Undertaking new kitchen remodel is exciting, but it can be also intimidating. Don’t worry, you can start building your dream kitchen by browsing design ideas and inspiration on Pinterest or Instagram. Then, you need to measure your kitchen to get quotes for the cabinets, countertops, backsplash tile and even flooring. Best-laid kitchen layouts start with proper measurements. Below are some of the best tips for measuring your kitchen space accurately.

Tools Needed

  1. 25’ Retractable steel tape measure with fractions on the blade because every inch and quarter matter.
  2. Pencil or pen.
  3. A ruler for nice straight lines, but not really necessary.
  4. Notepad or if you’re a professional cabinet installer get a Graph Paper Notebook to also help organize your project.
  5. Small step ladder to measure high areas like soffits.
  6. In some cases, you may need an angle finder ruler to measure the angled walls.

How to Measure Your Kitchen

Kitchen Measuring Guide

Sample measurements of a U-Shaped Kitchen

  1. Scan the room and measure clock wise.
  2. Record the overall length of each wall and how they are connected. Label the walls that need new cabinets either with letters or numbers. This will give the designer a bird’s-eye view of your kitchen to plan the space properly. See the sample U-shaped kitchen measurements below.
  3. Label the windows and doors, and their exact measurements and location including the trims. Sink is centered under the window most of the time, so make sure that you indicate the exact size and location of the window.
  4. Measure the height of the ceiling from the floor. If your kitchen has a soffit, include that as well in the measurements.
  5. Locate any obstacles such as vents, pipes, electrical outlets, columns, posts and anything that are permanent which will have to be considered in the design.
  6. Find the exact location of stove, fridge, dishwasher and other appliances. and sink plumbing. Sink is centered under the window most of the time, so make sure that you indicate the exact size and location of the window including the trim.

Tips for Measuring Your Kitchen

  1. Measure in inches.
  2. Be mindful of the work triangle traffic.
  3. One common mistake when planning to renovate a kitchen is measuring the existing cabinets and not the actual length of the walls. Sometimes customers send us measurements of their old and custom-made cabinets from the 70’s which we can ‘t match. Including the existing cabinets is sometimes helpful, but we don’t really need them if you are changing the kitchen design.
  4. Focus and take time to measure your kitchen to ensure you got everything.
  5. Lastly, visit our Design Guide page to download the Kitchen Design Guide.