Measuring cabinet faces accurately is crucial for ordering new doors, drawer fronts, or other replacement parts. Here's how you can get the measurements you need, including calculating overlay:
Measuring for Overlay
Overlay refers to how much the cabinet door extends beyond the face frame opening. Here's how to measure it effectively:
- Tape Placement: Close the cabinet door. Place a piece of masking tape vertically on the face frame, aligning it with the edge of the closed cabinet door.
- Open and Measure: Open the cabinet door. Measure from the inside edge of the tape to the edge of the cabinet opening. This measurement will give you the overlay.
- Example: If the measurement is 1/2 inch, the overlay is 1/2 inch.
Measuring the Cabinet Door/Drawer Front
- Width: Measure horizontally across the back of the door or drawer front, from edge to edge.
- Height: Measure vertically from top to bottom of the back of the door or drawer front.
- Overlay Considerations: Remember, your final measurements for the door or drawer front will be larger than the cabinet face opening to account for the overlay. Use the measurements you took for the overlay previously to help calculate the size of new doors.
Example
Let's say your cabinet opening measures 15" wide by 24" high, and you determine the overlay is 1/2" on all sides of the cabinet opening:
- Door Width: 15" (opening) + 1/2" (left overlay) + 1/2" (right overlay) = 16"
- Door Height: 24" (opening) + 1/2" (top overlay) + 1/2" (bottom overlay) = 25"
Key Takeaways
- Always measure in inches to ensure accuracy.
- Measure each cabinet opening separately, as sizes can vary.
- Double check all measurements before ordering replacement parts.
