How do you measure a kitchen for cabinets?
Sketch the room and label every wall, then measure each wall corner to corner at three heights and keep the smallest number. Measure the ceiling in three places, then locate every window, door, plumbing line, gas line, outlet and vent from the same corner, and note each appliance's width or model number. Record everything in inches to the nearest 1/8", photograph each wall, and check that the pieces of every wall add up to its total. A 25 foot tape measure, a level, a pencil and the worksheet below are all you need. You do not have to get it perfect: at RTA Cabinets Plus a designer checks every number before anything is drawn, and the free design comes back within 1 business day.
What to have in your hand.
Twenty to forty minutes for most kitchens, and one person can do it. Clear the counters along the walls first so the tape lies flat.
- A 25 foot tape measure. Long enough to run any kitchen wall in one pull. A laser measure is quicker for wall lengths and ceiling heights, but keep the tape for short offsets around windows and outlets.
- A pencil and the worksheet. Print the worksheet below, or use graph paper. A sketch on the back of an envelope works too, as long as every wall has a letter.
- A level, 2 to 4 feet. To find the high point of the floor and to see whether a wall leans. Both change the cabinet list.
- Your phone. One photograph down each wall and one of the whole room. Photographs answer questions a sketch never will, and a designer reads them alongside your numbers.
- The appliance details. The make and model of anything staying or already bought. If a model is not chosen yet, note the width you are planning around.
Eight steps, in the order that saves you a second trip.
Take every measurement from the same starting corner for each wall and write it down as you go. Inches only, to the nearest 1/8".
Sketch the room and letter the walls
Five minutes
Draw the floor plan from above, roughly to shape, and give every wall a letter: A, B, C and so on, going round the room in one direction. Include the short returns either side of a doorway, any bulkhead or chimney breast, and the walls with no cabinets, because a designer needs to know what each run ends against: a wall, a doorway or open floor.
Measure every wall at three heights
Corner to corner
Run the tape from corner to corner along the floor, again at counter height (about 36"), and again at about 84", where the top of the wall cabinets sits. Walls are rarely straight, so the three numbers often differ by 1/4" or more. Write all three down. The design is built to the smallest one, because a cabinet that is 1/4" too long does not fit at all.
Measure the ceiling in three places
Floor to ceiling
Measure floor to ceiling at each end of every wall that gets cabinets and once in the middle. The lowest reading decides whether 42" wall cabinets or 96" tall cabinets fit. If there is a soffit or bulkhead, measure the floor to its underside and how far it sticks out from the wall.
Locate windows and doors
Outside the trim
For each opening, measure from the starting corner of that wall to the outside edge of the trim, then the width including the trim on both sides. For windows, add the floor to the sill and the floor to the top of the trim. Note which way each door swings and whether it opens into the kitchen.
Mark plumbing, gas and electrical
From the same corner
Measure from the starting corner to the center of the sink drain and the water lines, and the height of each off the floor. Do the same for the gas line, every outlet and switch, heat registers, vents and any radiator. A sink base is cut around the plumbing, so the drain position decides where it goes.
Record every appliance
Width, height, depth
For the range, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, wall oven and hood, note the model number, or the width, height and depth if the model is not chosen. The cabinet openings are sized to these, so a refrigerator measured 1/2" short is a refrigerator that does not go in.
Check the floor for level
Find the high point
Lay the level along the floor where the base cabinets will stand and find the highest spot. Note how far the floor falls across each run. Base cabinets are set to the high point and shimmed up everywhere else, so a large fall changes the height of the countertop and the toe kick.
Photograph and add it up
Before you put the tape away
Photograph each wall straight on and the room from a corner. Then, for every wall, add the measured pieces (corner to window, window width, window to corner) and check they equal the total length. If they do not, measure again now, while you are standing in the room.
Appliance openings and the cabinets around them.
