Counter top height ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

What is the standard counter top height in Thailand.

 

The reason I ask is because my house is 83 cm (32 5/8").

I googled the uk and it said 91 1/2 cm (36"), and I seem to remember in Brazil was 90 cm (35 1/2").

 

I know many people have had houses built here and wonder if they have determined counter top height or gone with the Thai standard?

 

Mine does seem a little low, but I only noticed it last night after being here a month and a half so maybe not too bad, but then again I did notice it !!

 

The main reason I would like to know is that I have bought the Homepro kitchen units ( drawer unit and counter door unit) and due to my counter top being a tiled concrete plinth is 11 cm thick leaves me very little area to tile around the units.

 

Anyway, I digress, what is the standard counter top height please ?

 

 

[Alantct]

We build them at 36" but to be honest we get requests for anything from 30" up to 48" I guess it's down to how tall you are.
Never go by industry standards go by what's comfortable for you and your family.



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[wayned]

Most counter tops in the US are 35" (91.5cm) and the distance from the top of the counter top to the bottom of the upper cabinets is 16" (40.5cm).. The Thai's are shorter so my cabinet tops here are at 81 cm with a large 10cm thick cutting board on the area next to the sink.  However, to distance between the counter top s and the bottom of the upper cabinets is 75cm as I wanted ample room to hand utensils and store  electric appliances under the cabinets on the counter tops.  My wife could only reach the bottom shelf without a stool!

[VocalNeal]

Haven't built a house yet but if I did I would have two different heights one for me and one for the wife. 

 

Given that the correct height of a vice is to the bottom of your elbow when your forearm is vertical I suspect that may also be the correct height for a counter top? 

 

 

I can't stoop low enough to do the washing up!

Edited September 15, 2017 by VocalNeal

[eyecatcher]

Its a difficult compromise to make.

In the UK all units are made to assume a 900mm height of the worktop whether that be a chipboard top or a granite top but here the standard height is nearer 840 because they all seem to have short legs.

Even at that height you will notice they drop down another 90mm for the portable gas hob to sit on.

 

My wife isnt a midget, but I thought its easier for short people adapt to a couple of inches higher than a tall farang developing a stoop on a low level worktop, anyway she has never said anything, it perfect for her.

 

In the end I built mine to 875mm high and I cant tell its any lower than what I had been used to.

That includes the 50mm concrete top/40mm mortar bed and 20mm granite.

 

The base cabinet casette doors are normally 600mm high and its important to check out these sizes first before you start building.

 

You should be able to nicely tile around that size door.....it sounds to me like you have the imported western base door which is 750mm?

[eyecatcher]

4 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Haven't built a house yet but if I did I would have two different heights one for me and one for the wife. 

 

Given that the correct height of a vice is to the bottom of your elbow when your forearm is vertical I suspect that may also be the correct height for a counter top? 

 

 

I can't stoop low enough to do the washing up!

So in your kitchen the wife gets the sink and hob side and you get the hassled by the vice squad

[Pdaz]

92cm including the top at my place. I'm 190cm tall. Can't bear those 82-84cm counter tops.  Unless you are the same height as the locals they are a pain to work at.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Pdaz

[Andrew Dwyer]

Its a difficult compromise to make.
In the UK all units are made to assume a 900mm height of the worktop whether that be a chipboard top or a granite top but here the standard height is nearer 840 because they all seem to have short legs.
Even at that height you will notice they drop down another 90mm for the portable gas hob to sit on.
 
My wife isnt a midget, but I thought its easier for short people adapt to a couple of inches higher than a tall farang developing a stoop on a low level worktop, anyway she has never said anything, it perfect for her.
 
In the end I built mine to 875mm high and I cant tell its any lower than what I had been used to.
That includes the 50mm concrete top/40mm mortar bed and 20mm granite.
 
The base cabinet casette doors are normally 600mm high and its important to check out these sizes first before you start building.
 
You should be able to nicely tile around that size door.....it sounds to me like you have the imported western base door which is 750mm?

I'm 1,76 , which is kinda average height in the uk, here I believe it's 1,67.

The problem here is , counter top height is 83 cm , minus 11 cm counter thickness ( concrete and tiled ) leaves me 72 cm for door units and drawers .

Now here's the rub !!
I bought the kitchen complete as it was a flash sale:
2 x double wall units
1 x stand alone double unit
1 x drawer unit
3 x double door units ( doors in a frame)

All in upvc. Nice stuff.

