How to Replace a Pantry With Cabinets

Remove everything from the pantry and store it in sturdy, neatly labeled cardboard boxes for easy restocking of the new cabinets. Place things in organized boxes rather than simply in the hallway, because cabinet installations can sometimes take an unexpectedly long amount of time, particularly if something goes wrong. Store the food out of sight in an organized manner so that it will not be an inconvenience if the timeline is extended.

Remove the pantry shelves from the walls by unscrewing the shelf boards from their brackets one at a time using a drill. Set the shelf boards aside and unscrew the brackets and their wall attachments. Set everything out of the way.

Plan out the cabinet arrangement based on your available space, which is much easier to visualize now that the shelves are gone, and sketch it out to scale or mark the locations of the new shelves on the walls of the pantry to get a sense of the number and size of cabinets required and how to install them so they look their best.

Find and mark the studs using a stud finder if the placement of the studs is not obvious based on the holes from the previous shelves. Mark the studs along each horizontal level at which you will be installing a suspension rail to hold the cabinets.

Position a suspension rail at the predetermined height and set a carpenter's level on top of the rail. Adjust the rail until it is level and mark the locations where the holes in the rail line up with the stud positions. Remove the rail and drill out each marked hole so that the drill contacts the wood stud. Reposition the rail and attach it in place with 3-inch wood screws. Repeat to install all additional planned rails.

Slide the rail bolts through the pre-drilled holes in the cabinets with washers on either side of the cabinet board and attach the nuts, securing the bolts in place on the cabinet. Slide the cabinets onto the suspension rail and along the rail until they are in place. Repeat to attach all cabinets.