Common sizes, for planning. The appliance maker's installation sheet always wins, so check it before the design is final.
| Usual opening | What it means for the cabinets | |
|---|---|---|
| Range or cooktop | 30" wide is the most common; 36" for a larger range | Leave the opening at the exact width. A 30" microwave wall cabinet or a hood goes above, at the height the hood or microwave maker gives. |
| Dishwasher | 24" wide, under a 34 1/2" base height | Plan it next to the sink base. A 24" dishwasher return panel finishes an exposed end where the dishwasher sits at the end of a run. |
| Refrigerator | Measure the model: widths run about 30" to 36" | Allow the clearance the maker asks for at the sides and top. A 24" deep wall cabinet above, 30", 33" or 36" wide, lines up with the front of the refrigerator, and a refrigerator return panel closes the side. |
| Sink | Sink bases 24" to 42" wide; farm sink bases 30", 33" and 36" | The sink base needs to be at least as wide as the sink bowl plus the cabinet sides. A 36" sink base is the usual home for a double bowl. |
| Microwave | Over the range, or in a base cabinet | A 30" wide microwave wall cabinet goes over the range. A microwave base cabinet, 24" or 30" wide, puts it under the counter instead. |
| Wall oven | Measure the model and its cutout size | A 33" wide oven cabinet in 84", 90" or 96" heights, or a 30" oven base cabinet under the counter. |
The vertical numbers that decide the wall cabinets.
Most mistakes in a kitchen plan are vertical, not horizontal. These are the numbers a designer works from.
- 34 1/2" plus 1 1/2". A base cabinet is 34 1/2" tall, and a standard countertop adds about 1 1/2", which puts the counter at about 36".
- 18" to the wall cabinets. The usual gap from the countertop to the underside of the wall cabinets, so the bottom of the wall cabinets sits about 54" off the floor.
- On an 8 foot ceiling, use 36" wall cabinets. A 36" counter, an 18" gap and a 36" cabinet reach 90", and crown molding closes the last 6" to the ceiling. 42" wall cabinets would leave no room for crown, so our designers never put them under an 8 foot ceiling.
- On a 9 foot ceiling, 42" wall cabinets leave about 12" above them. Crown molding finishes the top with open space above, or the trim is built up to meet the ceiling.
- Tall cabinets, pantry and oven cabinets, come 84", 90" or 96" tall. Take the lowest ceiling reading, leave room for the crown you want, and pick the tallest one that fits.
- Walkways: about 42" between a counter and an island or another run for one cook, and about 48" for two, are common planning guidelines.
- Landing space: plan clear counter beside the range and the sink, and keep the dishwasher next to the sink. Your local code and the appliance maker's instructions come first.
Fillers, scribe and corners.
Cabinets come in 3" steps and rooms do not. These three rules turn the leftover inches into a run that fits and opens properly.
- The filler rule
- Never plan a run to the exact inch. Where a cabinet meets a wall, leave space for a filler, usually 1 1/2" to 3", so doors and drawers can open past the wall, the window trim and the handles on the next run. Fillers come 3" and 6" wide for base, wall and tall cabinets and are ripped to width on site, so the leftover inches go into them, not into a cabinet that does not fit.
- The scribe rule
- Walls bow and corners are not square. Where a filler or an end panel meets a wall, it is scribed: held in place, traced against the wall and cut to its shape. Small gaps along a wall or the floor are covered with scribe molding, in the same finish as the cabinets. Measure every gap at both ends, because almost none are parallel.
- Inside corners: base
- An inside corner needs a corner cabinet or a blind corner. A lazy susan corner cabinet, 33" or 36", needs that much wall on both sides of the corner. A blind corner base, 42" or 48" wide, takes less of the second wall but needs a filler so its door and the drawers on the next run clear each other. A corner sink base, 36", puts the sink in the corner.
- Inside corners: wall
- A diagonal corner wall cabinet or an easy reach wall cabinet needs 24" of wall on each side of the corner. A wall blind corner cabinet, 27" wide, uses less of one wall. Either way, the corner wall cabinet should line up with the corner base below it.
- Ends of a run
- Every end you can see needs a finished side: an end panel, a skin panel or, at a refrigerator or dishwasher, a return panel. Note on the sketch which ends are open, so the parts list includes them.
