IKEA SEKTION Kitchen Cabinet Assembly in Toronto: Rails, Leveling Legs & Door Alignment

Planning a SEKTION Kitchen

SEKTION is not a walk-in-and-buy-boxes product. You need to plan the layout using IKEA's free kitchen planning tool, which generates a parts list. The planning stage should include decisions about: upper cabinet height (will you go to ceiling height or leave a gap?), base cabinet depth (standard 60cm or shallower?), corner cabinet solutions, and appliance gaps (range hood, fridge, dishwasher).

In Toronto condos, the two main constraints are ceiling height (often 8 feet / 244cm in units built pre-2010) and the location of plumbing and electrical runs. The sink plumbing typically dictates the position of the base cabinet below it, and the exhaust fan duct position limits where the range hood upper cabinet can go. These should be confirmed with measurements before finalizing the plan.

Wall Rail Installation

SEKTION upper cabinets mount to a wall rail (horizontal metal track) rather than directly to wall anchors. The rail is anchored to the wall and all upper cabinets hang from it. This means getting the rail height and level exactly right is critical — once all the cabinets are hung, the rail height is essentially fixed.

The rail height is determined by your desired upper cabinet bottom height. Standard upper cabinet bottom height in North American kitchens is typically 137–142cm from the finished floor. Measure your counter height (typically 91cm) plus 45–50cm clearance above the counter. Mark this height on the wall as a level line using a laser level or a water level — not a bubble level on a short section of rail, which accumulates error.

Rail anchors must go into studs or heavy-duty anchors. For a typical Toronto condo kitchen wall (drywall over concrete masonry or concrete), this means hammer drill into concrete with tapcon screws. Upper cabinets fully loaded with dishes can exceed 150kg total — the rail must be robust.

Leveling Legs

SEKTION base cabinets have adjustable legs (six-sided plastic legs that screw up or down). The floor in most Toronto condo kitchens is not perfectly level — it slopes slightly toward the sink or toward exterior walls. The legs let you compensate for this.

The process: set all base cabinets in rough position, then adjust individual legs to level the first cabinet. Check level front-to-back and side-to-side. Then connect adjacent cabinets (using the screws through the side panels) and check that the assembled run is level across its full length. Minor floor variation requires leg adjustment at each unit. The goal is a perfectly flat, level counter surface once the countertop goes on.

Door and Drawer Alignment

SEKTION doors use IKEA's standard 6-way adjustable hinge — the same hinge across most of their cabinet lines. There are three adjustment screws: one for up/down (height), one for in/out (depth/overlay), and one for left/right (side gap). Understanding which screw does what before you start adjusting prevents going in circles.

The target: all doors should close flush with consistent 2mm gaps between adjacent doors. All drawers should slide parallel to the cabinet face. Alignment takes 5–10 minutes per door and is worth doing carefully. A kitchen where every door and drawer is perfectly aligned looks significantly more expensive than one that's slightly off.