| Step by step instructions for measuring your face | | | | inch is probably the most common, and the one we will |
| frame cabinets for new cabinet doors. Most cabinet | | | | use for our examples. We will also assume that there |
| companies want you to give them the actual door | | | | aren't any obstacles such as narrow stiles, or drawer |
| sizes rather than the rough openings. Rough openings | | | | fronts, counter top lips, or decorative moldings to |
| are the actual measurements of the rectangular holes | | | | interfere with our half inch overlay. |
| in your cabinets that you want to cover with cabinet | | | | For single openings, that is any opening in your cabinets |
| doors. You will need to take these measurements and | | | | that will have one door covering the entire opening, |
| convert them to door sizes before you order. | | | | take the height and width of the opening and add one |
| Check your cabinet openings to see if they are | | | | inch to the height and width and that will give you a |
| square. This is easily accomplished by measuring | | | | half inch overlay on all four sides. For example, if the |
| diagonally from corner to corner both ways. If the | | | | rough opening is sixteen inches wide and thirty-two |
| measurements are the same, then your opening is | | | | inches tall, you will need a door seventeen inches wide |
| square. If they aren't, then you will want to measure | | | | and thirty-three inches tall. |
| the width at the top and bottom and take the larger of | | | | For split openings, that is any opening in your cabinets |
| the two. Same thing goes for the height, measure | | | | that will have two doors side by side covering the |
| height on the left and right sides and take the larger of | | | | entire opening, take the height and add one inch. Take |
| the two. You now have the rough opening | | | | the width and add seven eighths and divide by two. |
| measurements. To make it easier to match your new | | | | This will give you a small gap between the two doors |
| doors to your existing openings, you might want to | | | | so that they don't hit each other when you open and |
| make a sketch of your cabinets and number them on | | | | close them. You will still have a half inch overlay on all |
| paper. This will make mounting the new doors much | | | | three sides of each door and a one eighth gap |
| easier, especially if you have several doors that are | | | | between the two doors in the center. For example, if |
| close to the same size. | | | | the rough opening is thirty-two inches wide, and |
| Now that you have the rough opening measurements, | | | | thirty-four inches tall, you will need two doors sixteen |
| what do you do with them? You now have to make a | | | | and seven sixteenths wide and thirty-five inches tall. |
| decision. How much overlay do you want to have on | | | | The math can be written as follows: |
| your face frame cabinets? Keep in mind how wide | | | | 32 + .875 (7/8) = 32.875 32.875 / 2 = 16.4375 (16 7/16) |
| are the stiles between openings? Stiles are the vertical | | | | As you list your door sizes on paper, make a note |
| strips covering the edges of the cabinet box. If two | | | | what type hinge you are using and also if the door |
| doors are side by side and hinge to hinge, they will both | | | | hinges should be on the right or left side of the door. |
| need clearance to swing open without hitting the other | | | | The left or right note is only important for arched top |
| door, even if that door is open as well. The amount of | | | | doors, or if there are finger pulls, special hinge location, |
| clearance is primarily a function of which hinge you are | | | | or some other reason to specify right or left. Your |
| using. Check with your hinge manufacturer to find out | | | | typical door with a square profile will not need to be |
| how much you need. Most hinges will need anywhere | | | | marked as left or right. |
| from zero clearance up to a quarter of an inch. You | | | | Final thoughts: If you have some very tall cabinet |
| will also need to see how much clearance there is | | | | doors, you might need to have one or more extra |
| between the top of the opening and your counter top | | | | hinges added for increased durability. This is usually |
| or drawer fronts. Check the bottom for any | | | | done for doors over three and a half feet tall, or |
| decorative moldings that might hit the bottom of your | | | | forty-two inches. Be mindful of very wide doors, they |
| doors and adjust accordingly. | | | | might need the extra support even if they aren't very |
| Most face frame overlay doors have an overlay from | | | | tall. Another thing to keep in mind on tall doors is the |
| a quarter of an inch to as much as three quarters of | | | | hinge placement of those extra hinges. If there are |
| an inch. Rarely, you might have overlays outside this | | | | shelves in the cabinet, you will want to check and |
| range, but they do happen and are usually for just a | | | | make sure that hinges don't get placed at the same |
| few doors on an odd cabinet. An overlay of one half | | | | level as a shelf. |