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Seven Kitchen Cabinet Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

Almost everything in a kitchen can be changed later. Seven things cannot, and every one of them is decided before the cabinets are ordered rather than after they arrive.

1. Measuring from the studs instead of the finished wall

Drywall takes roughly half an inch off each wall. A run sized from framing will not fit the finished room, and cabinets are not adjustable. In a new build the room is measured twice - once for planning, once after drywall for the order. How to measure a kitchen covers the method.

2. Losing the walkway to the island

A working aisle needs about 42 inches, and 48 where two people cook or where a dishwasher and an oven open into the same space. Thirty-six inches looks generous on a drawing and is a squeeze with one appliance door open. This is measured with the counter overhang, not the cabinet.

3. Treating the corner as ordinary storage

Two runs meeting at a right angle lose about a cabinet's worth of usable space unless the corner is planned. A lazy susan, a blind-corner pull-out or an angled unit all solve it; a plain deep box does not, and nothing at the back of it is ever seen again. Corner cabinets covers the three options.

4. Deciding the outlets after the layout

An outlet that lands behind a wall cabinet, or a shut-off valve that ends up unreachable inside a sink base, cannot be moved once the run is fixed and the counter is on. Appliance garages need an outlet inside the cabinet, wired before installation.

5. Putting the floor in last

The finished floor goes down first in almost every build, so the toe kick sits on it and a later floor change cannot trap the run. If the floor comes after, its exact thickness has to be known before the cabinets are ordered - or the dishwasher may not come out again.

6. Counting the tall storage last

A pantry, a broom cupboard and a pair of wall ovens each need a full-height run, and full-height runs eat wall length that the base and wall cabinets have usually already claimed. Count tall storage first, then lay out the rest.

7. Choosing the finish anywhere but the room

A sample door under showroom lighting tells you very little. The check that matters is the door flat on your own floor, beside your own counter, in the morning and again under the room's own light after dark - and that last one is the one everybody skips. Sample doors are at the Norcross showroom.

Related pages

Atlanta kitchen cabinets covers the ordering process end to end and Atlanta cabinetry the same work in other rooms. Design consultation models the layout in 3D first; installation and assembly are available for a fee. Shop cabinets lists all nine collections.

Esta guía en español.

Esta guía en español.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common kitchen cabinet mistake?

Measuring from the framing rather than the finished wall. Drywall takes about half an inch off each wall and a run sized to studs will not fit.

How much space do I need around an island?

About 42 inches of working aisle, 48 where two people cook - measured from the counter overhang, not from the cabinet.

Does the floor go in before the cabinets?

Before, in almost every case. Otherwise the toe kick ends up short and the dishwasher may not come out.

Can these mistakes be fixed after installation?

Not without unscrewing a run that has a countertop on it. All seven are decided before the order rather than after delivery.

Do you deliver across metro Atlanta?

Yes - 7 to 10 business days, or same-day collection in Norcross. Service areas lists every city.

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