OK - as you ask - here is my system. I find this method to be easy and accurate.
1) I attach a full length 2" to 3" ply cleat to the 1/2" backs of my ganged up cabinets. This cleat is set just below or flush to the top edge of the cabinet.
2) With a laser I establish my wall line to which I attach the wall cleat. This wall cleat is set at the height so that the cabinet cleat will land on this wall cleat set to the proper height off the floor.
You might have guessed by now that my cabinets will project away from the wall 1/2" to 3/4" by the thickness of the wall cleat (usually 3/4") so this added dimension needs to be factored into the design.
3) The bottoms of the ganged up cabinets are all flat to each other.
4) I build a 3/4" ply
L - with 2, 3'" to 4" legs, glued and screwed to each other. This
L is set
up side down . One leg of the
L is screwed to the underside of the cabinets so that the unfinished face is set back from the front the toe kick depth + the thickness of the finish toe kick.
The face of the
L is a predetermined dimension that is set to be
short approx. 1/4" to 3/8" off the floor high spot. (
The cabinets will NOT BE LEVEL resting on the L.) You can add a short length of
L on any open end too.
5) Now with cleat on wall and cabinet and
L mounted to the base I lift up my ganged cabinets onto the perfectly level wall cleat. I have pre-located the studs so in one or 2 spots I drive in a screw to hold the cabinets to the studs (
temporarily-
these are sacrificial screws as they will likely get bent a bit). The gang of cabinets, at this point, is leaning slightly forward - resting on the bottom
L.
6) I raise the cabinets to closer to horizontal and start driving in shim shingles. I drive shim shingles in all along the front under my
L until the cabinets are level and plumb in all orientations AND now should be tight to the wall and securely resting on the wall cleat. A NOTE -
I use PL adhesive on top and bottom of the shims so that once cured the shims are located to stay between the cabinet L and the floor.
7) Once the cabinetry is all level, I finish attaching with screws through the cabinet backs/cleat to the wall studs.
8) Cut off the long shims on the floor. Attach the finish toe base. The finish toe base sits hard against the floor covering the gap of the
L and adding additional full length bearing for the cabinetry.
Takes about as long to do the above procedure as it took me to write this description
.
I gave up on ladder base along time ago. This works so well.