Measuring from cabinet to cabinet for electrical boxes or water pipes
While replacing our cabinets in the kitchen when it got around to the sink base I had to measure where to place the holes for the water source lines, the drain and the electrical box. I screwed it up, which you can see from the picture, but you can learn from my mistake and get it 100% dead on correct.
When cabinets have face frames, most common style in the US, there is an overhand of 1/4". You can certainly measure this and verify it exactly. But for sake of argument let's say it is exactly 1/4". When you are measuring using one cabinet as the offset to the item you double this amount (once for the cabinet you are measuring from and once for the cabinet you are measuring into. So now we have 1/2". So far this is pretty simple math. So measure from the back of the installed cabinet to the landmark (water pipe) and let's say that is 22-1/4". Here is where I made my mistake. Now subtract (do not ADD like I did) 1/2" from 22-1/4" giving you 21-3/4" and that is where you pipe will be on the back of the cabinet (not from inside the cabinet.) As you can see from my pictures, when you add it by mistake your measurement will be off by double the 1/2" (or 1") and if you do you can thank the inventor of the multitool like I did when adjusting the holes.
Another key thing to remember is to strike a line, for the top of the cabinet all around before you start installing. Most homes will not have a level floor (or square walls for that matter). You want to find the tallest highest point in the floor and shim up around the room before getting started. Once you find the where the top of the cabinet will be either pop a string or strike a line on a level to set this point. I failed to do this and treated the floor as a constant. When measuring from the struck line to something you will be in the correct place because when you install a cabinet it may be as much as 3/4" off of the floor by the time you fasten it to the neighboring cabinet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZnVYpg8-R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
When the doors are closed you won't even be able to tell I missed at all :)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZnkZZAm1f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
When cabinets have face frames, most common style in the US, there is an overhand of 1/4". You can certainly measure this and verify it exactly. But for sake of argument let's say it is exactly 1/4". When you are measuring using one cabinet as the offset to the item you double this amount (once for the cabinet you are measuring from and once for the cabinet you are measuring into. So now we have 1/2". So far this is pretty simple math. So measure from the back of the installed cabinet to the landmark (water pipe) and let's say that is 22-1/4". Here is where I made my mistake. Now subtract (do not ADD like I did) 1/2" from 22-1/4" giving you 21-3/4" and that is where you pipe will be on the back of the cabinet (not from inside the cabinet.) As you can see from my pictures, when you add it by mistake your measurement will be off by double the 1/2" (or 1") and if you do you can thank the inventor of the multitool like I did when adjusting the holes.
Another key thing to remember is to strike a line, for the top of the cabinet all around before you start installing. Most homes will not have a level floor (or square walls for that matter). You want to find the tallest highest point in the floor and shim up around the room before getting started. Once you find the where the top of the cabinet will be either pop a string or strike a line on a level to set this point. I failed to do this and treated the floor as a constant. When measuring from the struck line to something you will be in the correct place because when you install a cabinet it may be as much as 3/4" off of the floor by the time you fasten it to the neighboring cabinet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZnVYpg8-R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
When the doors are closed you won't even be able to tell I missed at all :)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZnkZZAm1f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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