How To Measure For New Fronts
Anatomy of a Cabinet
Before you proceed, determine whether your cabinets are framed or frameless. Framed cabinets have a frame on the front of the cabinet, while frameless do not.
How to Measure Framed Cabinets
You’ll Need:
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Paper
Helpful Cabinet Terms
Before you measure your cabinets, it is helpful to understand a few cabinet terms:
Overlay is the amount of cabinet face frame this is covered by the door or
drawer front (see FIG. 1). Your door overlay and the hinge overlay will match.
A Stile is the vertical piece used in the frame of a cabinet.
A Rail is the horizontal piece used in the frame of a cabinet. A shared rail is when 2 fronts, such 2 drawer fronts, cover the same rail.
Reveal is the space (or gap) between doors and drawer fronts. Our examples below will teach you how to calculate for a 1/2″ overlay commonly referred to as a partial overlay. Another common overlay is 1 1/4″ or full overlay. Contact us for help with how to calculate the sizes you’d need if you wish to accomplish a 1 1/4″ overlay.
Pro Tip
Many professional installers will convert the kitchen to an 1-1/4” overlay to cover up more of cabinet surface during a refacing project. They are trained to look out for unique areas where 1-1/4” hinges will not work, such as corner cabinets or a cabinet butted up to a wall. For the typical DIYer, we recommend sticking with ½” overlay to reduce the risk of errors.
Sketch the Kitchen
Start by drawing a simple sketch of the kitchen layout. This will help you keep track of measurements and easily match each new door or drawer front with the correct opening during install.
Next, number the openings on your drawing. Start with the upper left doors, then the lower left doors. Then number the drawer fronts, also starting on the left side.
Write down the location of the hinges (left or right) on each door.
(See Fig. 2)
Measuring for Single Cabinet Opening
We will show you how to measure for a ½” door overlay using ½” overlay hinges.
Measurements should always be width x height in inches. Round to the nearest 1/16″ (0.0625″).
Open your cabinets and measure the width and height of the frame’s opening.
To calculate the door size, you’ll add 1” to your width and height dimensions:
Ex: 12″ x 20″ cabinet opening, order a 13″ x 21″ door. (See Fig 3.)
Ex: 37″ x 55″ cabinet opening, order a 38″ x 56″ door.
Ex: 14.25″ x 25.5″ cabinet opening, order a 15.25″ x 26.5″ door.
Measuring for Double Cabinet Openings
Measure the full width of both openings including the center stile of the face frame. Add 1″ to account for 1/2″ overlay on the outside hinge sides, divide by 2 to get to the width of your 2 doors. To ensure the cabinet doors don’t touch when closed, now subtract 1/16″ from each door.
For height, add 1″ to account for 1/2″ overlay on the top and bottom.
Example (see Fig. 4):
Width: 36″ + 1″ = 37″
37″ ÷ 2 = 18.5″
18.5″ – 0.0625″ = 18.4375″
Height: 25″ + 1″ = 26″
Order two 18.4375″ x 26″ doors
Measuring Drawer + Door Combos or Bank of Drawers for New Fronts
For areas with a drawer above or below a door, or a bank of drawers, measure each opening and add 1” to width and height to account for 1/2″ overlay on each side. Please note, you need a minimum 1 1/8″ shared rail between each opening for this formula to work.
If the rail is less than that, divide the difference between the 2 cabinet fronts and subtract 1/16″ to create a gap between them. Make sure you use the same measurements for a run of cabinets in the same configuration so your doors and drawer fronts line up.
Example (see Fig. 5):
22″ + 1″ = 23″
8″ + 1″ = 9″
Order 23″ x 9″ drawer
22″ + 1″ = 23″
30″ + 1″ = 31″
Order 23″ x 31″ door
Double check your measurements. Your fronts should align horizontally and vertically. Make sure those width or height are the same.
You always want to measure and calculate twice + order once!
Measuring for Lazy Susan Doors
You will order your Lazy Susan doors as a set. The hinge side will be drilled for hinges. The handle side will not be drilled.
For width, measure from inside corner to the edge of the face frame. Add 1/2″ to overlay the cabinet on 1 side, subtract 7/8″ to account for thickness of the door where they meet in the middle.
For height: Add 1” to account for 1/2″ overlay on top and bottom.
Example (see Fig. 6):
Handle Side Width: 12″ + 0.5″ – 0.875″ = 11.625″
Hinge Side Width: 13″ + 0.5″ – 0.875″ = 12.625″
Height: 33″ + 1″ = 34″
Order 11.625″ x 34″ handle side and 12.625″ x 34″ hinge side doors.
Pro Tip
Measure and calculate (at least) twice, order once! Double-check your measurements and calculations before placing an order.
You can measure for other overlay sizes, but be sure to order the correct hinges and understand there may be areas in your kitchen where your desired overlay doesn’t work, such as a cabinet right next to a wall. Our friendly customer support staff is here to help if you have any questions as you measure.
How to Measure Frameless Cabinets
You’ll Need:
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Paper
Sketch the Kitchen
Start by drawing a simple sketch of the kitchen layout. This will help you keep track of measurements and easily match each new door with the correct opening during install.
Next, number the openings on your drawing. Start with the upper left doors, then the lower left doors. Then number the drawer fronts, also starting on the left side.
Write down the location of the hinges (left or right) on each door.
(See Fig. 2)
Measure the Existing Doors
With frameless cabinets, there is only one type of hinge that works so you can measure your old doors. Measure the back of the existing doors and drawer fronts by finding the width x height in inches, rounded to the nearest 1/16″ (.0625).
Make sure you measure the back of the cabinet door in case it has a bevel or routed edge that could impact your measurement.
Example (see Fig. 7):
Order 18″ x 25″ door