The Basics of Cabinet Installation - Layout

Before installing cabinets, I study the layout to find the areas that give me the most concern and go over in my mind (even before arriving at the job site) my approach to these areas.  As likely as not, I will have a question about the layout.  And I will attempt to get these questions answered before traveling to the job site.  A sample question that may enter my mind may be:  "What are the cut-out dimensions for an oven cabinet?"  These vary based on who manufactured the appliance being installed.  Making this cut-out after the cabinet is installed is not recommended, and I personally will wait to install the oven cabinet after I have the correct dimensions.

Ceiling height is important and easily overlooked.  The standard starting height for wall cabinets is 54 inches from the floor.  If your ceilings are only 8 foot or 96 inches, then 42 inch wall cabinets will be a tight fit.  And this is not necessarily a problem unless you also want to add crown moulding to the tops of your wall cabinets or you want staggered height wall cabinets.  Each situation is different and it is a good idea to ask before you make that expensive cabinet purchase.


Plumbing and Electrical Locations can also pose potential costly delays to installing cabinets while waiting for an electrician or plumber to move outlets or piping.  Ensuring these items are positioned correctly relative to adjacent cabinets or within cabinets before cabinets arrive is of utmost importance.  If the plumbing doesn't have to be moved because your new cabinets are going in the same location as your old cabinets, great.  But, make sure when the plumbing is disconnected that your plumber caps these lines straight instead of leaving a valve or worse piping ell.  This makes removing the old cabinets more time consuming, but also will force your cabinet installer to cut larger holes in the back or bottom of your cabinet.  This is ugly and unprofessional.


Door Locations and Wall Openings must be carefully considered when installing your new cabinets.  And remember, the countertop typically overhangs the end runs of cabinets so you want to make sure you leave room at these locations for your countertop.

All, but the most basic cabinet layouts should be measured and drawn by a design professional (which I freely admit I am not)