If you are fortunate enough to have found a freestanding stove that perfectly fits the oven space in your kitchen, then you’re in the minority. Most people with a freestanding stove find that they have a small gap between the oven and the nearest floor cabinets.
This is not only an aesthetic issue that can make the kitchen look unfinished, but it is an annoying place where crumbs and other bits of food residue tend to fall into the gap, and it can be tricky to sweep them out given that the space is so narrow.
Some people aren’t bothered by this gap, but if you want to find a solution for filling the space between your oven and cabinets, there are several options.
Roll Out Shelf
Some companies have created a solution to the problem of space between the stove and cabinets by inventing a special roll-out shelf intended exactly for this purpose. This is a freestanding shelf cabinet on wheels that can easily be slid in and out of the space between your oven and existing cabinets. The end of the shelf unit has even been styled to look like a kitchen cabinet, with a faux cabinet door front on it.
These roll-out shelves also have a piece of kitchen countertop fixed to the top of them so that it looks seamless with the rest of the kitchen. This can be a handy place to store small oven trays and baking equipment, and it fills the space to give the kitchen a more complete look.
The drawback of these freestanding roll-out shelves is that they most likely won’t perfectly match the style of your kitchen. If you want the cabinet in this gap to look like it is a part of the rest of your kitchen, then having a custom cabinet made by a kitchen fitter is going to be a better option.
Pull Out Cabinet
If you want the space between your oven and cabinets to match the rest of your kitchen, enquire with your kitchen supplier about having a special pull-out cabinet made to fit this space. This is a fitted cabinet just like all of the other cabinets in your kitchen, but it will be custom-made to exactly fit the gap between the oven and the existing cabinets.
Unlike a regular cabinet with shelves, a pull-out cabinet operates on gliders or rails, allowing you to pull the cabinet door forward to reveal the contents of the cabinet instead of it opening on hinges. This creates a really useful storage space for smaller items such as herbs and spices or condiments.
Pan Cabinet
A pan cabinet is a really useful addition to the space between an oven and the existing cabinets. This will involve your kitchen fitter supplying you with an additional slimline cabinet and door and extending the countertop to cover it if it doesn’t already meet the oven.
You might think that a cabinet measuring just a few inches wide might not be very practical, but actually, they are a great spot for storing sheet pans and baking trays vertically. This will also mean you have them near the oven when you are baking.
Mock Cabinet
If you want to fill the gap between your oven and cabinets, but don’t need the extra storage space, then you could save yourself some money by having a mock cabinet made. This will just involve fitting a cabinet door front to the space between the oven and the cabinets to hide the gap.
If the countertop doesn’t already meet the oven, then this will need extending as well. This will essentially create a barrier to stop crumbs and other bits and pieces from falling into the gap, and it will give the kitchen a more custom-fitted look.
It is less expensive than having a real cabinet fitted into the space as fewer materials are required, but the drawback is obviously that the mock cabinet cannot be used for any storage.
Molding
If your main concern is crumbs falling into the gap between your oven and countertop when you are preparing food, then molding could be a good solution. You could use wooden molding that matches the wood of your kitchen cabinets to create a seamless and custom-fitted look, or there are types of rubber or plastic molding you can buy just to create a barrier around the edge of the stove.
If you want the most inexpensive fix for this issue, then opt for rubber molding. This can be easily picked up from the hardware store, and it is simple to fit yourself. You will just need to ensure you buy the correct width and then cut the lengths to the right size. Be sure to measure the distance between the oven and cabinets first to find out if the size you need is available.
If the distance is more than two inches, then wooden molding might be a better option, but this will likely require the services of a carpenter or kitchen fitter to get a professional finish. You can find molding that matches the color of your existing cabinets, or you could paint it to work with your kitchen color scheme.
Extended Countertop
If you are having new countertops fitted, then this is a prime opportunity to have them extended so that they meet the oven. You don’t necessarily need to fill the vertical space if you don’t want to, but just by extending the countertop, you will prevent a good amount of crumbs and other debris from falling down into the gap during food preparation and cooking.
Alternatively, you could install a separate piece of countertop that has been sized to fill the gap rather than replacing all of your countertops. The drawback of this is that you will have visible joins, but it will be significantly less costly than having a whole new countertop installed.
Since you read this article, feel free to follow our guide ‘ How to Fix Gap Between Countertop and Wall ‘
