A magnetic knife holder can be a serious gamechanger in just about any kitchen. Instead of storing your prized kitchen knives in a big old wood block, a magnetic knife holder allows you to display them in a sleek and utilitarian style.
Not only are these wall-mounted holders highly eye-pleasing, they’re also pretty easy to install. Even if you’re not that experienced with DIY, with a little patience you’ll be able this task with no problem.
I’ll walk you through how to mount a magnetic knife holder in step-by-step detail – so you’ll be able to copy it to a tee in your own kitchen.
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Mounting a Magnetic Knife Holder – Guide
Before you get started you’ll want to make sure you have all the tools and materials necessary to complete the job. You won’t need anything other than what most people already have in their household toolkit.
Tools & Materials
- Drill/driver
- Mounting hardware (typically included with the holder)
- Screwdriver
- ¼” drill bit
- Level
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Stud finder (optional)
Step 1: Determine Mounting Location
The first order of business is figuring out where you want to mount your knife holder. Naturally, you’ll want to mount it somewhere easy to access without needing to reach too far.
You may be somewhat limited by the cabinets and kitchen tile, as mounting in drywall is by far the easiest way to go here.
Step 2: Position and Mark Mounting Location
Next, you’ll want to hold the knife holder in the position you plan to mount it. Use your level to make sure the holder is positioned level and mark the corner position with a pencil.
At this point, you can use a stud finder to check if any studs are behind your desired mounting location. This isn’t necessary though, as you can just mount it into the stud should you come across one.
Step 3: Determine Mounting Hole Locations
Once you know where you’re going to mount your knife holder, you’ll need to know where to drill the corresponding mounting holes. Oftentimes, the holder will come with a paper template allowing you to mark the hole locations and then transcribe them onto the wall.
If your kit didn’t come with a paper template, then simply measure the distance between the two mounting holes with your tape measure. Then mark the hole locations using your tape measure and level.
Step 4: Drill Holes
Now it’s time to drill your holes for the drywall anchors. These are typically included with the kit, but if not you can simply use 1 ¼” drywall screws with anchors.
Use a ¼” drill bit in your drill to bore the mounting holes. No need to go to deep, you just want to get through the thin layer of drywall.
Step 5: Insert Drywall Anchors
Now, insert your drywall anchors into the holes you just made. Depending on the type of anchors you’re using you will either need to push them into the wall or screw them in with a screwdriver (not a drill as this can be too powerful.)
Step 6: Fasten Screws into Anchors
Now, use your screwdriver to fasten the mounting screw into the anchors. Go slow and steady here, as it’s easy to screw up and cause the anchors to start loosening inside the drywall.
You’ll want to leave the screws protruding about a 1/8” to a 1/4″ from the wall, depending on the specific design of the knife holder. I needed to play around with this a bit, as the first time I left them too loose and the knife holder didn’t mount flush to the wall.
Step 7: Test the Knife Holder Fit
Now you can test the fit of your knife holder by sliding the mounting holes onto the mounting screws in the wall. If you find it’s too loose, simply tighten the screws a little and try again until it fits tight to the wall.
Step 8: Clean Up
Drilling holes in drywall creates a lot of drywall dust, so you’ll want to use a vacuum or broom to clean up the mess you just made.
Then it’s time to bust out your kitchen knives and put them on display for all to see!
Once you finish this mounting job, you’ll be able to mount just about anything into drywall including toilet paper holders, towel bars, and coat hangers, you name it.
