Toekicks--Is it time to rethink them?

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

You've all heard the story about the lady as she's cooking the ham, she cuts it in half. And her daughter asked her why. Turns out the great-grandmother's pot was too small to cook the whole ham, but the dauthers/grands kept cutting the ham in half even when they had bigger pots. Now, toekicks---WHY?

I'm about to build some base kitchen cabinets that will be all drawers, and as I was standing in front of my present ones I asked why the need for a toekick. It seems a better to utilize that space for drawers. I'd like to hear ya'll's thoughts. Thanks

[scott vroom]

smaller people with shorter arms will thank you for designing in toekicks

[Mike Henderson]

Well, when you get older, it gets harder to bend that far over. The new dishwashers, for example, have very low decks - they've made the mechanicals very small now - and I don't like how far you have to bend over to put stuff in or take stuff out. I'm thinking of getting a drawer dishwasher for that very reason.

Mike

[Rich Engelhardt]

The drawer on the bottom of our bathroom vanity has the toe kick incorporated into it as part of the drawer front.
This makes for a nice deep drawer with lots more storage.

[michael case]

Besides that working on the counter would be uncomfortable, imagine what the bottom drawer fronts would look like after a few years of scuffing and water stains from mopping.

[Chip Lindley]

Toe kicks are an essential ergonomic feature of base cabinets. here is a neat online explanation of the toe kick. The recess eases strain on the legs and allows greater reach.

Toe kicks, in a way, are "bases" for kitchen cabinets or bath vanities. With the extensive use of particle board and MDF in cabinets today, if the toe kick can keep water from a significant leak away from the carcass, it is saved for another day. Otherwise, base cabinets would be a complete loss.

The toe kick area can be utilized for storage. I did exactly this on a bathroom vanity copied from a Lowe's piece and built for just a fraction of what they wanted. The design gives almost 4" deeper drawer space than if the toe kick area was ignored.

Laundry vanity overall.jpgLaundry Vanity 4.jpg

[David Larsen]

If nothing else, a sacrificial board that absorbs the kicks, mops, bumps, splashes, kids toys, and whatever else smacks into them without jeopardizing the cabinet.

Also allows for shimming and leveling under each individual cabinet and then being able to cover it with a toe kick board to tie it all together and cover it up.

Toe kick board can be scribed to compensate for any discrepancies in the flooring.

Doubles as baseboard in the area butting the cabinets.

Women with high heels that have that extra dead space in front of their toes within the shoe so that they can get closer to the cupboard.

A good place to trap debris that floats around on your floor in-between cleanings.

Usually an open area just under the cabinet above the toe kick that allows for ventilation of the underside of the cabinet so it doesn't trap air / humidity.

Allows for area under the cabinet to run water lines for refrigerator water lines, diswasher, R/O system, and or electric.

Allows for area under the cabinet to run a heat vent.

[Jamie Buxton]

The traditional argument for toekicks is that they provide a place for your toes. However, my bench in the shop has no toekick. It just goes straight down to the floor. I spend a lot of time in front of that bench, and I never notice that I'm kicking it. One explanation might be that people have different work habits.

If you have an operational kitchen, you might try an experiment. Block off the toekick area with scrap wood or something, and watch for a week or two to see if you kick it.

[Chris Tsutsui]

If your countertop is deep then a toe kick helps with the reach.

Also if you're lifting a heavy object from the countertop, then I also like a toe kick to bring my footing closer to that object with less reaching.

Toekicks also ads an aesthetic to the cabinet, and raises the lowest drawer or door from the ground about 4" or so making it less of a reach down.

[Josiah Bartlett]

As someone who has size 15 feet, I like toekicks.

Also, since I don't have a dog I need a place to kick spilled macaroni out of view when I'm alone in the kitchen.

[John TenEyck]

There is a relationship between the countertop overhang and the required depth of the toe kick in order to work comfortably. If the countertop overhangs the cabinet sufficiently, no toe kick is needed. But that leads to visual and access problems for the drawers and inside of the cabinets with doors. Standard cabinet dimensions evolved to where they are based on the size of the average person and ease of use. If you're average in size, those dimensions are probably about right for you. If you are either larger or smaller in stature, then go ahead and adjust your cabinets accordingly. If you plan on selling your home at some point, it's probably a good idea to stick with something pretty close to standard dimensions.

[Peter Quinn]

Its a place for your toes. Or other peoples toes. Try the toe kick blocking idea, but do it barefoot, so you get the full impact. I spent decades in professional kitchens, working long days in hot places, and I can tell you that with work stations for that kind of work, standing at a cutting board, the stance required to do it properly, reaching to the back of a 24" deep counter to lift heavy objects or things filled with liquids, it really helps to have some toe space. I really hate the look of traditional toe kicks but you can make them very attractive much like furniture without much work. In fact most furniture pieces have four legs and toe space in their design, and that is not by accident either. I would not try to get that space back because frankly its pretty cheap rent; do you really want to bend that far down to retrieve items stored on the floor?

On my work bench the tasks are different, my stance is different, often askew or a bit leaned over, the height is in fact a bit lower than my counter tops, the tools are vastly different, and I doubt I would notice a lack of toe kicks, though I did include toe space if for no other reason than a place to kick failed wood working projects I'd rather not keep in view!

[Tony Bilello]

It is awkward working up close on the bench or counter top - there is no room for your feet unless you walk like Charlie Chaplin.
If you have tiny feet it may not be a problem, well, it might be. LOL
You can do away with toekicks if the top protrudes out more than normal.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Well, when you get older, it gets harder to bend that far over. The new dishwashers, for example, have very low decks - they've made the mechanicals very small now - and I don't like how far you have to bend over to put stuff in or take stuff out. I'm thinking of getting a drawer dishwasher for that very reason.

Mike

That is exactly why my dishwasher is mounted in our pantry wall. When you pull out bottom rack, it is level with bar. Been that way for over thirty years now. When we get older, we will really appreciate this feature.

[michael gates]

You will regret that, I built a kitchen for myself a few years back with furniture feet on it, which didnt allow for toe kicks because I thought it looked better. Never again you will kick the cabinets every time you walk up to them.

I also have a furniture base on my bathroom vanity in the house I am at now and the toe kick space is only 1 1/8 which I hit my toes on several times a week.