What To Do When The Refrigerator Is Too Wide? (Solved)

Setting up a fridge in your kitchen means taking the time to find the right fit and ensuring it looks in line with the rest of the room.

If the fridge sticks out too much, it will look odd and it’s also going to cut into the walkable space available to you.

A common issue people face is with figuring out what to do when a refrigerator is too wide.

If a refrigerator is too wide, the only solution is to trim the cabinets on both sides. If there’s no space to trim, the best option is to replace the refrigerator with a smaller one.

In most cases, you will have to replace the wider refrigerator to make sure the fit is perfect. This is often the case when one side has a wall, which is impossible to cut into without damaging everything.

This article is going to give you insights into what to do when a refrigerator is too wide.

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Steps On What To Do When The Refrigerator Is Too Wide

1. Measure The Gap

If a fridge is too big for the space, it’s best to know what the difference is.

This information is important before you come up with a plan to get the wide refrigerator to fit in the gap as required.

You will want to take a look at both sides to see what the difference is.

If possible, you can attempt to slide the refrigerator in and then measure the difference. This will give you an accurate reading to write down for later.

When you have taken the measurements, it’s best to slide out the refrigerator and put it to the side. You will want to begin working on finding out how you can expand the space so the fridge can slide in properly.

what to do when refrigerator is too wide

2. Trim The Cabinets On Both Sides Evenly

For the most part, you are only going to have one solution when the fridge is too wide for a kitchen.

The goal will be to trim the cabinets on both sides.

Since you have the measurements, you are going to evenly trim the cabinets on both sides. This will allow you to rework how the cabinets are set up and this will allow the fridge to slide in.

Please note that this is a time-consuming task and it will require additional materials when you are working on the cabinet.

Take your time with the trimming and make sure things are done evenly. Otherwise, it will look odd.

3. Slide The Fridge In

You will now want to test the space that has been created.

To do this, you are going to take the wide refrigerator and slide it into place. It should go back against the wall or backsplash.

This is the only way you will know it is going to be usable in the kitchen and is no longer too wide.

Be thorough while doing this and make sure you are doing things safely.

This includes knowing where the outlet is going to be when the fridge is installed. You need to leave space for the outlet, so you can plug the fridge in.

what to do when refrigerator is too wide

4. Replace The Fridge (If Necessary)

This is often the only option for some property owners.

The idea here is to replace the wide refrigerator with a thinner one. This is going to slide in and you are not going to have to measure or change things up.

This alone saves time and is often a convenient option for those who just want to resolve the issue as soon as they can.

It is common for a person to not have the option to trim the cabinets. This can be due to one side being a wall.

If so, you will have to replace the refrigerator with a smaller one. It’s the only option available to you.

Final Thoughts

These are the main steps on what to do when the refrigerator is too wide.

If a refrigerator is too wide, the best option is to replace it with a thinner one. If you wish to use the same appliance, the only solution is to trim the cabinets on both sides. This will create enough space for the fridge to slide in.

It’s important to note that this is a time-consuming project and you will have to be careful when working on the cabinets.

If you are patient enough, you are going to see impressive results and it will work out as you want it to.

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  4. Why Is The Fridge Giving Off A Burning Smell?
  5. Is A Tilting Fridge Set On The Side A Safe Option?
  6. Is It Smart To Start Fixing An Aging Fridge?