How to Install Cabinet Pulls Perfectly (The Cheap Trick vs. the Pro Jig)

2026-08-20 — Dave Bannister, Phoenix Cabinet Installer

From a cabinet installer with two decades of hanging hardware.

The difference between a kitchen that looks custom and one that looks DIY is almost never the cabinets — it's the hardware placement. Here's how to get it right the first time, and the one mistake that gives away a bad install instantly.

The #1 mistake: "close enough"

I walk into houses all the time and see pulls placed where a **cheap jig's pre-drilled hole happened to be closest** — off by an eighth of an inch, not perfect, just close. Your eye catches it the second you look, even if you can't put your finger on what's wrong.

Cheap jigs and eyeballing both give you "close enough." That's the problem. Consistency and dead-center placement are what make hardware look like a pro did it.

Where the hole actually goes

Here's the rule I've used for years:

• Framed door (has a stile): the first hole goes 3 inches down, centered on the stile.
• Slab door (flat front): come in 1.5 inches from the edge.

Nail that on every door and drawer and the whole kitchen looks intentional. Drift by even an eighth, and it reads "DIY" the second someone walks in.

The cheap trick (no jig required)

Make yourself a template — a scrap of cardboard or thin wood with your exact hole positions marked on it, used on every single door and drawer. Consistency is the whole game: if every pull is the same distance from the edge and dead-level, it looks like it cost three times what it did.

The pro jig — the one I actually use

The tool I reach for is the True Position cabinet hardware jig. It puts every hole dead-center, fast, with no measuring.

I've had mine for 6 years and drilled tens of thousands of holes with it — and I've only ever had to replace one hole guide. That's the kind of durability you want when you're hanging hardware all day. It comes with a 5mm drill bit, so you're set out of the box.

Here's the hack most homeowners never consider: **buy it for your one kitchen, then sell it when you're done.** There's a real resale market on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, so you get pro-perfect placement for a fraction of the full price.

How to drill without splintering the door

Two things here, and the second one is the one most people miss.

1. Pilot it shallow, then drill through. I use the jig to go in about **1/8 to 1/4 inch**, do that for a whole section of doors, then go back and drill the full hole. Starting shallow keeps the bit from wandering.

2. Use a backer block. This is the important one. When the drill bit comes out the back of the door, it'll blow out the wood — splinter and tear out around the exit hole. Clamp a scrap block of wood behind the door and the bit exits into the block instead, leaving a clean hole. They make special twist bits that help with blowout, but a backer block works just fine.

Don't strip it (the second mistake)

Hollow (die-cast) and handmade hardware both strip easily — the threads give out under too much force. Two rules:

1. Buy extras. Some will strip, some will arrive scratched. Order a few spares up

front.

1. Don't over-tighten, and use the right screw size. A screw that's slightly too big

will blow out the thread. Snug is enough.

The tool list

• The True Position jig (or a solid template)
• The 5mm bit that comes with the jig
• A backer block (any scrap of wood)
• A screwdriver that actually fits the screw head

The Tools I Actually Use

• True Position MAX jig (long pulls + shelf pins) — for long pulls and shelf pins.
• 5mm bit — comes with the jig, so you're set out of the box.
• A backer block — any scrap of wood, stops blow-out on the exit hole.
• A screwdriver that actually fits the screw head.

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