Measuring for New Kitchen Appliances: the Essentials

If you’re preparing for a kitchen transformation, understanding how to accurately measure your appliances can help you prevent costly mistakes and achieve a professional finish without a hefty price tag.

So, let's look at a few essential tips and tricks that can simplify the measuring process and help you achieve stunning results.

Kitchen appliance measuring techniques you need to know about

There are a few tools that will help you to perfect your measuring technique, including a level, a tape measure and a carpenter’s square.

When measuring for a new refrigerator, oven or dishwasher, ensure that you are also including the door when taking the depth measurement. Forgetting about the door is an incredibly common mistake that can cause fitting issues and lead to a lot of frustration during the installation process. 

Remember, even if you’re keen to obtain a sleek finish with slab-style doors and bevelled edges, with something like the Bella Lincoln range, for example, avoiding a tight squeeze with your appliances is essential.

Remember, it’s always possible to work with excess space, but it’s not possible to fit an appliance into a space that’s even just a few millimetres too small.

The importance of measuring twice 

There are plenty of apps that use tools such as templates and augmented reality to help you visualise what a new appliance might look like in your space.

However, this isn’t a necessary step. What is essential, though, is to ensure that you’re always double and maybe even triple-checking your measurements for accuracy.

Think about these things when measuring for kitchen appliances 

When planning your dream kitchen, it’s extremely important to think about how much space you’ll have to move around the features and appliances you want to include. This includes considering the amount of space you’ll need to open doors so that they won’t bump into walls or counters. 

It’s also important to think about ventilation, as certain appliances will need space around them in order to work at their full potential. We recommend referring to the manufacturer’s installation guide for information regarding proper spacing and fitting. 

It’s also worth planning clear walkways through your kitchen, so that you can be certain that your design will be practical and enjoyable to use. 

Pro Tip: Built-in appliances can help you to save space and can blend in with the help of made to measure kitchen cupboard doors. But don’t forget that you’ll need very precise measurements to ensure you achieve the seamless look you’re aiming for.

Common measuring mistakes 

Although you might be confident that you can measure accurately, it’s always worth being aware of some of the most common measuring mistakes so that you can ensure you’re not falling into one of these traps. 

Accidentally misreading the marking on a tape measure is an extremely common mistake, which is why we always advise double and triple-checking your numbers. Another thing that’s easy to overlook is not accounting for electrical outlets and plumbing, which can cause a number of installation problems.

Uneven floors can also cause issues, which is why it’s worth having a level on hand to check, as it’s not always visible to the naked eye. Similarly, you’ll also want to think about countertop overhangs, so always take several width measurements at various heights.

Future-proofing kitchen upgrades 

If you enjoy refreshing your kitchen space frequently, you may want to consider leaving some extra space so that upgrading to a different or larger appliance will still be a viable option in the future.

Pro Tip: During the planning process, it’s always worth looking around for the current most common sizes for each appliance. This way, you can account for a couple of extra inches on either side in order to future-proof your kitchen.

Made to measure kitchen cupboard doors from Happy Doors 

Our range of made to measure kitchen cupboard doors can help you to achieve a sleek, professional kitchen refresh at a budget-friendly price.

Why not browse our full collection on our website or reach out to our knowledgeable team for further information or advice? Simply give us a call between 08:30 and 17:00 Monday-Friday on 01256 845 816 or email us at hello@happy-doors.co.uk.