How to Measure Walls for New Cabinets

Cabinet Height

• Place a measuring tape vertically on the wall, starting from the countertop surface. The standard mounting height from the countertop to the top of the wall-mounted cabinet is 96 inches. Measure 96 inches from the countertop upwards on the wall in an even vertical line. Make a mark at the 96-inch mark. Repeat this step several places on the wall, where the cabinet will be mounted. Take a ruler and place it horizontally across the wall and draw a line to connect the marks. Use a level to ensure the line is horizontally straight. Measure 30 inches downward from the drawn line and make marks. Repeat the step of making marks along the wall and connecting them to one another with a straight horizontal line. You now have the 30-inch space outlined on the wall for the wall cabinets.

Cabinet Width

• Use the measuring tape to determine how wide the entire wall-cabinet setup must be. Each wall cabinet layout has its own width measurement. For example, a single-door cabinet is between 12 and 18 inches wide, while a double-door unit may be upwards of 36 or 42 inches wide. Measure the cabinets’ width you are planning to install on the wall. Get an overall width of all cabinets and apply this measurement to the wall using the drawn lines as your guidance. Draw one large rectangle using the two lines already drawn and the combined width.

Drawing the Layout

• Divide the rectangle into sections, so each cabinet gets its own section. For example, the total width from the previous section may be 90 inches, which is a combination of two 30-inch wide double-door cabinet units and two 15-inch wide single-door cabinet units. Within the 90-inch wide and 30-inch tall rectangle, use the pencil and ruler to create two sections measuring 15 inches in width and two sections measuring 30 inches in width. Draw the sections in the places where you want the cabinets to hang.

Mounting Process

• There are two ways to mount wall cabinets: directly on the wall and on plywood panels. Locate wall studs for both methods first and mark their respective location in the wall using a pencil. Mount the cabinets directly on the wall by applying wood glue to the backside of the cabinet and place the backside of the cabinet directly in the space drawn for it. Use a drill to connect the backside of the cabinet to the wall studs using 2 or 3-inch long screws. The plywood panel method is essentially the same thing, except you install the plywood panel to the wall studs first and then mount the cabinet to the plywood panel. Each cabinet requires two panels — one near the top and one near the bottom.