How to Install a Kitchen Like a Pro
                     HK I T CoH E Nw I N S TAtL LoAT I OINnstall a 
Kitchen
LThe fiulkl, hoenest  seaquen ceP behirnd oa real fitted kitchen — from reading 
the plan to the final snag list.
A  1 2 - S TA G E  P R O F E S S I O N A L  WA L KT H R O U G H
Tools You'll Need Before You Start
Not a generic hardware list — the kit an actual fitter uses at every stage of this job.
Cordless combi drill Cordless impact driver SDS drill Chop saw
F-clamps / cabinet 
Track saw 6ft & 2ft spirit levels Laser level
clamps
Jigsaw (downcutting 
Holesaw set & flat bits Scribing kit Silicone gun
blades)
PH2 & long-shaft Squares & Stanley 
Multitool Foldable saw horses
screwdrivers knife
Stage 1 · Preparation KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Check Your Tools Before You Trust Them
A drifted level gives a confident, perfectly wrong datum — and every cabinet inherits the error. Ten minutes now 
costs nothing.
1 2 3
Spirit Level Laser Level Squares (3-4-5 rule)
Project a line onto a wall several 
Place on a flat surface, note the Mark 300mm and 400mm along 
metres away, mark it, then 
bubble. Flip end-for-end on the the two edges — the diagonal 
rotate the laser 180° and project 
same spot — it must settle between those points must 
back. The two lines must 
identically, or the level is out. measure exactly 500mm.
coincide.
Stage 1 · Preparation KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Reading Your Kitchen Plan Properly
Two Views, Two Jobs Verify the Room, Not Just the Plan
Floor plan
3m + 4m + 5m
Layout from above — where every cabinet sits relative to 
walls, island and each other. Check every corner for true square: 3m along one 
wall, 4m along the other — the diagonal must 
Elevations measure exactly 5m.
Front-on views showing height: worktop lines, extractor Also on-site: measure ceiling height at all four 
above hob, window interruptions. corners and centre; mark every window cill, 
architrave and radiator pipe before planning cabinet 
Centreline marks widths.
The exact midpoint through a sink or hob symbol — the 
Anything that doesn't match the plan is a formal query 
single most useful mark for first fix.
to the retailer — not something to improvise on site.
Stage 2 · Planning KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Checking Your Delivery Properly 48 HOURS
to report damage or shortfall under 
the Consumer Rights Act 2015
1 2
Group by category before opening a single box: base, 
Check door and panel faces for chips, scratches or 
wall, tower/larder units, appliances, worktop, sink, 
delamination at corners and edges under good light.
accessories.
3 4
On a handleless kitchen, count every rail component: 
Sight along full-height panels with a straightedge — a 
straight lengths, corner joiners and end caps against the 
bowed panel shows a visible gap underneath.
order.
5 6
Cross-check the appliance spec sheet inside the box 
Leave packaging on until fitting — it's far easier to spot 
against the plan's cut-out dimensions — CAD can lag the 
damage on a boxed item than in a stacked pile.
real spec.
Stage 3 · Delivery KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Site Protection & Strip-Out
PROTECT THE SITE STRIP-OUT: SAFETY FIRST
Floor protection along every access route; low- Isolate water at the stopcock and circuits at the 
tack tape directly on finished floors. consumer unit — never trust a switch alone.
Plastic sheet screen across the doorway, zip-door Prove every circuit dead with an approved voltage 
if possible, to contain dust. tester before cutting or disconnecting anything.
Proper task lighting — the room loses its normal Cap sink tails with proper compression stop-ends; 
lighting for most of the job. strip wall units top-down, then base units.
Cutting station outside the kitchen (garage or Pre-2000 property? Treat artex, old floor tiles and 
covered outdoors) to keep dust out. flue collars with caution — possible asbestos.
Stage 4 · Site Setup KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
First Fix — Electrics & Plumbing
Every cable and pipe run is chased in before plastering — and on an island with an induction hob and downdraft 
extractor, floor ducting has to be right first time.
Electrician's Scope Plumber's Scope Golden Rule
Dedicated high-amp circuit for the Supply and waste runs to the sink Never position a stopcock or 
induction hob, a circuit for the and plumbed appliances, waterworks directly behind an 
downdraft extractor, back boxes positioned exactly to the integrated appliance — route 
for sockets/switches, spotlight centreline marks identified on the services to an adjacent, accessible 
cabling, island floor containment. plan. cabinet instead.