But my drawer unit is 69 cm tall, and the door units are 66.5 cm , leaving me very little top and bottom to tile.
I had plans to use the mosaic tiles ( 15 mm square ) as seen some that will look great with the tiled counter top.

But now gonna go with plan " B " as any out of squareness ( and there's plenty ! ) will show up big time on the mosaic tiles .

So plan " B " is fit drawer and door units and tile with a single colour tile and put a 10 cm layer of mosaic tiles above counter top to finish it off.

Drawer unit

[builder]

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[builder]

Just remember if you are installing washing machine dish washer etc you must take into consideration


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[wayned]

I moved into my house 18 years ago on 2 December so the cabinets are not nice and shinny like others.  The lower cabinets are made out of "cinder" block and the upper cabinets out of wood.  The cabinet door modules were bought at Home Pro.  The lower doors were installed using the frames attached, but I removed the doors from the frames when I built the upper cabinets.  I built drawers for the lower cabinets and they are mounted behind the doors since there was no way that I was going to successfully build drawer fronts to match the "cathedral" doors.  The counter top is tile bu,t in hindsight,  a granite slab or formica top would have been better.  The "mortar and pestle" did a number on the tiles and the area where it is used is now covered with a removable "homemade" cutting board.  Since you have bought complete modules, I would frame it in using Shera  not wood and attach the tiles to it.  You should also set the cabinets  back about 3cm from the front of the counter overhang so that any "drips" don't run down the face of the cabinet.

 

[r136dg]

20 hours ago, Alantct said:

Never go by industry standards go by what's comfortable for you and your family.

2nd that. Code in the west is around 90cm. That's what I ran with, it's perfect. I was adamant about it after being in rentals with 80-82cm counter-tops. Literally bent over to wash something in the sink.

I do notice my wife cooking with her elbows raised at this height though. No complaints on her part but a lower stove-top area could've been a consideration. Tuff call between you & the wife (assumption).

[Crossy]

Our kitchen is Thai standard concrete with wood door units and granite tops.

 

Height to worktop is 35¹/₂ of those weird "inch" things (902mm).

 

Wifey is happy, I'm not allowed to cook very often.

 

 

[VocalNeal]

On 9/16/2017 at 7:27 AM, r136dg said:

I do notice my wife cooking with her elbows raised at this height though.

Give your wife a duck board? 

 

 

Also easier on the feet when standing on a solid floor!

[Crossy]

3 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Give your wife a duck board?

Careful, Thai wives and ducks don't always make a good combination, there can be "cutting" issues 

[r136dg]

15 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Give your wife a duck board? 

You just tuned up one of the next Christmas, B-day or whatever gifts ;-)

[VocalNeal]

Here's a posh one that Crossy can make?

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

when we had the finishing done on my kitchen I was away at work and my wife supervised the builders who installed a 'Thai' height brick built counter top and cabinets...later, I was at home for a few months and found that my back was hurting after food preparation and washing up...

 

I went away to work again and the wife undertook the counter top height correction herself, she likes a household project now and then...and now, just right...she added a downstairs bathroom off the kitchen as well as she was bored not having anything to do when she finished the counter top business...

 

'hmm, my back hurts, this counter top is too low...' very quietly: 'let me handle this, tutsi...'

 

 

[eyecatcher]

On 9/15/2017 at 6:30 PM, Andrew Dwyer said:

I'm 1,76 , which is kinda average height in the uk, here I believe it's 1,67.

The problem here is , counter top height is 83 cm , minus 11 cm counter thickness ( concrete and tiled ) leaves me 72 cm for door units and drawers .

Now here's the rub !!
I bought the kitchen complete as it was a flash sale:
2 x double wall units
1 x stand alone double unit
1 x drawer unit
3 x double door units ( doors in a frame)

All in upvc. Nice stuff.

But my drawer unit is 69 cm tall, and the door units are 66.5 cm , leaving me very little top and bottom to tile.
I had plans to use the mosaic tiles ( 15 mm square ) as seen some that will look great with the tiled counter top.

But now gonna go with plan " B " as any out of squareness ( and there's plenty ! ) will show up big time on the mosaic tiles .

So plan " B " is fit drawer and door units and tile with a single colour tile and put a 10 cm layer of mosaic tiles above counter top to finish it off.

Drawer unit





 

referring your photos....

the drawer unit as indeed the other cupboards ideally need to sit on a block laid flat. the drawer unit inparticular will be heavy and I can see it has the pre moulder 20mm architrave around it.

so why not lay a 75 or 100 block on the floor and then sit on your drawer unit. the architrave will sit neatly against your existing tiling so you just need to build another side wall, can be the same blcoks and use the same tiles.

then you will have your 100mm tiled frame on all sides...surely?

