Cabinet Ideas for Gas Cooktops

Overhead Cabinets

• Depending on your kitchen's layout, the space above a gas cooktop may or may not be suitable for cabinets. This is usually the space required for the installation of a hood and venting system that carries away heat and cooking odors. This area also is susceptible to the rising heat from the cooktop. This means that even if you do install cabinets that accommodate a hood and vent and meet the cooktop's minimum clearance requirements by providing ample space above the cooktop, they may be too warm for food storage and might limit your options for stowing cookware and other heat-resistant items.

Downdraft Venting

• You can maintain existing overhead cabinets when you install a gas cooktop by adding a downdraft venting system. This type of vent, which is more expensive than an overhead vent, uses a series of fans to draw warm air from cooking down and into ducts that run along the base of your floor-mounted cabinets. Downdraft venting keeps your overhead cabinets free of ductwork and also keeps them cooler, giving you more options for storing items overhead and using cabinets that match those throughout the rest of your kitchen.

Low Cabinets

• Some of the cabinet space below a gas cooktop is still usable. This area is not susceptible to the same heat that can affect overhead cabinets. However, you need to modify these cabinets to install the gas and electric lines that power and provide fuel to the gas cooktop. This can create cabinets with irregular interior shapes and reduced volume. Like the space below a sink, the cabinets under a gas cooktop are useful for storing cleaning supplies, waste baskets and other durable items.

Island Cooktops

• Installing your gas cooktop on a kitchen island opens up a variety of cabinet options. You can leave your existing cabinets intact, because the cooktop's ventilation needs will be accommodated by a hood above the island or by using a downdraft system incorporated into the island. New cabinets below the island's countertop can surround a central space where the gas and electric lines rise to meet the gas cooktop, giving them more storage volume and regular shapes.