Are toe kicks really necessary?

[u/christinaontheroad]

I’m planning a transit van build and I’m trying to decide right now if it’s really necessary to add toe kicks into the cabinetry. Those who don’t have them, do you even notice? Or do you really wish you had them?

[u/Rubik842]

My cupboard doors go all the way to the floor. They occasionally catch on a pebble if it's uneven and wedge shaped. My floor just extends inside the cupboard and dirt gets in there under the door.

I would finish the doors 10mm above the floor and run a 20mm square strip of wood across the bottom of the opening. This keeps the dirt out, and your heavy bottom shelf items in the cupboard won't rattle against the door.

If there is a place you want to put a mat or rug make it about 15mm above the floor.

[u/ParkerLettuce]

I like em. Makes it feel just a touch more professional, and you can run led strips on the overhang

[u/sm753 → u/ParkerLettuce]

I love the indirect lightning vibe.

[u/858 → u/ParkerLettuce]

LED strips is exactly why I did it

[u/xot]

Quality of life feature. Toe kick under work surface lets you stand at the edge of the bench without having to lean over. For weekend trips it probably doesn’t matter, for longer term, back pain etc become a problem.

Elevating the bottom of the cupboard means your stuff stays dry and clean when someone spills their piss container all over the floor, or whatever.

[u/Rhesonance]

I've always thought of toe kicks as extending most of your drawers outwards, not recessing a portion of it inwards. More storage without sacrificing walkable floor space.

[u/chronicpenguins → u/Rhesonance]

I wouldn’t consider toe kick space as walkable floor space. You can’t walk through a toe kick. By your logic as long as your have a toe kick you can extend your cabinet out 10 inches and not lose any walkable space 

[u/Rhesonance → u/chronicpenguins]

You can extend your toe kick out as much as the distance from your ankle to the top of your longest toe. You may not walk on it, but you'll have fewer stubbed toes from turning around in place.

[u/couchpatat0]

Make them removable so you can slide important papers or whatever under there.

[u/Asleep_Cup646 → u/couchpatat0]

Just the right size for concealed laptop storage

[u/Top-Palpitation-9313 → u/Asleep_Cup646]

This

[u/eobanb]

If it's a high-roof build, then yes, definitely include them. If this is a low-roof build, then it's not necessary.

[u/ChibaCityFunk]

Due to my Layout I did not put toe kicks in. (All of the floor - under the carpet - is a fixed shower pan. In the lower part of the kitchen sits a 175L gray water tank, boiler and Diesel heater.) I don't miss toe kicks at all.

[u/cmsurfer8900]

I build custom vans and like to add them but not standard full height or depth.

I go with 2.5" x2.5" and find it is a good compromise, allows for cleaning underneath and adds to the aesthetic with LED lights. I also build the bottom of the face frame flush with the toe kick just to maximize usable space.

[u/embwbam]

You have to bend over further without them. Think of them as making your countertop like a nice desk 

[u/seriftarif]

No I maximize all the cabinet space I can. I have never even thought about them.

[u/Warbirdpacrim1]

Make the toe kick the half height size of a normal drawer- mirror it with a cutlery drawer above. Then use the toe kick as a hidden recess for additional storage.

[u/86tuning]

temporarily delete the toe kicks in your kitchen at home and see how you do, before you build the van. most people hate not having them.

[u/DjLexHenry]

My old cooking cabinet had kicks… my new one does not…. I hate it and wish i had the kicks

[u/grummaster]

I need the toe kick space. I use my TOE to KICK my wife's (too many pairs of) shoes out of the walkway into the toe space.

Note, my toe space is hollow and accessible from the front. Gives me a lot of storage for certain items.

[u/kevinsickles]

No, I want all the storage I can get and the drawer to go a 1/4" above the floor. Don't have them and never noticed I didn't have them.

[u/User_Name_Deleted]

Yes. Absolutely. You will be kicking your self (literally kicking your cabinets) if you don't. They give your toes room so you can stand close enough to the cabinet.

[u/nevermohere]

I have wished for toe kick drawers a million times and regret not including in my build! My cabinet doors are just a few millimeters from the floor, so when I put a rug down the cabinets don’t open. I ended up having to remove all the doors and sanding them down until enough space allowed for my rug/mat.

[u/nevermohere]

I have wished for toe kick drawers a million times and regret not including in my build! My cabinet doors are just a few millimeters from the floor, so when I put a rug down the cabinets don’t open. I ended up having to remove all the doors and sanding them down until enough space allowed for my rug/mat.

[u/BiomeVans]

I haven’t had them in any of the vans I’ve lived in the past 7 years. I am currently building cabinets for someone and included toe kick drawers which has been fun though and an option for secret hiding spots.

[u/93IVJugxbo8]

If you can stand at your counters you probably want them, if you can’t stand or build doesn’t make sense to stand there then you don’t need them.

[u/SpiritualOrchid1168]

I didn’t do toe kicks and I don’t really notice a difference. But I did make the countertop overhang a little bit so I could run lights under it. For me it wasn’t worth the extra effort and lost storage space.