| Measure | How | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Each wall | Corner to corner at three heights | Walls bow; the smallest number fits |
| Ceiling height | Floor to ceiling in several spots | Sets how tall the uppers can go |
| Windows and doors | Outside of trim, sill height, distance from corner | Cabinets stop at the trim, not the opening |
| Plumbing | Center of drain and supplies, from corner and floor | Places the sink base and dishwasher |
| Electrical and vents | Center of each outlet, switch, vent and gas line | Avoids a box sitting over a fixture |
| Appliances | Manufacturer’s spec sheet, by model number | Openings are cut to the model |
| Square and plumb | Diagonals, a level, a 3-4-5 check | Shows where a run needs room to adjust |
What do you need to measure a kitchen for cabinets?
A 25-foot tape measure, a long level, a pencil and graph paper or a notepad, and a second person to hold the other end of the tape. A phone camera helps too: a photo of each wall, taken square on, makes every number on the sketch easier to read later.
Start with a rough bird’s-eye sketch of the room. Draw each wall, mark the windows, doors and appliances where they are, and number the walls so every measurement has a home. It does not need to be to scale.
How do you measure the walls?
Measure each wall from corner to corner at three heights: a little above the floor, at about counter height, and near the ceiling. Walls are rarely perfectly straight, and the three numbers often differ. Write all three down, and treat the smallest as the space the cabinets have to fit.
Measure in inches, to the nearest sixteenth of an inch if your tape shows it. Crafted Cabinetry cuts boxes in 1/16-inch increments, so a precise number is a number that gets used.
The most common measuring mistake is not the arithmetic, it is the tape. Push the end of the tape firmly against the wall, hold it there, and only then read it. If the hook slides or the tape sags in the middle, the number is wrong before you write it down.
How do you measure the ceiling height?
Floor to ceiling in several places along each wall, not just one. Floors slope and ceilings sag, especially in older homes. If you want upper cabinets to run to the ceiling, the lowest reading is the one that matters. Note any soffits, bulkheads or beams, with their height, depth and where they start and stop.
How do you measure windows, doors and trim?
For each window and door, record:
- The distance from the nearest corner to the outside edge of the trim, not the opening. Cabinets stop at the casing.
- The width of the opening including trim on both sides.
- For windows, the height from the floor to the bottom of the trim and the top of it. That decides whether a counter and backsplash fit underneath.
- Which way each door swings, and whether it opens into the kitchen.
How do you locate plumbing, electrical and vents?
Measure each one to its center, from the same corner you used for the wall, and from the floor:
- Sink drain, hot and cold supplies, and any dishwasher or fridge water line.
- Outlets, switches and any hard-wired connections for appliances or lighting.
- The range hood vent, gas line, and any heating or air registers in the floor or wall.
These decide where boxes can go and where a back or bottom needs an opening. If you plan to move any of them, say so; your designer will lay out the kitchen around where they will be, not where they are.
What about appliances?
Do not measure your old appliances and assume the new ones match. Choose the models, then download each manufacturer’s spec sheet and send it with your measurements. The spec sheet gives the cutout or opening size, clearances and where the connections need to be. A panel-ready fridge or dishwasher has its own panel dimensions as well. Openings are cut to the model, so a change of model after the drawings are done is a change to the drawings.
How do you check whether walls are square and plumb?
Most kitchens are a little out of both, and it is better to know before the drawings are done.
- Square corners: use the carpenter’s 3-4-5 check. Mark 3 feet along one wall from the corner and 4 feet along the other. If the corner is square, the distance between the two marks is exactly 5 feet. More or less means the corner is open or closed.
- Plumb walls: hold a long level upright against the wall at a few points along each run and note where it leans in or out.
- Level floor: run the level along the floor where the base cabinets will sit and mark the high point. Base cabinets are set from it.
What are the most common kitchen measuring mistakes?
- Measuring once. One reading per wall misses the bow in the middle and the corner that is out. Three heights, every wall.
- Measuring to the opening instead of the trim. The casing takes space a cabinet cannot use.
- Using the old appliance. New models rarely share the old one’s exact size. Measure from the spec sheet of the model you are buying.
- Forgetting what is on the wall. An outlet, a vent or a thermostat in the wrong place can stop a tall cabinet or an upper from going where it is drawn.
- Rounding. Write down what the tape says, to the sixteenth. Rounding a few walls in the same direction adds up across a run.
- Mixing reference points. Pick one corner per wall and measure everything on that wall from it.
What happens to your measurements at Crafted?
Your sketch and numbers go to a dedicated designer, who checks every dimension as the layout is drawn and comes back with questions where something does not add up. Photos of each wall help with that a great deal.
Your measurements are what the design and the fixed-price quote are built from. The final field measurements are confirmed before anything is cut, so the cabinets are built to the room as it is, not as it was sketched. Every box is then cut to size in 1/16-inch increments, without filler strips to close the gap, and delivered fully assembled.
If you only have rough numbers so far, send those. They are enough to start the design.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure my kitchen for new cabinets?
Sketch the room, measure each wall at three heights and keep the smallest, measure the ceiling in several places, locate windows, doors, plumbing, outlets and vents from a corner, and add the appliance spec sheets.
Should I measure to the trim or the window opening?
To the outside edge of the trim. Cabinets stop at the casing, so the trim is part of the space they cannot use.
What if my walls are not square?
Most are not. Note where they are out using a 3-4-5 check and a level, and send the numbers. A custom layout allows for it before anything is built.
Do I need exact measurements before getting a quote?
No. Rough measurements and photos are enough to start the design. At Crafted, the designer checks every dimension and final field measurements are confirmed before anything is cut.
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