Most hardware problems aren't hardware problems. They're sequence problems.
The drawer pull is 3mm off-center because someone drilled it with the box sitting on a bench instead of hanging in the case. The catch is in the wrong spot because the door reveal wasn't confirmed before the catch went in. The slide is misaligned because it got mounted after finishing without a Phase 1 test-fit. Wrong hardware gets replaced. Wrong sequence means you're repairing finish.
There's a sequence. It's not complicated. Here it is.
Two phases, one rule between them.
Phase 1 is everything that requires fit, adjustment, or layout — and it happens on raw wood, before any finish touches the piece. Mortise your hinges. Drill all pull and knob holes. Lay out and drill the slide mounting holes on your case members. Test-fit every piece of hardware. Then remove it.
That's Phase 1. Mark, fit, remove.
You can't accurately lay out hardware through finish. Drill into lacquer and you get tearout. Mortise through an oil finish and the edges won't close clean. Hardware prep is a raw-wood operation.
Phase 2 is final installation — after finish is fully cured, not touch-dry. For oil-varnish blends, that's 72 hours minimum. Nothing gets installed in Phase 2 that wasn't test-fitted in Phase 1. That's the rule. There's no "I'll just try it" in Phase 2 that doesn't cost you a repair.
Within Phase 2, install in assembly order.
Not by hardware type. Not by price or complexity. In the order the piece assembles.
Fixed structure goes first. Back panels, fixed shelves, anything that hardware will later reference. A back panel that's 1/4" proud of the rabbet means misaligned drawer slides. Fixed structure defines the geometry.
Slides before drawer boxes. Mount the slides to the case, confirm extension, check level both front-to-back and side-to-side. Most undermount slides have lateral adjustment built in — use it now, while you still have room to move. Check your gap spec against the drawer box dimensions before the box goes anywhere near it.
Drawer boxes before drawer pulls. The box has to be hanging in its natural resting position before you drill for the pull. A drawer that's slightly racked will shift your centerline 2–3mm at rest. Drill for pulls with the drawer installed. Not on the bench. In the case.
Doors before door hardware. Hang the doors first. Hinges adjust in three axes and you need to resolve reveal before you can place a catch. A catch located before the reveal is confirmed is a catch you'll move.
Catches after reveal is set. Once the door hangs cleanly, the catch locates itself. Striker plate on the door, catch body at the point of natural door rest. Test the pull-to-close force. Closes without slamming. Holds without rattling. Done.
Pulls and knobs last. Everything else is working. Now the hardware that people actually touch goes on.
The handoff moment.
Before any finish goes on, do a hardware walkthrough against your bill of materials. Every hinge mortised. Every pull hole drilled. Every slide mounting point confirmed. If something isn't confirmed, finishing doesn't start.
This is the most important moment in hardware installation. It's also the one most often skipped.
The failure you'll see most.
Someone is mid-glue-up and realizes they forgot to prep a slide mount before assembly. They glue around the installed hardware. The squeeze-out contaminates the hardware seat. If it's a hinge mortise, the squeeze-out under the leaf can hold the hinge proud. Hardware comes out before glue-up. Every time.
Phase 1 on raw wood. Phase 2 after full cure. Assembly order within Phase 2.
The piece works when everything is in the right order. The order follows the assembly.