Island Installation (no plumbing/electrical moves)
Handis island installation in pure carpentry scope is the cabinet-trade work that sets a stock or pre-built kitchen island in the middle of a kitchen with no plumbing supply or drain, no disposal, no dishwasher, and no new outlet or under-cabinet lighting circuit on the island itself — from $2,000 for a stock island install to $6,000 for a custom-built island with a stone counter. The 1962 Issaquah ranch where the homeowner wants the open floor between the kitchen and the dining room to become an island with bar seating. The L-shape kitchen where the peninsula was knocked out two years ago and the room has felt unfinished ever since. The new-build kitchen where the cabinet order arrived complete but the island assembly was not included in the delivery scope. Pure carpentry — shim to level on the actual floor, scribe to any wall or peninsula the island attaches to, secure through the toe-kick into joists or a slab, counter on top. Adding a sink, a disposal, a dishwasher, or a new outlet on the island routes the project to a different scope path entirely (Sinks & Fixtures hub or a licensed Washington L&I electrician for a new circuit). We are honest on the booking call about which scopes fit pure carpentry and which need the sub.
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What Does Island Installation in Pure Carpentry Scope Include?
Island installation in pure carpentry scope is the cabinet-trade work that sets a stock or pre-built kitchen island in the middle of a kitchen — shim to level on the actual floor, scribe to any wall or peninsula, secure to the floor through the toe-kick, counter on top — from $2,000 for a stock island install to $6,000 for a custom-built island with a stone counter. The work explicitly excludes any in-wall plumbing supply or drain (no sink on the island), any disposal supply rough-in, any dishwasher install on the island, and any new or relocated electrical circuit on the island itself (no outlet, no under-cabinet lighting, no pendant on a new switch leg). The island is pure carpentry — cabinet, scribe, level, secure, counter. Adding any of those excluded items routes the project to a different scope path entirely.
What Pure Carpentry Scope Means
The Handis crew does the cabinet assembly (RTA or pre-built), the floor-location layout, the shim to level, the scribe to any wall or peninsula, the secure to the floor through the toe-kick, and the counter install. The crew does not do — sink supply or drain rough-in, disposal supply, dishwasher water supply or drain, a new outlet on the island side or end panel, under-cabinet lighting wired to a new switch leg, a pendant on a new switch leg over the island. Those scopes route to a licensed Washington L&I plumber (in-wall supply or drain) or a licensed electrician (new circuit, anything hardwired). If your island is meant to have any of those, we route to the appropriate Sinks & Fixtures or licensed-electrician scope and quote the full project on a coordinated subcontract.
Floor-Location Layout — Measured to the Floor Joist
The island goes in the middle of the kitchen — but the middle is not always obvious. Standard rules are 36 inches of clearance on every walk-around side (42 inches preferred), centered on the sink or range across the room when one exists, parallel to the main run of cabinets. We mark the island footprint on the floor with painter's tape, walk it with the homeowner to confirm clearances, and find the floor-joist direction in the subfloor below (the island's secure-to-floor lag screws need to land in joists or in a concrete slab). On a joisted floor we drop a 1.5-inch hole-saw test bore at the corner of the island footprint to verify joist direction; on a slab we mark for masonry anchors.
Shim to Dead-Level on the Actual Floor
Kitchen floors slope. Tile sub-floors flex. Plywood under a 50-year-old linoleum is uneven. We shim the toe-kick on the new island to level on the floor that actually exists, not the floor the cabinet manufacturer assumed. The high point of the island footprint becomes the reference; the toe-kick at every low point gets shimmed with cabinet shims until the cabinet top is dead-level across the entire island. The island reads as flat on the counter, the doors hang square, the drawer fronts close to the same reveal at the top and bottom.
Scribe to Any Wall or Peninsula the Island Meets
Some islands are full-standalone (four open sides); some attach to an existing peninsula (one side meets the existing cabinet run); some sit against a wall (one end butts to a wall). Where the island meets a wall or a peninsula, we scribe the end panel to the actual wall or to the existing cabinet face with a compass transfer and a belt sander, the same scribe method as on a stock RTA install (see the Stock / RTA Cabinet Installation page). The cabinet sits flush against the wall or the existing cabinet face the entire length with no visible gap.
