Order them oversized....27" or 30" deep. Your installer can cut them to whatever depth you end up needed. More work, yes.... but better than trying to guess.

Agree with The Kitchen Place, but if they are decorative, you really can't cut them down. Doesn't your cabinet maker require you to have all your appliances picked out so they can get your cabinetry measurements correct? If this is a DIY cabinetry install, again, I'd start choosing your appliances, especially if going with a counter depth, or integrated. You'll find install manuals to appliances readily available online.

These are Ikea cabinets so we are installing them ourselves. I'm confused because I"m looking online and the measurements say that the fridges are around 28" deep.

cherylbirth, you really should choose your refrigerator, then measure for your Ikea cabinets. Not only is TKP correct in they all vary, but when you start looking at the installation guides for each one, you'll possibly run into surprises. We certainly did just recently, having to add 3 inches to a finished wall for correct width finished with cabinetry... Fortunately, we are doing all the walls ourselves and had the space. The additional 3" width is only one install option, there was another. When you say around 28" deep, you might not be seeing an integral measurement, which would only be in the installation manual. Counterdepths are built in to a degree - I'd want to be sure I had all information at hand.

You need to check the specs very carefully for any refrigerator. My guess is that 28” includes the doors, and if they’re covered by a side panel they won’t open. Installation/dimension guides should tell you what door clearance is needed. Just as an example, my fridge is 27-28”. Custom cabinet based on fridge’s spec is just under 25”.

Every refrigerator's installation instructions is different. My KA has the same kind of hinges as they use on their built-in's so my side panels can come out over the door. Many other brands must have the doors and their hinges totally free of side panel in order for the door to open.

Typically, I want the ref. side panel to be this depth: Depth of REF box (ref. less door/handle) + gap required at back = Panel depth. You want the door to be proud of the panel.

To add to the issues, you’re not dealing with custom depth cabinetry. You will only have a 24”D cabinet available for above the refrigerator. You will need to fir out the wall for any additional depth that you choose to do, and that can be difficult to do with Ikea’s rail hanging system. They do not have a traditional screw through mounting rail, so any fir out has to be calculated and built with the IKEA install method in mind.

My custom panels for fully integrated fridge/freezer are 26" deep. The factory messed up the height, even though they had all the specs. Luckily my contractor was able to cut them down without messing up the molding/profile of the decorative panels.

I believe that IKEA only has their tall panels at 24" deep. If so, that's unfortunate. I always order my tall panels at 30x96 or 30x120 which allows for trimming to off-plumb walls & off-level floors. Yes it cost more & it's more time consuming, but the finished product is much better when everything is trimmed to fit on site.

Thanks, everybody. We ordered this kitchen over a year ago, and are just now installing it and we realized that while the oversized fridge panels were on the order list, they never actually got ordered. Either that or we paid for them and never got them, I'm not sure which. Anyway, the profile has been discontinued and since we are painting everything I could still buy panels in the size I need (but they are pretty pricey) or we could use cabinet grade plywood for much less. Cooks Kitchen, I was worried about the cabinet over the fridge also. I wasn't sure if we would hang it since there will be filler strips on either side. Maybe I should just do 24" and live with some of the sides showing? It seems to defeat that whole purpose of counter-depth though.

They come at least 36x96

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40313773/

You are confusing a counter depth with a built in refrigerator. Just the cabinet box of the counter depth fridge is 24". The doors and handles can be up to 8" deeper than the box. That doesn't mean that you can put in 32" side panels. The doors need space to operate.

I understand the difference between built-in and counter-depth, and I get that you have to leave room for the doors to open. I just want as little of the sides to show as possible.

Key will be in the refrigerator you purchase. I only buy counter depth refrigerators. They tend to be a little wider. Everyone is right about the doors. Look at the specs on refrigerators you are considering. The will give details on door with and without handles. Picture shows side panel of 24”. The refrigerator sticks out 5” of which 2 1/2” is door. Back wall to door (not including handles) is 29”. Allowance behind refrigerator is 2”. Note the second picture showing door next to counter. It measures 3” from counter to door which allows it to open. The 3rd picture shows with refrigerator door open. This is my Bosch refrigerator. Prior I had a Whirlpool which had slightly slimmer door picture 4.. You really need to narrow down the refrigerator because the doors vary.