 

Incidently those drawer units need to be screwed sideways into the two support walls otherwise it will tip out.

[Andrew Dwyer]

referring your photos....
the drawer unit as indeed the other cupboards ideally need to sit on a block laid flat. the drawer unit inparticular will be heavy and I can see it has the pre moulder 20mm architrave around it.
so why not lay a 75 or 100 block on the floor and then sit on your drawer unit. the architrave will sit neatly against your existing tiling so you just need to build another side wall, can be the same blcoks and use the same tiles.
then you will have your 100mm tiled frame on all sides...surely?
 
Incidently those drawer units need to be screwed sideways into the two support walls otherwise it will tip out.

Ideally I would like to sit it on 100 mm or even 75 mm but I've only got 30 mm !! and the door units have 55 mm !! ( probably gonna put 27.5 mm top and bottom )

This is roughly what the drawer unit will look like right now it's sitting on a 40 x 40 base and levelled at the back with its adjustable feet.

[eyecatcher]

The fundamental problem is as you know the worktop is too low and modern units are not designed to be compatible.

 

Had they built some support walls under then you could have had a 50mm thick concrete slab instead of 100

 

If it was me and i had just moved into your kitchen i would think ok that drawer unit just cost me 5-6k.

I could demolish that worktop and build block support partitions and a new concrete top for half that price.

Plus the tiles are not a good contrast against the white units.

If you are going to spend upwards of 10k on a few doors and units then you want to look at it every day and be proud of it NOT looking every day and regretting getting the hammer out.

[Andrew Dwyer]

The fundamental problem is as you know the worktop is too low and modern units are not designed to be compatible.
 
Had they built some support walls under then you could have had a 50mm thick concrete slab instead of 100
 
If it was me and i had just moved into your kitchen i would think ok that drawer unit just cost me 5-6k.
I could demolish that worktop and build block support partitions and a new concrete top for half that price.
Plus the tiles are not a good contrast against the white units.
If you are going to spend upwards of 10k on a few doors and units then you want to look at it every day and be proud of it NOT looking every day and regretting getting the hammer out.

I paid 3,590 baht for this drawer unit, that is the problem really, I jumped at a bargain !!
As it's a little on the small size there is gonna be another kitchen ( gas hob and sink ) outside.
But it is what it is now.

I'm thinking about the same tiles round the drawer and door units, I think the white of the units will stand out okay. The dark brown you see on the photo looks odd but that will be covered up.

[wayned]

8 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Ideally I would like to sit it on 100 mm or even 75 mm but I've only got 30 mm !! and the door units have 55 mm !! ( probably gonna put 27.5 mm top and bottom )

This is roughly what the drawer unit will look like right now it's sitting on a 40 x 40 base and levelled at the back with its adjustable feet.


 

You have the cabinet front mounted flush with the counter top overhang.  You should move the cabinet front back 3-5cm so that it is not flush with the overhang.  With the fronts flush if you spill something on the counter it will run down the front of the cabinet and enter all of those nice drawers.  If set back, it will mainly drip on the floor.

[r136dg]

10 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

The dark brown you see on the photo looks odd but that will be covered up.

What is that brown material? I have to frame in cabinets also & was going to use the material in the pic (2.75x4cm). Or does anyone have a suggestion?

Apologies for drifting off topic!

[Andrew Dwyer]

What is that brown material? I have to frame in cabinets also & was going to use the material in the pic (2.75x4cm). Or does anyone have a suggestion?
Apologies for drifting off topic!

Some reclaimed teak cut to 40 x 40 mm ( as door units have a 40 mm channel ) and sealed with Water Lacq

[eyecatcher]

18 hours ago, wayned said:

You have the cabinet front mounted flush with the counter top overhang.  You should move the cabinet front back 3-5cm so that it is not flush with the overhang.  With the fronts flush if you spill something on the counter it will run down the front of the cabinet and enter all of those nice drawers.  If set back, it will mainly drip on the floor.

Its actually a cassette unit. The architrave you see will be about 20mm running all around and this would sit up against the tiles.

 

Any careless drips would hit the architrave and if not sealed find its way inside the carcass.

 

but it cannot be set back thats the design, much neater in my opinion.

[klikster]

When we built our house, I insisted on "toe kicks" on every cabinet in kitchen and baths.

 

Wife insisted on sinks as close to front of counters as feasible.

 

Heights are 90 cm which includes 2 cm granite. Comfortable for both of us, even though she is short.