Skipping microwave trim kit

15 years ago

Hi friends,

I plan to do a full-height 24" deep stack with an upper cab with tray divider, shelf for micro, shelf for Breville, then either drawers or a tall cabinet underneath. Two little questions:

-I have no interest in a trim kit. Not sexy to me and not worth the money. I understand that as long as I add a few inches (2-3?) of head space, that is adequate venting. Am I way off here? Our old house had a plain ol' shelf and it worked just fine, and my parents do it that way with their fancy appliances. We're thinking the Sharp R426 or the GE Profile PEB2060, I think.

-We are both 6'+ and have a 4 y.o. and another kid coming. Would you put the micro at your face/shoulder height and the Breville Smart Oven underneath it, or vice versa? Kids have never had access to micros in our house, so I'm torn as to giving her easier access to it by having it at our stomach height. The Breville Smart Oven stays hot longer / can burn easier, so maybe that should be higher and the micro should be lower.

Thanks for any input!

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Comments (4)

breezygirl
15 years ago
Look at the specs online for the MW you are considering to see what it needs for clearance on the top and sides. No reason why you can't just buy one and stick it on a shelf. You'll save some money too!

I can't help with placement as I am not familiar with the Breville. I have a 5 y.o. and a 16 m.o. Our previous MW was OTR so we never had an access issue. I don't want them to be able to now, but in our new kitchen the best place for the MW is in the island so we're doing a drawer. 5 y.o. is very good and does what he's told when it comes to safety, but you never know!

Hopefully, someone else has some advice for you.
loves2bake
15 years ago
I have a similar issue as breezy as I'm putting the micro in the island and as lithigin as I dont want/can't figure out how to make a trim kit work in a 24inch base cabinet where it's supposed to go. All of the trim kits I see are for 27 or 30 inches...is that right? Do I have to add 3 inches to my base cab? Can I do it w/out trim kit?

I did see a Sharp KB6524PS drawer micro yesterday that fits the bill--what one are you getting, breezy? Loved it, but it's pricey and seemed a little shallow. I have 3 kids--8, 5, 3--and I know they will be thrilled to have it low, not sure I will, though. Also, it'll be right next to a Elux single wall oven, and I'm trying to decide how they will look next to each other.
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norcalpeetnik
15 years ago
This is a trade-of, since ideally you want them both at a height convenient for everyone's use regardless of age. My kids use the Breville to make toast just as often as they use the micro to make quesadillas.

A couple things to keep in mind: the glass front of the Breville does get hot, so I would set it back a bit deeper into the cabinet so it couldn't be accidentally brushed against as you walked by. You would need to do that anyways so that the door has something to rest on when it is fully open (I don't believe it is made like a typical oven door hinge which is fine hanging open by itself - the Breville door rests on the counter in front of it when it is open).

And you need to have 4" of clearance on all sides of the Breville according to the manual due to the heat it throws off.

Now, with that all said, I would opt for a drawer micro as easiest for kid use and put the Breville on the counter - that way they can access both. We have an OTR micro which my 14 yo can use easily and my 11 yo (both tall) can use with a bit of stretching. Not ideal. But sometimes it isn't an option to have both at the perfect height so you need to decide which tradeoff to make.

Good luck!
suejoel
15 years ago
Whirlpool make a microwave with a 24" trim kit. (Whirlpool MT4155SPS) . I'm considering it myself, however, like you, I may just find a small microwave I like better and forego the trim kit...
Have you found a microwave that you like that will fit in a 24" cabinet?