Kitchen Island Installation in Los Angeles, CA

Kitchen island cabinets: what the base is made of

Most islands are not a single piece of furniture. They are a row of base cabinets, often two rows back to back, joined, leveled and wrapped in finished panels so the sides and back look as good as the front. Because they come from the same cabinet lines as the perimeter, the door style, finish and drawer hardware can match exactly or contrast on purpose.

• Working side: drawer stacks for utensils and pots, a trash and recycling pull-out, or a sink base if plumbing is planned.
• Seating side: shallow cabinets, open shelving, or a plain finished panel with knee space under the overhang.
• Ends: decorative end panels, a bookshelf end, or a waterfall counter that drops to the floor.
• Toe kick and base molding matched to the perimeter so the island reads as part of the kitchen.
• Size: many islands use 24-inch-deep boxes back to back, but a single run with a deep overhang works in narrower rooms.

Browse door styles on the kitchen cabinets page, or go to custom cabinets for a custom kitchen island in an unusual size.

How much clearance does an island need?

An island that is too big for the room is worse than no island at all. The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s planning guidelines are the usual reference points:

Tape the island footprint on the floor for a few days before ordering. If you keep bumping into the tape, the island needs to shrink or become a peninsula.

Is your kitchen ready for an island?

Run the numbers from the clearance table before falling for a photo. With counters on both long walls, two 42-inch aisles, two 25-inch perimeter counters and a 36-inch island add up to roughly 14 feet wall to wall. Signs the room can take one, or needs one:

• Prep space runs out between the sink and the range.
• A peninsula or breakfast nook in a Valley ranch kitchen blocks the path to the yard.
• Homework and guests end up at the dining table while you cook.

Choosing the island countertop

The island top is the largest uninterrupted counter in most kitchens, which is why it is where people splurge on a full slab with movement in the pattern.

A waterfall island continues the counter down one or both ends to the floor. It looks striking and protects the end panel, but needs extra slab and careful mitering. Google reviewers describe the granite installers hand-shaping a difficult countertop section, the kind of detail a waterfall or curved island edge calls for. Compare stone on the granite countertops and quartz countertops pages.

Kitchen island with seating: overhang and stool spacing

Comfortable seating depends on knee space under the counter and enough width per person.

Stone overhangs beyond what the material can carry on its own need hidden steel brackets or corbels. The fabricator sets that limit for each slab thickness, so confirm it before the cabinet layout is final.

Can an island have a sink or cooktop?

Yes, but it changes the project from cabinetry to construction. An island sink needs drain, vent and supply lines through the floor, which on a slab foundation means cutting concrete. An island cooktop needs gas or a dedicated circuit plus an island hood or downdraft. Islands also have outlet requirements under the electrical code.

Kitchen island installation in Los Angeles, step by step

1. 1

   Settle size and function

   Confirm clearances, seating count, and whether the island will hold a sink, cooktop or only storage.

2. 2

   Pick boxes, panels and top

   Choose base cabinets, finished end and back panels, and the countertop slab or prefab top at the showroom.

3. 3

   Rough-in, if needed

   Plumbing and electrical trades install lines and boxes under permit before the island goes down.

4. 4

   Set and anchor the base

   Cabinets are joined, leveled over any floor slope and fastened to cleats on the floor so the island cannot shift.

5. 5

   Template and install the top

   The counter is measured off the installed boxes, then cut, set and sealed, with brackets added for long overhangs.

6. 6

   Finish details

   Panels, toe kick, hardware and any outlet covers go on last.

What affects the price of a kitchen island?

• Length and number of cabinet boxes, and whether they run back to back
• Drawers versus doors, and specialty pull-outs
• Counter material, slab size, edge profile, and any waterfall ends
• Brackets or steel supports for deep seating overhangs
• Plumbing, gas or electrical brought to the island, and the permits for it
• Floor work if the island lands on an area where the old floor stopped

If you are opening a wall to make room, the open-concept kitchen page covers what that adds.

Why build your kitchen island with Adcom

• Base and top chosen side by side. Cabinets and slab or prefab counters are displayed together, so the island color and stone are judged in one light.
• Matching or contrasting fronts. Local and imported lines in a choice of colors and sizes let the island match the perimeter or stand apart.
• Granite, marble and quartz. Full slabs for a statement island and prefabricated tops for smaller ones.
• Installation on request. Have the island cabinets and top you picked installed, or take delivery for your own crew.

Island projects come from Calabasas, Pasadena, Santa Clarita and across the Los Angeles area.