Dream Lands Design
  • Home Improvement
    • DIY
    • Remodeling
    • Woodworking
    • Accessories
    • Home Design
      • Furniture
      • Organize
      • Tips
      • Decor
        • Interior
        • Exterior
  • Design Ideas
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Dining Room
    • Living Room
    • Kitchen
  • Gardening
    • Backyard
    • Front Yard
    • Landscaping
  • Home Improvement
    • DIY
    • Remodeling
    • Woodworking
    • Accessories
    • Home Design
      • Furniture
      • Organize
      • Tips
      • Decor
        • Interior
        • Exterior
  • Design Ideas
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Dining Room
    • Living Room
    • Kitchen
  • Gardening
    • Backyard
    • Front Yard
    • Landscaping

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Backyard
  • Bathroom
  • Beauty
  • Bedroom
  • Cars
  • Decor
  • Design Ideas
  • Dining Room
  • DIY
  • Entertaining
  • Exterior
  • Finance
  • Front Yard
  • Furniture
  • Gardening
  • Green Living
  • Home Design
  • Home Improvement
  • Interior
  • Kitchen
  • Landscaping
  • Lifestyle
  • Living
  • Living Room
  • Organize
  • Photography
  • Real Estate
  • Remodeling
  • Tips
  • Uncategorized
  • Wall Improvement
  • Woodworking

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
29K
98K
0
Dream Lands Design
  • Home Improvement
    • DIY
    • Remodeling
    • Woodworking
    • Accessories
    • Home Design
      • Furniture
      • Organize
      • Tips
      • Decor
        • Interior
        • Exterior
  • Design Ideas
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Dining Room
    • Living Room
    • Kitchen
  • Gardening
    • Backyard
    • Front Yard
    • Landscaping
Featured of How to Measure Countertops and Kitchen Cabinets for Your Renovation
You're here: Home Kitchen How to Measure Countertops and Kitchen Cabinets for Your Renovation

How to Measure Countertops and Kitchen Cabinets for Your Renovation

  • Perla Irish
  • July 28, 2019
Total
2
Shares
1
0
1
0
0
Table of Contents Hide
  1. A Sketchy Beginning
  2. How to Measure Countertops
    1. Calculating Square Footage
    2. Include Countertop Details
  3. How to Measure Cabinets
  4. Special Considerations
  5. Measure Twice, Cut Once

Kitchens and bathrooms top the list of most expensive rooms to renovate. They’re also what make a house valuable, with updated kitchens and bathrooms returning the most money on your investment of homeownership.

So as you look at ways to increase your home’s value and subsequently spend a reasonable amount to do so, you may consider ways to do a few things yourself.

When you prepare for a kitchen renovation with new cupboards and countertops, learn how to measure countertops and cupboards accurately to save the step of having a contractor do the job.

Measuring a square slab doesn’t sound that complicated, but you need to make some special considerations as you complete this early part of the renovation.

How to Measure Countertops and Kitchen Cabinets for Your Renovation
How to Measure Countertops and Kitchen Cabinets for Your Renovation

A Sketchy Beginning

Start with a pencil and a piece of graph paper. Stand in the middle of the room, and then draw out the shape of the room on your graph paper.

Make sure to include all of the elements of the room like breaks for windows and doors, doorways, and appliances. Make a note on your drawing of the types of appliances you have along with the type of sink.

Don’t worry if you’re not Rembrandt. This drawing doesn’t have to be to scale. You just want to give your contractor the general idea of what your space looks like.

Then break out your measuring tape and measure the walls so your contractor knows what he has to work with. Go from corner to corner in a clockwise position, and do not forget to measure the island if you have one or to include one if you want one.


Read Also:

  • Shop for Countertop: Things You Need to Consider Before Buying Countertops
  • Granite Countertop Care and Maintenance, The Advantages and How to Maintain
  • Making the Right Selection: 8 Qualities of Superior Kitchen Cabinets
  • Formica Countertops – Tips for Buying, Installing and Maintenance
  • DIY Guidelines for Installing Kitchen Cabinets
  • How to Build Your Own Countertops

How to Measure Countertops

Once you’ve sketched out the lay of the land, it’s time to get specific by measuring the countertops. You need to provide contractors with the square footage of the countertops, even though you’ll be measuring in inches.

Measure the length of your existing countertops by running measuring tape flush along the back edge of each section of the countertop from one end to the other.

Start with the wall and measure toward the edge of the cabinet or appliance near it. Then add 3/4 inch to the measurement and round to the nearest 1/8.

Continue to measure each section, and write down the measurements as you go on the diagram. Repeat these steps until you’ve finished all of the countertop sections.