Secure to Floor Through the Toe-Kick
On a joisted floor (the standard build for second-floor and most main-floor kitchens), we secure the island through the toe-kick with structural lag screws sized to the cabinet line, landed in floor joists located by the test bore. On a slab-on-grade floor (basement kitchens, some main-floor builds in the Pacific Northwest), we secure with masonry anchors set into the concrete with a hammer-drill and a Tapcon or similar concrete anchor. The island does not move when leaned on. Counter set on top — stock standalone counter, templated stone, or wood butcher block as the project specifies.
How a Pure-Carpentry Island Installation Works
Six sequential steps from the floor-location layout through the final counter set — the actual sequence we follow on every no-plumbing-no-electrical island install.
Floor-Location Layout and Clearance Confirmation
Island footprint marked on the floor with painter's tape, walked with the homeowner to confirm clearances (36 inches minimum walk-around, 42 inches preferred). Floor-joist direction verified with a 1.5-inch hole-saw test bore at the corner of the footprint on a joisted floor; slab marked for masonry anchors on a slab-on-grade build.
Island Cabinet Assembly (RTA) or Inspection (Pre-Built)
RTA island cabinet assembled per manufacturer specification in a staging area (dining room or garage). Pre-built island inspected against the packing list, any damaged or missing pieces flagged for replacement order before install proceeds. Every joint checked for square with a framing square.
Shim to Dead-Level on the Actual Floor
Island cabinet set on the marked footprint, high point of the floor identified, toe-kick shimmed at every low point with cabinet shims. Cabinet top verified dead-level across the entire island with a 4-foot bubble level and a laser level if available.
Scribe End Panel (Where Island Meets a Wall or Peninsula)
For islands that meet a wall or attach to an existing peninsula on one side, scribe the end panel to the actual wall or existing cabinet face with a compass transfer and a belt sander. The cabinet sits flush against the wall or peninsula the entire length with no visible gap.
Secure to Floor Through the Toe-Kick
On a joisted floor, structural lag screws sized to the cabinet line driven through the toe-kick into floor joists located by the test bore. On a slab-on-grade floor, masonry anchors set with a hammer-drill and Tapcon (or similar) concrete anchor. The island does not move when leaned on.
Counter Set, Doors Hung, Walkthrough
Counter installed on the island — stock standalone counter installs same-day, templated stone counter returns from the fabricator 1 to 2 weeks after the cabinet set and requires a second visit. Doors hung on the manufacturer hinges, drawer fronts attached with manufacturer clips, three-way reveal adjustment. Walkthrough, one-year project warranty starts.
Island Installation Pricing
Final pricing depends on island size, cabinet line (stock, RTA, pre-built, custom-built), counter type and lead time (stock standalone counter installs same-day; templated stone requires a 1-2 week fab lead time and a second visit), and whether the island is full-standalone or attaches to an existing peninsula or wall (which adds the scribe step). Adding plumbing, electrical, or appliances on the island moves the project out of this pure-carpentry scope. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send a sketch of the kitchen with the planned island position and the cabinet line you have picked — we will quote the install.
Why Handis for Pure-Carpentry Island Installation
Every island install we have ever been called to fix was secured into the toe-kick with cabinet screws into nothing. The first person who leaned on it shifted the island a quarter-inch toward the dining room. The second person broke the toe-kick away from the cabinet at the front. The fix is to demo and re-set with structural lag screws into floor joists. The right answer on day one is to find the joist direction with a hole-saw test bore, mark the island footprint to land secure points over the joists, drive lag screws through the toe-kick into the joists. The island does not move when leaned on. After enough islands, every common floor-condition failure mode has a fix in the truck.
Honest pure-carpentry scope — we name the licensed sub if you want plumbing or electrical
Pure carpentry on this page means no sink, no disposal, no dishwasher, no new outlet, no under-cabinet lighting circuit, and no pendant on a new switch leg on the island. If you want any of those, we are honest on the booking call and we route the project to the appropriate scope — Sinks & Fixtures for the sink and the supply rough-in (with a licensed Washington L&I plumber sub), or a licensed electrician on a coordinated subcontract for a new circuit. We do not pretend pure carpentry covers regulated work.
