Calculating cabinet height?

[Jeff Monson]

We have decided to do some built in cabinets in our pantry, how does one determine the maximum height I can make the cabinet? I know there is a rule so the cabinet can be safely tipped into place without hitting the ceiling. Also do most of you make up the void by raising the cabinet and filling the space or just fill it in on the top with something like a crown molding?

[Jeff Nolan]

the maximum height will be a function of several factors... not the least of which being the physical dimensions of the space and access required to move it into place. If want you want is too big to get into place, build smaller units and join them together when installed. Built in cabinets are easy this way, like kitchen cabinets they are combinations of components of varying sizes all designed to work together.

The "tipping height" is easy, you measure diagonally from one corner to the other as this will be the height required to rotate it into place and clear the ceiling.

I'll give you a lesson that I learned the hard way. I made a built in cabinet for a bathroom and because the space it was going into was really deep I designed a cabinet that was 30x34" deep with nice full extension slides and LED lighting in the cabinet activated with a push switch on the door. I was very proud, it used all of the available space and had conveniences that made an impractically deep cabinet usable.

One small problem... the doorway to the bathroom, the only access point, was 30" wide and with the faceframe on the cabinet I easily exceeded that. Fortunately I happened to catch this as I was in the final assembly so I pre-finished and assembled the cabinet without the faceframe on, but the faceframe was fitted and finished as well. I had to install the cabinet in the bathroom and then put the faceframe on in place. It worked out okay in the end but looking back on it I got really lucky that I the width dimension allowed to me squeeze it through that doorway.

[Darrell Bade]

I built a cabinet last year that was the same width as a normal base cabinet and about 14" wide. It only need about 3/4" clearance at the top to stand up. I covered he gap with crown mould. Tell me the size cabinet you want to stand up. I will draw it in Autocad real quick and tell you how much clearance you need to stand it up.

[Jeff Nolan]

or use a separate toekick base to push up the cabinet to the ceiling... build some drawers into the toekick for added storage. I did this in my kitchen, worked out great and I avoided having to put a crown moulding on.

[bill mullin]

Layout the depth dimensions on a piece of plywood, and measure the diagonal. Don't forget to draw in the kick space, if you are using one.

If you are building a few full height cabinets, covering several feet of wall space, you want the kick spaces to line up, again, if you are using them. Shimming them up to the ceiling might not work if the ceiling is not perfectly flat in places.

Check your floor for level, then measure from the highest point on the floor to the ceiling. That will be where you want to start, then you'll shim the other cabinets up from there. This will keep all your door and drawer heights in line.

[Joe Chritz]

This!

Joe (10 char)



or use a separate toekick base to push up the cabinet to the ceiling... build some drawers into the toekick for added storage. I did this in my kitchen, worked out great and I avoided having to put a crown moulding on.

[Rich Aldrich]

You could make a cardboard cut out of the profile of the cabinet and try it. Modify it as needed.

[johnny means]

Forget all the life size mock-ups and anything that takes more than one minute to do.

a²+b²=c² (Height²+Depth or Width²= Tipping Height²)

The value of c cannot exceed your ceiling height.

[Glen Butler]

FWIW. Nice looking cabinets usually have a toe kick and crown mould at the top. I usually plan 4.5" for the toe kick and 4.25" for sub crown and crown if the cabinets is floor to ceiling. Unless your cabinet is ridiculously deep as the poster above, you need not worry.