CabinetWise | Kitchen Cabinet Guides, Sizes, Costs & Ideas
For US Homeowners & DIYers

Kitchen cabinets, figured out before you spend a dollar.

Standard sizes, costs, painting, installation and design. The cabinet topics planned for US homeowners and DIYers.

Check standard sizes See the latest guides
Standard US cabinet dimensions Sizes, costs, painting & installation
White shaker kitchen cabinets with glass-front uppers and a subway tile backsplash
White wall cabinets
Sizes firstStandard dimensions, at a glance
At a glanceSTANDARD US
  • Base height34.5 in
  • Base depth24 in
  • Wall depth12 in
  • Counter height36 in
34.5 inStandard base
cabinet height
24 inStandard base
cabinet depth
12 inStandard wall
cabinet depth
36 inFinished counter
height, top included
01 · Measure once

The size explorer. Know it before you order it.

Pick a cabinet type and see its standard US dimensions.

Height34.5 in

Without countertop. Add 1.5 in for a standard top to reach 36 in.

Depth24 in

Box only. Doors and drawer fronts add roughly 0.75 in.

Widths9 to 48 in

In 3 in steps. 36 in is a common size for sink and range bases.

Toe kick4.5 in high

Recessed 3 in. This is the gap your feet use at the counter.

Depths exclude the door front.Widths run in 3 in steps.
02 · Browse by topic

Every question, one clean index.

Every stage of a cabinet’s life, from the first measurement to the final coat of paint.

Connecting to WordPress…
03 · Featured guides

Featured guides, first in line.

Pillar guides the rest of the site builds on. In WordPress, any published post marked sticky appears here on its own.

Connecting to WordPress…
Before and after of wooden kitchen cabinets painted white
✦

Painting, in order: degrease, sand, prime, then paint. The prep steps the painting guides will cover first.

04 · Painting & refinishing

Painting the cabinets you already have.

Painting is one option when the cabinet boxes stay in place. The painting guides will cover the prep in this order:

  1. 1

    Degrease everything

    Kitchen grease defeats paint. TSP or a degreaser first, no exceptions.

  2. 2

    Sand and degloss

    Scuff the old finish so primer has something to grip.

  3. 3

    Bonding primer

    One coat of bonding primer, sanded smooth once dry.

  4. 4

    Two thin topcoats

    Cabinet-grade enamel, sprayed or rolled, cured fully before use.

Compare paint, reface & replace
05 · Pick your project

Three ways to a better kitchen.

Same kitchen, three budgets. Pick by the condition of your cabinet boxes, not by the photos online.

Weekend Project

Paint what you have

Boxes are solid, layout works, only the color is tired. New hardware completes it.

Typical cost · DIY$300 – $1,200See the painting route → Middle Ground

Reface the fronts

Keep the boxes, replace doors and drawer fronts, veneer the frames to match.

Typical cost$4,000 – $9,500See the refacing route → Full Reset

Replace everything

Layout changes, damaged boxes, or a full remodel. The only route that fixes storage.

Typical cost$6,000 – $30,000+See the buying route →

Quick cost check

Drag the size, pick a level, and get a ballpark for a full replacement in seconds. Final quotes vary by region and finish.

Estimated replacement$3,600 – $5,400

Cabinets only, mid-range finish. Installation extra.

07 · Latest guides

The latest guides.

The newest published guides, loaded straight from WordPress in the order they went live.

Connecting to WordPress…
Browse the topics
Quick Answers

Questions every homeowner asks first

The box is 24 inches deep. With the door and a standard countertop overhang, the finished run is about 25 to 25.5 inches from the wall. Wall cabinets are 12 inches deep, and tall pantry units come in 12 or 24 inches.
Base cabinets are 34.5 inches tall. A standard 1.5 inch countertop brings the working surface to 36 inches, which suits most people. Wall cabinets are mounted so their bottom edge sits 18 inches above that countertop.
It can be, when the boxes are sound. A DIY paint job with primer, cabinet enamel and new hardware typically runs $300 to $1,200. Replacing the same run starts around $6,000 for stock cabinets before installation. Painting cannot fix a bad layout or damaged boxes, which is why condition comes first.
Most boxes are plywood or particleboard with a melamine or veneer interior. Doors are usually solid wood, MDF, or wood with an MDF center panel. Plywood boxes resist water better; MDF doors take paint more smoothly.
Base and wall cabinets come in widths from 9 to 48 inches, almost always in 3 inch steps: 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 and so on. Odd gaps at the end of a run are closed with filler strips, not custom boxes.
Where to start

Not sure where your kitchen stands?

The size explorer above works right now. Every guide published in WordPress appears on this page on its own, newest first.

Open the size explorerCompare paint · reface · replace