Hi, my 6'2 neighbour has worktops at 980 mm high. My wife is off to IKEA tomorrow to buy a kitchen, as the mother in law has clearly stated, aw well you wont need another one. How high should our worktops be, how do we best raise them, will IKEA sell a suitable kick- board?
ta
The legs are usually adjustable, but you don't have a fantastic difference between highest and lowest, only a few inches.
You can get fascias to fit any gap
I'm not clear where your height comes into the equation, because surely it's woman's work isn't it ? ;-)
Andy C
The top should be elbow height. I bet you can't get it that high.
Andy
Are you absolutely, 100% sure that you will never need to sell your present home?
Kitchens (and bathrooms) are key selling points. A kitchen with absurdly high worktops is not going to help you to sell the house to buyer(s) of average height or less.
Not likely to move, and willing to take the loss. Andy the elbow theory sounds right, any "official" data to back it up?
They didn't used to be. At one time it was said that they were the least important, since a new owner will want to refit both as a matter of course, to suit their own ideas.
A Google UK search on "kitchen worktop height" found 34,200 links.
I had second thoughts about elbow height so found this
My height 1820x0.557 =3D my elbow height. The one spanner in the works, my wife's elbows are about 45mm higher than mine, measured against the fridge using magnets.
If my kitchen counter were at the same height as my elbow, it would make it awkward to use my chopping knife. The counter should be 2 - 3 inches below elbow height.
At 5'10', I'm the shortest one in my family - my counters are 36' high, and I'd prefer them closer to 39". Higher than that wouldn't be as comfortable for me, but the rest of the family wouldn't mind.
For bread and pastry work, some people prefer to have a section of counter several inches lower than the rest, to make kneading and rolling easier.
Ok. I've inspected the missus *very* carefully and I can't find and height adjustment on her legs. For some unexplained reason they have been made exactly the right length to fit between her body and the ground. There doesn't seem to be any allowance made for worktop height at all...
;-)
Standard plinths won't be suitable. I did this on my first kitchen (new one with a view to sale was standard) and raised the worktop by putting a hardwood spacer rail (stained black and varnished in my case) between the unit tops and worktop.
=A0www.superbeam.com=A0www.greentram.com
when she needs something, I usually get a roll anyway
Naw, how on earth would you roll out pastry or knead dough?
I'm 6' as near as damn it and our worktops are a good 6" below my elbow height. I don't find them too low and I can get some weight onto my hands for rolling/kneading. The height is the same as the palm of my hands when they are held palm down 90 deg to may arms and with arms straight down by my sides.
Owain
Seems to be just about the first thing people do after moving - rip them out no matter how recent - and fit their own choice. Might be different with starter homes, though.
Why does your neighbour's height matter? Who's going to be doing most of the work in your kitchen?
I'm 5'8" and most definitely *wouldn't* want my kitchen counter any higher than "standard" (I do the cooking).
Tim
Remember to omit the kick boards if the wife has particularly large feet.
It helps then stand close to the sink
That also reminds me why women get married in white.
Aren't most domestic appliances that colour?
Tall people also need to consider how high to hang any wall-mounted cupbards. I'm 6'2" and I need such cupbards to be unusually high so that I can still see the back of the worktop when standing up against the front edge of it. Yo udon't want to have to bend down to look under the cupboards.
We have out tops at 900mm and they seem fine to me.
Also, I have a rule of thumb that I must be able to touch the bottom of the sink without bending down.
Robert
The missus leg height adjustment is typically done using add-on heels of various heights rather than by adjusting the legs themselves. The worktop height should be chosen so that the missus can rest her upper body on the worktop comfortably when heels are set to "highest".
Robert
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