Five measuring mistakes we see most.
- One measurement per wall. A wall measured once at the floor can be 1/2" longer than it is at counter height. Measure three times and use the smallest.
- Measuring to the window glass. Measure to the outside of the trim. The trim is what a wall cabinet or a filler has to clear.
- Forgetting the trim and the door swing. A door that swings into a corner, or casing that stands proud of the wall, takes inches from the run.
- Guessing the refrigerator. Refrigerators vary by several inches in width and height. Use the model's installation sheet, not the old opening.
- Ignoring the floor. A floor that falls 1" across a run moves every base cabinet off level. Find the high point before the plan is drawn, not on install day.
What happens after you measure.
- Send them
- Enter the numbers on the design page, or upload a photo of the worksheet. Send the measurements and a designer draws the kitchen for free, within 1 business day: a floor plan, 3D renders, an itemized parts list and a price, with no obligation to buy.
- A designer checks them
- Every number is checked before anything is drawn, so a measurement that looks wrong is queried rather than built. If something is missing, you get one question, not a rejected request.
- See the finish
- While the design is drawn, order a sample door. A full sample door is $19.99 and a quarter door sample is $4.99, shipping included on both, and the sample price is credited toward your cabinet order.
- Order and build
- Every cabinet in the plan is on the site with its price printed. The boxes click together on a licensed system, in under 2 minutes each, about 10x faster than traditional RTA, with 100% tool-free box assembly.
What people ask next.
How do I measure my kitchen for new cabinets?
Sketch the room and letter each wall. Measure each wall corner to corner at the floor, at counter height and at about 84", and keep the smallest number. Measure the ceiling in three places. Locate windows, doors, plumbing, gas and outlets from the same corner, note each appliance, find the high point of the floor, and photograph every wall.
What tools do I need to measure a kitchen?
A 25 foot tape measure, a level, a pencil, graph paper or a printed worksheet, and a phone camera. A laser measure is handy for long walls and ceilings but is not required.
How accurate do kitchen measurements need to be?
Measure to the nearest 1/8" and write it down in inches. Take each wall at three heights and use the smallest, because a cabinet run that is even 1/4" too long will not fit.
How much space should I leave for fillers?
Where a cabinet meets a wall, plan a filler of about 1 1/2" to 3" so doors and drawers open past the wall, the trim and the handles. Fillers are cut to width on site, so they absorb the inches that standard 3" cabinet widths leave over.
How do I measure for upper wall cabinets?
Measure floor to ceiling in three places and use the lowest. Subtract about 36" for the base cabinets and countertop and about 18" for the gap above the counter. What is left is the space for the wall cabinet and the crown on top. On an 8 foot ceiling, use 36" wall cabinets and let crown molding close the last 6".
Do I measure windows to the glass or to the trim?
To the outside edge of the trim. Measure from the corner to the trim, the width including the trim on both sides, and the floor to the sill and to the top of the trim.
What if my walls are not square?
That is normal. Measure each wall at three heights and use the smallest. Out of square corners and bowed walls are handled with fillers and end panels scribed to the wall, and scribe molding covers small gaps.
Do my measurements have to be perfect before I ask for a design?
No. Approximate numbers are fine to start, and a designer checks every number before anything is drawn. The free design comes back within 1 business day, and you can refine the measurements before you order.
Who we areRTA Cabinets Plus is an independently owned retailer that sells ready to assemble kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities direct to homeowners, remodelers and trade buyers. Made by a manufacturer that builds cabinets for one of the largest semi-custom brands in the U.S.
How do you install kitchen cabinets?
How to install kitchen cabinets: find the high point and studs, hang the wall cabinets first, level and join the bases, then fit fillers, panels, toe kick and crown.
Kitchen cabinet terms, explained.
Kitchen cabinet terms in plain English: cam lock vs click-together, face frame vs frameless, full overlay, fillers, scribe, toe kick, plywood vs particle board and more.
Want a person to check your plan?(305) 782-7587, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm ET. Or send your measurements for a free design.