CABINETS

Cabinet Type and Replacement. 

You’ve measured your kitchen, checked your measurements at least twice and now it’s time to decide what cabinets should go where. Your walls probably are not whole inches. They’ll be 114.5” or 89.875” IT’S OKAY. Wall and base fillers can be cut to size, if required ( and usually are) by your installer. Your job here is to determine what type of cabinets you want and where to place them.

There are 3 basic types of cabinets;

Base cabinets (the lower ones): Standard Base cabinets are 24” deep (out from the wall) and 34-1/2” in height (so with a 1-1/2” counter top the height is 36”)

Vanity Base cabinets are 21” deep and 34-1/2” tall; so named because they are often used as bath vanities. These shallower base cabinets can also be used for kitchen islands if you are tight on space.

Wall cabinets (the upper ones): These are 12” deep and can come in heights of 30”, 36” or 42”. The reason for the variants in cabinet height is that ceiling heights vary and some people like to have the upper cabinets go up to the ceiling, others leave space at the tops of the cabinets, or want to install crown moulding. When determining the height of the wall cabinets you will want to make sure there is at least 18” of clearance between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets.

Pantry cabinets (the tall ones): Typical pantries come in 84”, 90” or 96” heights and are 24” or 27” deep and 18”, 24” and 30” wide. These units are great for flexible storage because of the volume of goods they can hold and more come with adjustable shelves and pull out trays.

Obviously the widths of cabinets vary greatly from 9” to as wide as 60”, depending of the purpose of the unit. Getting the most accurate measurements allows you to know exactly what combination will perfectly fill the space and efficiently place appliances.