro checks level front-to-back and side-to-side.
- 5. Fastening: cabinets screwed into studs (not just drywall) and joined to each other. Rocking boxes are a red flag.
- 6. Scribing: fillers and scribe strips cut to close gaps against uneven walls — the mark of a careful install vs. a rushed one.
- 7. Doors and drawers: aligned and adjusted after installation — gaps uniform, no binding, soft-close working on every unit.
After installation
- 8. Full open-close test: every door and drawer, multiple times. Binding now means warranty calls later.
- 9. Countertop fit: seams flush, no gaps between cabinet and countertop, silicone sealed properly.
- 10. Hardware check: all handles/knobs torqued correctly, aligned across doors.
- 11. Cleanup and protection: floors protected during install, sawdust cleaned, finished surfaces wiped.
- 12. Paperwork: warranty cards registered, installation date recorded, final walkthrough signed only when everything passes.
Download our homeowner checklist for the printable version — and get three Naperville installers to quote the same project so you're comparing like for like.