Floor-joist direction confirmed by a hole-saw test bore
On a joisted floor (the standard build for second-floor and most main-floor kitchens), the island's secure-to-floor lag screws need to land in joists, not in the open void between joists. We drop a 1.5-inch hole-saw test bore at the corner of the planned island footprint, identify the joist direction in the subfloor below, and lay out the secure points to land over the joists. No guesswork on joist location. On a slab-on-grade floor we mark for masonry anchors with a hammer-drill and Tapcon-style concrete anchors.
Shimmed to dead-level on the actual floor
Kitchen floors slope. The high point of the island footprint becomes the reference; the toe-kick at every low point gets shimmed with cabinet shims until the cabinet top is dead-level across the entire island. The island reads as flat on the counter, the doors hang square, the drawer fronts close to the same reveal at the top and bottom. The counter sits flat — critical for any stone or quartz counter that has zero forgiveness for an out-of-level cabinet top.
Scribed end panel where the island meets a wall or peninsula
Where the island meets a wall or attaches to an existing peninsula, we scribe the end panel to the actual wall or existing cabinet face with a compass transfer and a belt sander. The cabinet sits flush against the wall or peninsula the entire length with no visible gap. Caulk-fill on a tapered gap is the cheap shortcut that reads as off in six months; scribing is the right answer and every island that meets a wall gets it.
Structural lag screws into joists — never cabinet screws into nothing
Secure to the floor through the toe-kick with structural lag screws sized to the cabinet line, landed in floor joists located by the hole-saw test bore. Wall-plug-style cabinet screws driven into the open void between joists do not hold the island — the island shifts when leaned on, the toe-kick breaks away at the front, and the island walks itself loose over a year of use. We use lag screws, sized correctly, into structure. On a slab, masonry anchors into the concrete.
Insured, background-checked, one-year project warranty
Handis carries general liability and workers' compensation; every technician has cleared a background screening before the first job. The one-year project warranty covers our scope — cabinet assembly, floor-location layout, shim and level, scribe, secure-to-floor, counter install (where in scope), door and drawer-front hang. If the island shifts under normal use, a door reveal goes off-square, a scribed end panel pulls away from the wall, or any of our install work fails inside a year, we come back and fix it at no extra charge.
Estimate
Tell us the kitchen size, the planned island size and position (sketch is helpful), the cabinet line you have picked (IKEA Sektion, Cabinets to Go, Lily Ann, Diamond Now, pre-built custom, or other), the counter type (stock standalone, templated quartz, butcher block, stone), and confirm there is no sink, disposal, dishwasher, or new outlet on the island. We send a clear estimate for the pure-carpentry install. If your island is meant to have any of those, we re-route the quote through the right scope path.
Customer Reviews
Pure-carpentry island installation reviews from real Handis customers.
Stock 60-inch island in our 1962 Issaquah ranch. Pure carpentry — no plumbing or electrical, just the cabinet and a quartz top with bar seating overhang on the dining-room side. The tech did a hole-saw test to find the joist direction, secured the island with lag screws into joists, scribed where it meets the wall on one end. Two days. The island is dead-square on a floor that is a half-inch out across the run.
72-inch RTA island, IKEA Sektion line, with templated quartz top. Pure carpentry scope — we already had the sink on the perimeter run and did not want one on the island. Tech assembled the RTA over a day, set and scribed on day two, templated on day three. The quartz arrived ten days later and installed in a half-day. Looks like a custom shop did it.
Custom-built 60-inch island with a black-walnut butcher-block top, in our 1929 Wallingford bungalow. Pure carpentry — no sink, no electrical, just the cabinet. The floor in the room was sloped about an inch from one end of the island footprint to the other; the tech shimmed every low point and the counter is dead-level. Three days end-to-end.
Wanted a sink on the island originally but Handis was honest on the booking call that pure carpentry would not cover that — we needed a licensed plumber sub for the in-wall supply and drain. They quoted both options (carpentry only or with the plumber), and we picked carpentry only and kept the perimeter sink. Final island is exactly what we wanted, no surprise costs.
Cabinets to Go 48-inch RTA island in our slab-on-grade basement kitchen — concrete floor. The tech hammer-drilled for Tapcon anchors instead of joist lag screws, set the island dead-level on the slab, scribed both end panels. The island does not move when I lean on it. Worth the proper anchor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis pure-carpentry kitchen island installation.