Wednesday, April 6, 2011

How Cabinet Sizes Work

Knowing your cabinet sizes is the core element of your kitchen design. When you envision your dream kitchen and have your wall measurements ready, knowing where to install the right cabinets with the perfect size is key for your design. Here we will explain all of the sizes and accessories needed to complete your kitchen design and prepare for installation. Getting an idea of how cabinet sizes run should put you on the right track to successfully laying out your kitchen in an ideal way. If you have any questions or concerns about the sizes of the cabinets, contact The Cabinet Spot

Wall Cabinets
Wall cabinets are 12 inches deep, and the height and the width vary. Standard wall cabinet height begins with 30 inches and can also be 36, or 42 inches high. The height will depend on whether you want the cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling, or if you would like to create a unique design with different and staggered cabinet sizes. Sometimes low ceiling (84 to 90 inches) homes require you to install 30 or 36” wall cabinets. Remember, you need to have a minimum 18 inches clearance between the counter top and bottom of your wall cabinet. Bridge or Refrigerator wall cabinets are 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 inches high; these cabinets are placed above the refrigerator or over a cook top. Refrigerator cabinets can also be 24 inches deep. As for the width of the cabinets, it all depends on your floor plan and the space available. The width of the wall cabinets range from 9 to 36 inches in 3 inch increments. (eg: 3” filler, 9”, 12”, 15”, 18”, 21”, 24”, 27”, 30”, 33”, 36”).

Base Cabinets
Base cabinets are 24 inches deep and 34 1/2 inches high, which 4 ½ is the toe kick. You may have heard the height of the base cabinets referred to as 36 inches, this measurement includes the 1 1/2 inches for the countertop. Base cabinets also range in width from 9 to 48 inches in 3 inch increments. (eg: 3” filler, 6” filler or spice cabinet, 9”, 12”, 15”, 18”, 21”, 24”, 27”, 30”, 33”, 36”, 42”). Drawer base cabinets range in width from 15 to 30 inches. Sink base cabinets have the same height and depth as standard base cabinets, and the drawer faces are none functional (dummy drawers). Sink base cabinets are usually 33, 36, or 42 inches wide.
Pantry Cabinets
Pantry cabinets are 24 inches deep and have three heights, 84, 90, 96 inches. The 4 ½ toe kick can also be trimmed to fit with your ceiling height. Pantry cabinets in 96 inch height are also popular with the floor to ceiling cabinetry look. Pantry Cabinets come in 18, 24 and 30 inches width. Although some manufacturers carry a 36 inch size as well.

Oven Cabinets
Oven cabinets are 24 inches deep and have three heights, 84, 90, 96 inches. The 4 ½ toe kick can also be trimmed to fit with your ceiling height. The width of oven cabinets can range from 30 to 33 inches. The opening for the oven can be modified with fillers for smaller oven sizes. Double oven cabinets are very popular and have become the typical option when desired in a floor plan. Some manufacturers still carry single oven cabinets.
Accessories
Accessories and are key to the finishing touches of your design.

Crown Moldings come in different height and width sizes. A basic Crown molding usually comes 2 ½ inches high and 96 inches wide. Remember, if you get a larger size crown molding, the gap left for the crown to be installed will get larger. Which mean that the cabinets will be installed lower and will affect the 18 inches distance required between counter and bottom of wall cabinets. Always get an extra crown molding due to corner cuts and waste. Running short of Crown moldings is a common occurrence with customers not calculating the extra 2 to 3 inches required for corner cuts.
Toe Kick is the flat panel plate which is installed after cabinets have been placed next to one another in order to cover the seams in between. Toe Kicks come 4 ½ inches high and 96 inches wide.
Scribe molding are used to cover gaps between cabinets an walls. If any of your cabinet sides are against a wall, you usually want to cover the joints with a scribe molding. This will give your cabinet a finished look. Scribe moldings come ¾ inches high and 96 inches wide.
Light Rail Molding is used on the bottom part of your wall cabinets. Light rail molding will give you an extra 2 inches of height to your cabinet and hide all of the lights and electrical wires. If you do not wish to have under cabinet lighting, we suggest you don’t purchase light rail moldings.
Fillers are very important in RTA kitchen designs. As well all know every kitchen design comes with different wall measurements and not all 3 inch increments can perfectly fit in the floor plan. Fillers come 3 inches wide and will help you fill in the gaps left open in your measurements. Fillers are usually placed against walls to prevent an uneven look with the cabinets. Fillers can also be trimmed down to the preferred size in order to fill in the gap. 

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