How to Measure For Cabinet Handles

Whether you are updating your bathroom hardware, changing out kitchen drawer pulls, or adding designer handles to your dresser, it's quick and easy to measure for cabinet handles. Just grab a tape measure and head to the cabinet you're replacing, refinishing or updating.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Paper

How to Measure For Cabinet Handles

1. Remove existing cabinet handles or pulls. It may be tempting to leave the current hardware in place while measuring, but when 1/4 of an inch can make a difference, it's better to take off the existing cabinet handles and measure from hole to hole on the cabinet.

2. Measure for cabinet handles by finding the distance between the two holes in the cabinet.While holding the end of the measuring tape on the first hole, pull it taught and straight over to the other hole. Mark down the measurement.

3. Use the same process and measure for cabinet pulls again."Measure twice, buy once."

4. Compare the measurements you just took.If they are the same, proceed to the next step. If not, measure a third time to determine the correct distance.

5. Learn the terminology and choose your cabinet handles."Center to Center," or "ctc" is the distance between the screws. This is the measurement you just took and want to use in selecting your new cabinet handles. Other measurements, such as "overall length", "projection" and "clearance" refer to total length of the pull, the distance the handle projects from the cabinet and the space between the back of the handle and the front of the cabinet, respectively. Choose a cabinet handle or cabinet pull that has a "center to center" or "ctc" measurement that is the same as the measurement you took from the holes. The other measurements are mainly a matter of appearance and personal preference.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure drawers and doors separately. While the hardware on each may look the same, often it is slightly different.
• Check to be sure the tape measure is straight, and not at an angle, when measuring for cabinet handles to ensure accurate results.
• Double-check any odd measurements. Standard cabinet handles have measurements that are whole, 1/2 or 1/4 inches. If you come up with an odd measurement, such as 5/8 for example, check the measurement again.
• Measure the length between the holes, not the length of the existing cabinet handle or pull. The length of the hardware does not matter, only the distance between the screws.