Part P notifiable: the hob circuit, extractor circuit, sockets and spotlight wiring must be certified by a registered 
electrician — not the fitter.
Stage 5 · First Fix KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Plastering, Painting & Floor Tiling
1 2 3
Patch & Skim Mist Coat & Paint Level & Tile the Floor
Self-levelling compound where 
Dampen chase edges, fill with Diluted mist coat first, dried 
the subfloor varies by more 
backing plaster, then a thin fully, then at least two full top 
than a few millimetres. Back-
skim in two passes. Dry fully — coats. Cut spotlight holes now 
butter large-format tiles and 
a rushed patch traps moisture — the ceiling is hardest to reach 
dry-lay around the island duct 
behind the cabinet for years. once wall units go up.
first.
Stage 6 · Decorating & Floor KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Marking Out & the Datum Line
The stage that decides whether the rest of the kitchen goes together cleanly — measured from the finished floor, 
not the bare subfloor.
160mm + 720mm = 880mm
LEG HEIGHT CARCASS HEIGHT DATUM LINE
1 Find the highest point on the finished floor with a laser level — you can always raise a low unit, never lower one 
on the high point.
2 Every base unit is levelled to the 880mm line, not the floor beneath it — this is what makes an uneven floor 
invisible in the finished kitchen.
3 880mm is the genuine minimum to clear an integrated dishwasher housing — confirm against your specific 
model before cutting anything.
Stage 7 · Marking Out KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Carcass Install — Perimeter
Corner Units — the 48mm Void Fixing Wall Cabinets Safely
Each carcass is set back 48mm from the true corner, 
STUD PARTITION WALLS
left open to carry pipework or cabling turning the 
corner. Cut a 100mm hole, feed in 18mm ply diagonally, rotate 
Blanking panel flat behind the board, then fix the hanging plate through 
into solid timber — not a cavity plug.
Closes the hidden rear of the void — fit first.
SOLID BRICK OR BLOCK
Corner post
SDS drill with a matched masonry bit and the correct wall 
Gives the door a square opening and closes the front gap; plug — solid on its own, no ply backing needed.
cut to the real on-site gap.
Alternative
Dry-fit every run before final fixing — it catches a wrong 
A 972mm L-shaped unit needs no void — its post attaches 
filler or a run that doesn't add up while it's still a five-
to the door itself.
minute fix.
Stage 8 · Carcass Install KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Island Build & Appliance Integration
THE ISLAND: A DISTINCT SUB-PROJECT APPLIANCE CATCHES TO KNOW
Position carcasses directly over the first-fix power Washing machine
and floor duct before fixing anything down. Remove transit bolts before first use — skipping this can 
wreck the drum bearings.
Fridge freezer
Connect downdraft extractor ducting before the 
surrounding cabinets close it in. Remove transit support rails first; needs a real ventilation gap 
top and bottom.
A lower seating section needs its own sub-frame Induction hob
tied back to the main carcass — not just an 3–7.4kW typically needs its own 32A/40A circuit and a 
unsupported worktop overhang. dedicated isolator — Part P work.
Extractor
Socket and switch positions on the island are Part P 
work, signed off by the electrician. Match the specified duct diameter exactly — never narrow it 
to ease the run.
Stage 9 · Island & Appliances KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Worktops, Doors & the Finishing Line
Worktops Handleless Rail Lighting
Template only once carcasses are 
The rail goes on before a single door Run LED strip as one continuous line 
fixed and level. Use the elbow rule 
— every door registers off it. Set gaps to avoid hotspot joins. Leave island 
(elbow height minus ~100mm) to set 
evenly, around 3mm, checked with pendants until the ceiling is fully 
the exact worktop height for the 
spacers, not by eye. painted and finished.
household.
FINAL SNAGGING PASS
Even door and drawer gaps · every hinge and adjuster tightened · worktop and sink seals watertight · every 
socket, switch and spotlight tested individually · plinths flush with no rattle
Re-check the snag list after a week of normal use — doors and drawers behave differently under real, repeated use.
Stage 10–12 · Worktops, Doors & Finishing KITCHEN INSTALLATION GUIDE
Thank You
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