When you run into the sink, do not stop measuring. Go beyond the sink to the end of the countertop, appliance, or wall.

If you have an L-shaped countertop, measure the long side first, and then the short side.

Once you’ve measured length, measure the width of your current countertops by measuring from the back to the finished front edge. Round again to the nearest 1/8 inch and account for the backsplash in the measurement if you have one.

It is important to note that different types of kitchen tops require a different set of measurements. In other words, if you have a stone kitchen you will need to ask your contractor to take the measurements accordingly.

Many people fail to realize that measurements are necessary to ensure that all the fittings take place in the best fashion possible.

Calculating Square Footage

Now you need to calculate square footage so you know how much countertop you will need. Multiply the width times the length for each section and then add the sections together.

Then divide your total by 144 because square inches divided by 144 will get you the square footage number you need.

Include Countertop Details

Remember that contractors can customize countertops in dozens of ways, so if you’d like any part of your countertop done in a specific manner, say this.

Specific details like this will change the quote, and you want your quote to be as close to reality as possible so you can budget accordingly.

In the process of selecting countertops, you will have to choose an edge type for the countertop. Do you want a 3/8 inch rounded solid surface, a beveled stone, a crested stone, or an ogee stone?

You also need to mark sweeps or rounded overhangs on the countertop.

All of these details make your countertop unique and potentially more expensive.

How to Measure Cabinets

To measure your cabinets, you do basically the same thing you did for your countertop. You include the cabinets in your sketch, and then measure the width of the cabinets, adding 1 to 1/2 inches.

For lower countertops, you need to account for the overhang of the countertop, so just measure from the back of the cabinet to the front edge. You can account for the overhang by adding 1 to 1/2 inches to the measurement. Then measure the width of each section of cabinets.

A typical base cabinet runs around 34 1/2″ tall, and a standard wall cabinet is 30, 36, or 42 inches tall. Use your standard cabinet height, and then subtract that number from the ceiling height. This will help you determine the ideal wall cabinet height.

Once you know the size cabinet you’re looking for, you can begin to peruse kitchen cabinets online to find the style that best fits your kitchen.

Special Considerations

If installing cabinets and countertops were as easy as just nailing them to the wall or floor, everyone would do it. The obstacles you have to consider make installations interesting.

Obstacles include elements like door openings, appliances,  gas lines, and plumbing.

To find the appliance center lines, measure the width, depth, and height of the appliance. Include that information in your drawing.

To calculate the plumbing centerlines, measure from one corner of the wall to the centerline of your plumbing line and gas line. Then write down that information on your sketch

For doorways, you need to measure from casing to casing. Go from the outside of one casing to the outside of the opposite casing, and include those numbers in your sketch.

Also, make sure to measure the ceiling height and record that in your drawing. To have the most accurate ceiling height, measure the ceiling in multiple spots. Consider the soffit in your design as well if you have an older home.

Whether you have a completely boring kitchen or the most interesting cooking space known to architects, note any idiosyncrasies in your kitchen such as large overhangs, odd angles, and straight edges. Then make note of these in the diagram.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Now that you know how to measure countertops and cabinets, make sure you do so twice. Use your measuring tape liberally, and measure every part twice to make sure you have accurate measurements for your sketch and your contractor.

For some great ideas on how to design your dream kitchen, check out some of the articles on our blog.

Total
2
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 1
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • cabinets
  • countertops
  • kitchen cabinets
  • kitchen renovations
  • measuring
  • renovation

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

You May Also Like
Featured image - Which Air Conditioner Consumes Less Electricity
View Post

Which Air Conditioner Consumes Less Electricity

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - Mosquito Larvicide - BTI
View Post

Mosquito Larvicide – BTI

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - The Key Benefits of Adding Windows to Your Kitchen
View Post

The Key Benefits of Adding Windows to Your Kitchen

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - The Best Fireplace Accessories of 2022
View Post

The Best Fireplace Accessories of 2022

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - Unlocking the Perfect Palette for Your Home A Guide to Residential Painting
View Post

Unlocking the Perfect Palette for Your Home: A Guide to Residential Painting

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - How To Design a Kitchen Island That Fits Your Needs
View Post

How To Design a Kitchen Island That Fits Your Needs

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - Asphalt Maintenance Tips You Need to Know
View Post

Asphalt Maintenance Tips You Need to Know

  • January 28, 2023
featured image - How To Know When It's Time to Replace Your Home's Windows
View Post

How To Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Home’s Windows

  • January 26, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dream Lands Design
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Add Dream Lands Design to your Homescreen!

Add