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A toe kick is the recessed space on a lower cabinet that offers room for – you guessed it – your toes. These few inches enable your feet to rest comfortably under a small section of the cabinet, allowing you to get closer to the countertop without having to hunch over.
Do cabinets have to have a toe kick?
Toe kick spaces are an important element of kitchen design. In fact, any cabinet that you would stand in front of should have one.
What is standard for toe kick on kitchen cabinets?
Toe Kick. Below the base cabinet, there is a recessed area known as the toe kick. It typically measures 3 inches in height and the depth is approximately 3.5 – 4 inches. The toe kick is an ergonomic feature which places countertops and cabinets within arm’s length.
Why is it called a toe kick?
Whereas previously most standing crafts were done at tables, there developed a need for a work counter to which one could comfortably stand directly adjacent. As the name would suggest, the kick space provides a space in which one’s toes can rest.
Do you put quarter round on toe kick?
As kitchen cabinet refinishers, we get asked this question quite frequently. There is no right or wrong answer and is more a matter of personal preference. Also known as shoe or toe molding, it is used at the bottom of baseboards and cabinets to cover a small gap or uneven edge between the flooring and the baseboard.
What can I use as a toe kick?
The most common materials used for making toe kicks are laminated wood and paint-grade ¾-inch plywood. For support blocks, you can use cedar shims or plywood blocks.
Do you put flooring under kitchen cabinets?
Typically Cabinets Come Before Flooring. In most cases, given standard flooring heights, you will install the cabinets before the floor covering. Floor covering, or finish flooring, is the surface that you see and walk on, not the subfloor (under the underlayment) or underlayment (between subfloor and finished layer).
How do you finish a toe kick on a cabinet?
Nail the toe kick board to the base cabinets with finishing nails. Position a nail setter on the head of each finishing nail. Strike the nail setter with the hammer to countersink each finishing nail. Fill each countersunk hole with wood putty that matches the color of your cabinet finish.
What are cabinet toe kicks made of?
They’re usually made of paint grade 3/4” plywood and can be assembled in the shop. They’re quick to install and level on site using support blocks made from scrap plywood and cedar shims. This is the preferred method for kicks on the custom cabinets that I deal with everyday.
Can you remove kitchen cabinet toe kick?
Use a simple claw hammer and a pry bar to remove the toe kick. The space between the bottom of your cabinet doors and the floor is covered with a toe kick. Removing the toe kick from base cabinets is a relatively simple matter of prying the boards away from the cabinet.
How tall is a toe kick?
The typical height for a toe kick is 3.5″, but many of these look a little taller. Increasing the height of the toe kick is one way to give it a little extra prominence and emphasize interesting materials, but keep in mind that you’ll lose a few inches in the height of your lower cabinets.
What’s another word for toe kick?
A toe kick is the area between the base cabinet and the floor. It is also referred to as the toe space.
Should baseboard match hardwood floor or doors and trim?
Match the Baseboard and Trim Your wood floors are going to be the backdrop for your home. But you can also Paint all the trim in a contrasting color to make the hardwood floors pop. This Virginia home uses two different colors on the trim to blend into the walls.
Should wood trim match cabinets?
As a simple rule, kitchen cabinets should always match trim as much as they can. Any contrast that you intentionally create should not necessarily be a striking contrast. It’s important to try to create a sense of unity among the different elements being tied together to avoid making the contrast appear accidental.
Is it better to glue or nail quarter round?
A: Quarter-round should be nailed to the base boards only. It is intended to hide gaps between the base and floor. It should also permit a little movement in the flooring. Plus, it absorbs the impact of feet and furniture legs, so you may want to replace it sometime—thus, don’t glue it.
Can I glue toe kick?
Toe kick is attached with a nail gun or adhesive after the cabinets are installed.
What color should toe kick be?
To avoid standing out, most toe kicks are painted either black the same color as the cabinets. They are there to serve a practical purpose, after all. According to the trend-setters at Apartment Therapy, that doesn’t always have to be the case.
Do you install toe kicks before or after flooring?
Regardless of what you choose, the established standard for the top of the counter is about 36 inches above the floor. It’s also important to note that, if you’re including toe kick drawers in your kitchen design, put flooring down first to ensure that the bottom drawers can function properly.
What is the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel?
The average cost of cabinets can be around $15,000. Cabinets are also one of the foundational aspects of your kitchen; one that is obviously essential for storage and is required to make a functional space. This is the main reason they are also the most expensive part of your kitchen’s remodel.
Are you supposed to tile under cabinets?
Always install the tile to the wall, under appliances and cabinets. In that time there could be water leaks, appliance failures cabinet damage that requires replacement, electrical problems that require cabinets to be moved, etc When our bathroom was re-tiled, they left the cabinet in place.
