4 Key Points to Consider When Fitting Base Units and Working Out What Height to Fit Them
Before the kitchen can be installed we have to assess a lot of information to know what height the worktops need to be.
On a perfectly flat and level floor the height to the top of the units is normally 870mm but there are 4 key points that have a bearing on this.
The first of the most common problems is floor tiling.
It is always best to tile a floor before the kitchen is fitted.
It also needs to cover the whole floor even under the base units Of course it is possible to fit the tiled floor after the kitchen has been installed.
Some customers do not want their kitchen out of use any longer than necessary and tiling the floor would normally mean a two day delay in the fitting of the new kitchen.
The second point is when the customer cannot make up their mind which tiles they want to have fitted until the kitchen has been installed when they can check for colours etc to see what suits best.
If this is the case all that can be done is to add approximately 15mm to the height of the base cabinets so that when the tiles are fitted it brings the height back to what it should be.
The third key point which is another big factor in deciding on the height is if there is a large stove fitted such as an Aga.
This, if being installed, needs to be at a height where the cast top is at least 6mm above the worktop height.
This is for two reasons.
1.
The worktop meets the cast top just below the radius thus not creating a V joint for food to fall into, and 2.
Pans on the hob when slid off the cooker will not catch the edge of the worktop If the Aga cooker is already installed the kitchen will have to be fitted around its height.
If the kitchen is to have tiles fitted on the floor and has an Aga already installed this can lead to problems.
If the Aga is too low and we try to reduce the height of the legs to give the right worktop height position in relation to the Aga top, it might mean free standing appliances cannot be placed under the worktop.
One way to get around this is by fitting fully integrated appliances which have a greater flexibility in their adjustment.
Most will adjust down to a height of 800mm.
Another way out is to use a slimmer worktop.
I would not recommend less than 40mm with a laminate top, but if granite is being used then that can be 30mm saving 10mm on the height of the cabinets.
If you or a customer is using free standing appliances then you are governed by a minimum height of 850mm.
An existing Aga could be raised but this is a big job involving the dismantling of the cooker, altering the concrete plinth height then rebuilding the cooker.
Another solution is to put small units either side of the cooker at the correct height for the cooker then place the remaining cabinets at the normal height and make a feature out of the difference.
Ultimately it will come down to the wishes of the customer and if they are willing to pay to have the job done properly.
The fourth key point is when no Aga is fitted then the levels of the room where the cabinets will be fitted now need to be checked to find the lowest point.
This can be done with either a long spirit level or a smaller spirit level resting on a long, straight piece of wood If the difference between the lowest and highest point is 10mm or less then that can be accommodated by the adjustment in the legs.
If the corner is not the lowest part of the room we need to work out the height difference from the lowest point and adjust the legs accordingly.
For instance, if the corner was 10mm higher than the lowest part of the room and the legs are normally set at 150mm then we would screw them in to 140mm, place the cabinet into position and level it in whilst still keeping the front legs to the 140mm mark.
If this was not done and the units were placed straight onto the floor at 150mm, as the units moved away from the corner towards the lowest part of the floor the legs would need to be unscrewed to accommodate the drop.
On some older and even some not so old properties the legs can only come down to 170mm then after that packing is required underneath the foot.
Whilst this is possible, often the kick boards or plinths come in a standard height of 150mm so that any drop in floor would result in a gap underneath the plinth.
This is why the height starts at 150mm and works up.
If this change in height came to more than 20mm the height of any appliances going under the worktop would have to be reconsidered.
If the floor rises by more than 20mm the height of the floor where the appliances are in relation to the lowest point would need to be reconsidered to decide if it can be kept to the 150mm or less height.
It may be best to keep the height standard at the washing machine or dishwasher position and extend the legs as the units move towards the lowest part of the floor.
Then get hold of extra deep plinth to allow the plinth to be scribed (a method of cutting to match the shape of whatever is being cut to the shape of whatever it rests against) to the slope of the floor.
On a perfectly flat and level floor the height to the top of the units is normally 870mm but there are 4 key points that have a bearing on this.
The first of the most common problems is floor tiling.
It is always best to tile a floor before the kitchen is fitted.
It also needs to cover the whole floor even under the base units Of course it is possible to fit the tiled floor after the kitchen has been installed.
Some customers do not want their kitchen out of use any longer than necessary and tiling the floor would normally mean a two day delay in the fitting of the new kitchen.
The second point is when the customer cannot make up their mind which tiles they want to have fitted until the kitchen has been installed when they can check for colours etc to see what suits best.
If this is the case all that can be done is to add approximately 15mm to the height of the base cabinets so that when the tiles are fitted it brings the height back to what it should be.
The third key point which is another big factor in deciding on the height is if there is a large stove fitted such as an Aga.
This, if being installed, needs to be at a height where the cast top is at least 6mm above the worktop height.
This is for two reasons.
1.
The worktop meets the cast top just below the radius thus not creating a V joint for food to fall into, and 2.
Pans on the hob when slid off the cooker will not catch the edge of the worktop If the Aga cooker is already installed the kitchen will have to be fitted around its height.
If the kitchen is to have tiles fitted on the floor and has an Aga already installed this can lead to problems.
If the Aga is too low and we try to reduce the height of the legs to give the right worktop height position in relation to the Aga top, it might mean free standing appliances cannot be placed under the worktop.
One way to get around this is by fitting fully integrated appliances which have a greater flexibility in their adjustment.
Most will adjust down to a height of 800mm.
Another way out is to use a slimmer worktop.
I would not recommend less than 40mm with a laminate top, but if granite is being used then that can be 30mm saving 10mm on the height of the cabinets.
If you or a customer is using free standing appliances then you are governed by a minimum height of 850mm.
An existing Aga could be raised but this is a big job involving the dismantling of the cooker, altering the concrete plinth height then rebuilding the cooker.
Another solution is to put small units either side of the cooker at the correct height for the cooker then place the remaining cabinets at the normal height and make a feature out of the difference.
Ultimately it will come down to the wishes of the customer and if they are willing to pay to have the job done properly.
The fourth key point is when no Aga is fitted then the levels of the room where the cabinets will be fitted now need to be checked to find the lowest point.
This can be done with either a long spirit level or a smaller spirit level resting on a long, straight piece of wood If the difference between the lowest and highest point is 10mm or less then that can be accommodated by the adjustment in the legs.
If the corner is not the lowest part of the room we need to work out the height difference from the lowest point and adjust the legs accordingly.
For instance, if the corner was 10mm higher than the lowest part of the room and the legs are normally set at 150mm then we would screw them in to 140mm, place the cabinet into position and level it in whilst still keeping the front legs to the 140mm mark.
If this was not done and the units were placed straight onto the floor at 150mm, as the units moved away from the corner towards the lowest part of the floor the legs would need to be unscrewed to accommodate the drop.
On some older and even some not so old properties the legs can only come down to 170mm then after that packing is required underneath the foot.
Whilst this is possible, often the kick boards or plinths come in a standard height of 150mm so that any drop in floor would result in a gap underneath the plinth.
This is why the height starts at 150mm and works up.
If this change in height came to more than 20mm the height of any appliances going under the worktop would have to be reconsidered.
If the floor rises by more than 20mm the height of the floor where the appliances are in relation to the lowest point would need to be reconsidered to decide if it can be kept to the 150mm or less height.
It may be best to keep the height standard at the washing machine or dishwasher position and extend the legs as the units move towards the lowest part of the floor.
Then get hold of extra deep plinth to allow the plinth to be scribed (a method of cutting to match the shape of whatever is being cut to the shape of whatever it rests against) to the slope of the floor.
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