Kitchen Cabinet Measurements

Source: kitchentoday

Once the general kitchen layout has been decided on, the next – and extremely important job – is to prepare a detailed and dimensioned working plan for the cabinets themselves. Some experience with a T-square, triangle and drawing board will be of great help in this department. A scale of 1” = 1’ -0” is quite convenient for cabinet details.

For purpose of learning the cabinet system presented in this blog, a fairly simple straight wall of cabinets is presented as an example. Figure 1-16 describes the kitchen in which the model set of cabinets will theoretically be placed. The model cabinet presented in the text will be concerned only with the cabinets to be installed on the window wall, as illustrated in Fig. 1-17. By studying the text and the drawings it should be possible for a competent craftsperson to adapt these lessons to an actual cabinet project.

Fig. 1-16: Kitchen Ready to be Measured

Fig. 1-17: Floor Plan of the Kitchen

Measuring the Space for Cabinets

Probably nothing is more important or basic to an accurate detail than the on-site measurements. On new construction these measurements are commonly taken on completion of the drywall application. The measuring is somewhat simplified, too, if the trim molding has been applied to the windows and doors. If the trim has not been applied, allowance will have to be made for the width of the trim being used and the application technique of the installer. If the carpenter doing the work pencil marking the wall where the trim will be positioned when applied. This will vary somewhat between carpenters, so by having him mark exactly where the trim will be applied makes it possible to obtain an accurate measurement for the abutting cabinets.

Make a rough pencil sketch of the wall where the cabinets will be located, sketching in windows, doors, dropped ceiling (soffit), and any room features that might affect the cabinetry (fig. 1-18). The kitchen being used for instructional purposes in this text has a dropped ceiling 14 in. deep by 136.5 in. long. Upper cabinets are 12 in. deep or 2 in. less than the depth of the soffit. This 2 in. should be maintained as the amount the soffit should extend beyond the end of the right-hand upper cabinet. Make a mark on the wall 2 in. to the left of the end of the soffit. This mark represents the overall length of the cabinets together with the refrigerator featured on this wall. Measure from the left wall to this mark. It is 134.5 in. Measure next from this right end mark to the trim on the right side of the window. This distance represents the overall length of the right-hand upper cabinet. Note that the width allowance for the refrigerator must be determined and incorporated into the design of this section of wall cabinet as well as allowed for in the length of the base cabinet.

Figure 1-18 : Typical Rough Sketch

Carefully measure the distance from the left-hand wall to the left window trim. Jot down the actual measurements in all cases. How much allowance to calculate into the plans of the cabinets will be addressed later. It is good idea to take this measurement in a couple of places – near the top of the window and again near the bottom. If the Windows opening is slightly out of plumb, this would be revealed and compensated for by using the smaller distance. Now mark on the windowsill (or window stool if installed) the exact center of the window unit. Measure the distance in inches  from the left wall to the mark indicating the window center. This is important if the sink is to be installed under the window, to be certain that the center of the sink exactly lines up with the center of the window.

Measure the height from the floor to the underside of the dropped ceiling – or to the ceiling if there is no soffit. Also measure the top of the window trim to the ceiling if the cabinets are to be built and installed above the window. The thickness of the floor underlayment should also be taken into consideration if not already installed. 

If the cabinet is to fit between two walls , check the overall measurements carefully from wall to wall. Make one measurement along the floor next to the wall. Take another measurement about 2 ft. out from the wall. Buildup of plaster in the corners or tape and cement in the corners could result in considerable variation. Use the shorter measurement if the variation is over 1/8 in. or so. If the variation is only 1/8 in. or a bit more, the tolerances built into the cabinet will be enough to allow the cabinet to slip into place. This allowance will be discussed in the section that follows on the cabinet plan. 

Finally, be certain to check the room layout so as to be certain that the finished cabinet can be removed into position through the doors, hallways, and so on, making after being built in the shop, could not be carried into the area for which they were intended. 

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