Putting in kitchen cabinets would be really easy… if houses were perfectly square and level. Of course, they’re not, and you need to allow for this when you’re installing cabinets. You can’t just plop them on the floor, or you’ll get water running along the counter. So you have to level the top at a prescribed height, and shim underneath to bring the cabinets in line. But here’s where it can get tricky.
If you just measure up from the floor at random, and make a nice level line around the room, you might be in for a surprise later. There might just be a spot where the floor is higher than it was where you first measured.
If the high point happens to be where you’re sticking the dishwasher, you suddenly discover it doesn’t fit.
The trick is to find the high spot on the floor first.
Choose a spot on the floor that looks high. Measure up one inch from here and using a long carpenter’s level, draw a level line around the room. Now you can spot areas where the floor looks even higher than your guess, and measure it to confirm. If you find the floor is only 1/2″ from your line at one location, you’ve found an even higher point.
Once you’ve determined the high point, measure up 34 1/2″ and put a mark on the wall. Mark another level line around the room, and you’re ready to go.
Of course, this means a cabinet or appliance might end up being lower than the countertop. No problem. Just shim the item till it fits snugly under the countertop. Your kickplate will hide the shims.