Used a laser level on a kitchen cabinet job last Tuesday and it saved me 2 hours

I was marking 12 upper cabinet heights in a row and the bubble level was driving me nuts, so I finally broke out the laser I bought at Home Depot. Has anyone else found themselves fighting old habits when a simple tool wouldve made the day way easier?

4 comments

4 Comments

nina_hall486d ago

I actually just read a tip online from some old timer cabinet guy saying he always keeps a laser level in his truck for this exact reason. He claimed it saves him at least an hour on every kitchen install, and 12 uppers in a row? Yeah that sounds like a nightmare with a bubble level. Idk maybe it's just me but once I tried a laser for marking heights I never went back, even for small jobs. It's one of those things where you kick yourself for not using it sooner.

simonk986d ago

You ever try snapping a chalk line across the wall at your layout height? That's my move. Set the laser once, mark a few reference points, then snap a blue line across the whole run. Saves messing with the laser every time you move a cabinet. I keep mine in the truck too but honestly the chalk line gets used more often for long runs like that. Quicker to set up and you can see it from across the room. Just don't forget to level the line before you snap. Learned that one the hard way.

green.noah6d ago

Wait, are you saying you had a laser level sitting around and still used a bubble level for 12 uppers in a row? I did the exact same thing for years man. I finally broke down and bought a cheap laser from Harbor Freight just to try it out, and now I won't even hang a single cabinet without it. The thing that clicked for me was realizing you can set it up once, mark your heights on a few studs, and then just work without having to check the bubble on every single cabinet. It's one of those tools that feels like cheating once you actually use it right.

jason_stone597d ago

Wait wait wait, you're telling me you had a laser level sitting in the garage from Home Depot and you were still using a bubble level for marking cabinet heights? That blows my mind, man. I mean, I get it, we all get stuck in our ways, but 12 uppers in a row with a bubble level sounds like a special kind of torture. Why would you do that to yourself when you already had the better tool sitting there? The laser basically does the work for you on a long run like that, no crouching and squinting at a tiny bubble. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't pull that thing out after the second cabinet.