How to Measure a Wall for a Custom Wine Cabinet
Measure the width three times, the height three times, the depth twice and both diagonals, then send the smallest width. The frame is folded to that number and a 40 mm scribe on each side takes up the rest.
Eight fields, six numbers that matter
Anyone can measure a wall. The numbers that decide whether a cabinet fits are the smallest width, the two diagonals and the socket position, and those are the three people most often leave out.
| Specification | Range |
|---|---|
| Width, taken three times | At the floor, at mid-height and at the ceiling |
| Height, taken three times | At the left return, in the centre and at the right return |
| Depth available | Top and bottom of the opening; butting walls are rarely parallel |
| Diagonal, both ways | Corner to corner, floor level. 6 mm apart is a wall out of square |
| Scribe allowance | 40 mm per side is built in; beyond that a filler panel is cut |
| Socket and circuit | Left or right, height off the floor, and the rating of the circuit |
| Skirting and cornice | Height and depth, or say "removed" if the wall will be clear |
| Access | Door width, lift size and stair turn, judged against the longest panel |
Whose job this is
The measurement is taken by you or your builder. We do not send a surveyor to site, and we ' do not price from a guess: the dimensions you return are re-drawn, sent back for signature, ' and from that signature the workshop builds to those numbers alone. If a number turns out to ' be wrong, the panels affected are remade, and that is quoted per project.
Send the sheet with three photographs of the wall. A drawing can be corrected; a wall cannot.
Who measures, and when
Measuring happens after the scheme is approved and before the production deposit. That order exists so you are measuring something already agreed, not a proposal that may still change.
Photograph the wall
Three frames: square on, from the left return and from the right return. Stand back far enough that floor and ceiling are both in shot.
Tape it and photograph again
Write the numbers on the wall in pencil and put the tape back in frame. A photograph with the tape visible settles more arguments than a digitised list.
Send six numbers
Width three times, height three times, depth twice, both diagonals, skirting height and socket position. Estimates are worse than gaps — leave a field blank rather than fill it with a guess.
We re-cut the drawing
The measured re-draw carries your numbers, the scribe allowance on each side and the fixing points for your fitter.
Sign it off
Production starts on the deposit against the confirmed measured drawing. Panel sizes stop changing at that point.
Out of square, and what the scribe covers
Almost no wall is square, and none of the ones we have built to were. The difference ' 'that matters is between the widest and the narrowest width: if the tape reads 2,386 mm at ' 'the floor and 2,394 mm at the ceiling, the wall leans 8 mm over its height and the frame ' 'must be built to 2,386 mm.
The 40 mm scribe on each outer stile is what absorbs that lean on site. It is part of ' 'the build, not an extra, and it is cut by your fitter against the actual wall rather than ' 'guessed in the workshop. Past 40 mm on a side we draw a separate filler panel so the ' 'joint is deliberate and visible on the drawing.
Floors, skirting and the ceiling line
A stone or tiled floor is rarely level across a 600 mm footprint, and a cabinet that ' 'sits on a wedge shows it at the door reveals. Measure the floor at the front and the back ' 'of the footprint and give us the difference; the plinth is scribed to take up the fall.
Ceilings matter on full-height cabinets. If the cabinet runs to the ceiling, measure to ' 'the underside of the plaster, not to the cornice, and say whether the cornice stays. A ' 'cabinet that meets a cornice has to be drawn with a return, and that return costs less ' 'decided on paper than discovered on site.
- Smallest width wins
- Always build to the narrowest reading, never the average
- Diagonals
- 6 mm apart is a normal wall; tell us the difference either way
- Panel limit
- 2,400 mm per glass panel, 4,000 mm per run
- Photographs
- Three frames, tape in shot, floor and ceiling visible
A measured re-draw, not a revised quote
The measured drawing carries your numbers, the scribe allowance, the fixing points and the panel split. It is the document the workshop builds from and the document your fitter installs from.
What people ask before they pick up a tape
Who takes the site measurement?
You do — your builder, your fitter or you with a tape. We do not run a measuring service, so the dimensions in the workshop are the ones you sent and signed off on the measured drawing.
What if a supplied dimension is wrong?
We build to the confirmed drawing, so a wrong number becomes a wrong panel. The parts affected are remade and quoted per project, which is exactly why we ask for three widths and both diagonals rather than one number per wall.
Can I measure after the drawing is approved?
That is the normal sequence. The scheme is approved first so you know what is being measured, then the site measurement is taken and we re-cut the drawing to it.
What tolerance do you build to?
The frame is built to the smallest width you send, with a 40 mm scribe on each side. Panels are cut within 1 mm and the fixing points are set out to the drawing datum.
What if the floor is out of level?
Measure the floor at the front and the back of the footprint and tell us the difference. A plinth scribed to the floor takes up the fall; past 20 mm we draw a stepped plinth so the cabinet does not sit on a wedge.
Send the wall, we will do the arithmetic
Three photographs and the measurements on this page are enough for a scheme and a fixed price. Nothing is cut until the measured drawing is signed.