Attaching an example of the specs you need to look at. Note all the measurements. I hope this is helpful. All the manufacturers should be able to provide this info. My appliance store gave me this. Good luck.

Thank you. I'm scared to get too specific because if/when the fridge needs to be replaced I'll need it to fit in the space. Nice kitchen!

This might be too simple but consider lower cabinet is normally 24" deep + counter top (24" + 1.5" overhang = 25.5" for panel). The refrigerator will stick out the amount of the door and say another .5 - 1". This will have the panel line up with the counter top.

Don’t forget if you plan to add a cabinet above the refrigerator look at the height of refrigerator. You will need to leave 1- 1.5”. Also the width of the cabinet needs to be the width of the refrigerator plus the amount of space noted in the specifications required for ventilation. Currently my cabinet is 38” wide x 24” deep (cabinet box only) plus another inch for cabinet door. The cabinet box lines up with the panel. Lots to think about. I used a kitchen designer who did all the specs but I’m one to read the details (project manager is my job so I like the details). Also my cabinets are custom sizes to fit my space.

bikertoni, these are stock cabinets from Ikea so the closest size I can get is 36" wide. There will need to be filler strips on each side of the cabinet, and one underneath. I'm wondering if I may have to go with 24" deep panels anyway, just because I don't know how to hang the over fridge cabinet without the rail.

Here's the wall where it will go.

Get a better layout first. Then use the standard 24" deep side panels with the standard 24" cabinet above. It's Ikea, not Plain and Fancy. You accepted numerous limitations when you made that choice. Don't try to get fancy with it now.

A 24" deep wall cabinet needs panels on both sides otherwise it will sag at the front under the weight of what ever is in it.

Ikea cabinets are designed to hang from a rail, so sagging isn't an issue, thank goodness.

That layout is pretty bad. Where is the sink? Why not slide your refrigerator down against the other tall cabinet so your refrigerator isn’t sticking out like sore thumb? Maybe you have circumstances driving this decision, but from the viewpoint of that single picture, it looks bad.

The rail system used by IKEA is only to hold/hang the cabinet to the wall. It will not prevent sag at the front of the cabinet. If enough weight is placed at the front of the cabinet without forward support, it will eventually sag.

Here's the whole kitchen. The fridge is where it is to prevent a bottleneck where the end of the peninsula is, a problem I had in my previous kitchen. I ran this design past the folks here on the forums and was told it was good.

Seeing your whole layout, I can understand why the refrigerator isn’t on the end of the run.

Do you have a plan and purpose for that isolated stretch of counter? Would it be better to move the other tall cabinet up against the refrigerator and leave the counter on the end?

When I see those types of counters separated from other kitchen functions, my mind always goes to a coffee/beverage center. A microwave there might be nice for snacks and reheating things from the refrigerator. A bar sink would be great for getting drinks, and making coffee without entering the kitchen and interfering with the cook.

Sorry to to mess up your thread with these comments if you’ve already thought all this through.

nancyjwb, I thought about doing what you said, but my husband pointed out, and he's right, that if there is bare counter by the doorway it will become a clutter magnet. I plan to put my toaster oven and microwave in that separate section of counter, and it will be hidden from the den by the taller pantry cabinets.

Ok sounds like you’ve got a plan! I agree that random ends of counter can accumulate clutter; I’ve seen that happen in, um.... friends’ houses;))

Yeah, any horizontal surface in this house tends to magically pile up!

We are still working on our kitchen, but I thought I'd update and add that we were able to bring the cabinet above the fridge flush with the front of the side panels. My husband built a structure behind it, attached the rail, and we hung it from there. Excuse the mess, please.

Still need the filler strip above the fridge, but we got plain and fancy!

Looks great!

Thank you, premerson!

Glad it is working out. It looks really good

Thank you, bikertoni!