How to Drill to the Right Depth in Cabinets

Mount the cabinets on the wall by predrilling holes through the back frame of the cabinets into the wall studs. Drill all the way through the cabinet until you hit the wall with the drill bit. Install the wood screw into the wood of the cabinet and tighten into the wall stud so that the screw sits flush with the surface of the cabinet framing.

Connect cabinets with side units when the studs are not positioned behind the cabinets. Measure the thickness of the cabinet frames and find a screw shorter than that thickness. Take a piece of masking tape and place it on the end of the pilot hole drill bit to mark the length of the screw. Drill into the frame of the cabinet until the drill bit reaches the tape. Install the screw and repeat for any others.

Install the knobs or pulls on the doors of the cabinets. Typically, you drill a hole through the cabinet door and slide either a bolt or the shaft from a pull through the hole. Check with your specific hardware's installation instructions. Measure the size of the bolt and use a correspondingly sized drill bit to form a well-fitting hole.

Mark the position of your cabinet hinges with a pencil. Drill small pilot holes to keep the wood from splitting. Use the length of the screw as the depth for your drill bit and mark the depth with a piece of masking tape to keep from drilling too deep.