Table of Contents

Retrofit Kitchen Cabinet for Over-the-Range Microwave Installation: A Comprehensive DIY Guide

Are you looking to enhance your kitchen’s functionality and aesthetics by moving your microwave off the countertop? Installing an over-the-range (OTR) microwave is an excellent solution, but it often requires modifying existing cabinetry. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of how to retrofit a cabinet for a microwave and then expertly install it above your stove. By following these detailed steps, you’ll gain valuable counter space and significantly improve the usability of your kitchen. We’ll share essential tips, lessons learned from our own experience, and crucial advice – especially regarding the one instance where we urge you not to blindly follow general recommendations.

Adding an over-the-range microwave was a pivotal step in the transformation of our ranch-style kitchen into a cozy cottage haven. The immediate impact on our kitchen’s functionality and the amount of usable counter space was truly remarkable. Relocating the microwave freed up prime real estate on our counters, allowing us to establish a dedicated coffee station in a more convenient spot and providing ample room for larger culinary endeavors, such as extensive canning projects. Beyond these significant practical benefits, it also contributed to a visibly cleaner, more organized, and less cluttered aesthetic in our kitchen.

However, achieving this involved reconfiguring the cabinet situated directly above our stove. While the idea of modifying existing cabinetry might initially appear daunting, we discovered that it boils down to a series of relatively straightforward steps, particularly when equipped with the right tools and a clear plan. Throughout our project, we gained several valuable insights and learned a few critical lessons, which we’re eager to share in this detailed tutorial. Our most significant piece of advice, and one that we cannot stress enough, is to measure YOUR specific pots and thoughtfully consider how YOU personally utilize your stove when determining the microwave’s placement. Do not simply adhere to generic, one-size-fits-all recommendations.

So, if your goal is to transition from a typical range hood setup, similar to the “before” image below (we had already removed the cabinet doors at this stage):

To a sleek, integrated, and highly functional look like this:

Then continue reading for a detailed breakdown of the steps we took to successfully retrofit our previously too-low cabinet. This modification not only accommodated the new over-the-range microwave but also ensured I could still comfortably use a large canner or lift pot lids without encountering frustrating bumps and scrapes.

Essential Tools and Materials for Your Microwave Retrofit

Before diving into the project, gathering the right tools and materials is crucial for a smooth and efficient installation. Having everything at hand will save you time and prevent unnecessary interruptions.

Oscillating Multi-Tool (or Plunge Saw): This is arguably the most critical tool for clean, precise cuts in tight spaces, especially for the initial removal of the cabinet bottom. Its versatility makes it invaluable.
Drill/Driver: Essential for drilling pilot holes, driving screws, and securely fastening brackets. Ensure you have a good selection of drill bits.
Tape Measure and Pencil: For accurate measurements and clearly marking cut lines, screw points, and heights. “Measure twice, cut once” is a golden rule here.
Level: Absolutely necessary to ensure your mounting bracket and the microwave itself are perfectly straight and aesthetically pleasing.
Stud Finder: Indispensable for locating wall studs, which provide the secure anchoring needed to support the significant weight of an over-the-range microwave.
Safety Glasses and Work Gloves: Always prioritize personal safety. These protect you from flying debris, dust, and potential hand injuries.
Voltage Tester: A crucial safety device to confirm that the power is off before handling any electrical components. Never assume; always test.
Wire Strippers/Pliers: Necessary tools if you’ll be performing any electrical wiring, such as installing a new outlet.
Screwdriver Set: A variety of Phillips and flathead screwdrivers will be needed for different types of screws found on cabinets, brackets, and electrical plates.
L-Brackets and Screws: For re-securing the cabinet shelf at its new, elevated height. Choose sturdy brackets appropriate for the weight they will support.
Electrical Box, Outlet, and Cover Plate: If your existing setup was hard-wired and you need to add a new, accessible electrical outlet for the microwave’s plug.
Plywood Scraps: Handy for shimming, creating fillers for gaps, or reinforcing sections – as we discovered, they can be surprisingly useful.
Beadboard or Decorative Panel (optional): For aesthetically finishing the newly created upper shelf, especially if the original cabinet interior was unfinished.
Wood Glue and Clamps (optional): If you plan on constructing a decorative cover or panel for a more polished look.
Paint (optional): To match any new wood or electrical components with your existing cabinet color.

Pre-Installation Considerations: Planning for Success

A successful and safe microwave retrofit begins with careful planning and an understanding of key considerations. Taking these steps upfront will prevent headaches down the line:

Safety First and Always: Before touching any wiring or removing electrical appliances, always turn off the corresponding electrical breaker to the range hood and any nearby outlets. Use your voltage tester to meticulously confirm that the power is indeed off. Throughout the project, wear safety glasses and work gloves to protect yourself from dust, splinters, and potential injuries.
Microwave Selection: Ensure your chosen over-the-range microwave is the correct width for your stove (most commonly 30 inches). Also, take the time to read through its specific installation manual. Requirements for mounting, ventilation, and electrical connections can vary slightly between different models and manufacturers.
Ventilation Options: Over-the-range microwaves offer different ventilation methods – ducted (venting cooking fumes and heat outside your home) or ductless (recirculating filtered air back into the kitchen). If your existing range hood was ducted, you’ll need to decide if your new microwave will utilize the same ductwork or if you’ll convert to a ductless setup. Our project featured a Jenn-Air range that vented below, making the hood itself non-vented and simplifying the ventilation aspect. However, for most kitchens, this is a critical design and installation decision.
Weight Support and Wall Anchoring: Over-the-range microwaves are surprisingly heavy. The mounting bracket provided with the microwave must be securely fastened to wall studs for proper and safe support. A reliable stud finder is an indispensable tool here to pinpoint the exact locations of these structural elements. Never rely solely on drywall anchors for a heavy appliance like this.
Electrical Requirements: Most OTR microwaves require a dedicated 120-volt, 15-20 amp circuit for safe and efficient operation. If your existing range hood was hard-wired directly into your home’s electrical system and you don’t have a suitable receptacle, you will need to install a new electrical outlet. This involves working with household electrical wiring. If you are not entirely comfortable or experienced with electrical work, it is strongly recommended to hire a qualified and licensed electrician to ensure safety and compliance with local building codes.

How to Retrofit a Cabinet for a Microwave: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Remove the Existing Range Hood and Bottom Cabinet Shelf

The first critical step is to completely clear the space above your stove for your new microwave. Begin by safely turning off the power to your existing range hood at the circuit breaker. This is absolutely paramount for your safety. Once power is confirmed off with a voltage tester, carefully disconnect any electrical wiring from the hood. If your hood is vented, you’ll also need to detach any ductwork that connects it to the outside. Then, proceed to unmount and remove the range hood itself. Since our Jenn-Air range vented from below, our original hood was non-vented, which simplified the process of disconnecting. However, the general steps for removal remain consistent whether your hood is vented or not.

Once the range hood is out of the way, your focus shifts to the cabinet directly above. In our specific case, the cabinet was not a standalone box but an integrated part of a larger wall unit. The next crucial step involved using an oscillating multi-tool to precisely cut out the bottom shelf of this cabinet.

Why is an oscillating multi-tool (often called a “plunge saw”) the best choice for this task?

This specialized tool is exceptionally useful for its ability to make clean, straight plunge cuts directly into wood, even in confined spaces where a larger jigsaw or more aggressive Sawzall would be impractical or too difficult to control. Its rapidly vibrating, oscillating blade allows for remarkable precision and minimal kickback, making it ideal for delicate cuts flush against cabinet sides. While we initially borrowed one for this specific project, we quickly realized its immense value and invested in our own shortly after. It proves invaluable for a multitude of other DIY tasks, such as creating custom door trim or precise cutouts for electrical boxes. Using the correct blade—specifically one designed for cutting wood—is absolutely essential to prevent smoking, burning, and potential damage to both the wood and the tool itself, a lesson we unfortunately learned firsthand with a dull blade.

To effectively use an oscillating tool for cutting out the cabinet shelf:

First, identify and carefully remove any decorative or finish pieces that might be attached to the front edge of the cabinet bottom. Ours, for example, had a simple 1×2 finish piece.
Ensure you have the appropriate, sharp wood-cutting blade securely attached to your oscillating tool. A dull or incorrect blade will struggle and potentially burn the wood rather than cutting cleanly.
Carefully position the blade flush against the side panels of the cabinet. Begin your cut slowly and steadily, guiding the tool along your marked line to achieve a clean, straight cut, as clearly illustrated in the accompanying image. Take your time to maintain control and precision.

Our primary objective was to cut the original cabinet bottom cleanly so that it could eventually be re-purposed and re-mounted at a higher, more functional position, effectively creating a new, sturdy shelf within the modified cabinet space above the microwave.

With the right blade and a steady hand, the bottom of the original cabinet was cut out fairly cleanly and efficiently in a short amount of time. (Please disregard the raw appearance of the wall behind; it’s typically hidden from view and not meant to be a finished surface!)

2. Customize Your Microwave Height: Measure for YOUR Kitchen, Not Just the Manual

The image above, while showing the installed microwave, perfectly illustrates a crucial decision point that must be made before you proceed further: **determining the ideal height for your microwave above the stove.** This is where personal customization becomes paramount, and where we strongly advise against simply following generic guidelines found in appliance manuals.

Decide the height you want the microwave to hang above the stove – customized for your cooking needs and ergonomics.

Here’s our top tip for making this critical decision:

Gather your largest cooking vessels – this includes your tallest stockpots, Dutch ovens, and especially a boiling water canner if you regularly use one. Place them on your stovetop. Now, simulate your actual cooking actions: not just how the pot sits, but also how you comfortably lift the lid, stir the contents, or remove items from inside without obstruction. Pay close attention to the vertical space required for these movements without banging your knuckles, struggling with hot lids, or having to awkwardly maneuver. Really think about how you and your family use your stovetop on a daily basis, rather than simply replicating where others place their microwaves. This is your invaluable opportunity to truly customize your kitchen for optimal usability and a more enjoyable cooking experience.

We’ve observed countless installations where the microwave was positioned so low that it effectively rendered the back burners almost useless for taller pots, or made it incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to check on simmering dishes. This was a scenario we were absolutely determined to avoid in our own kitchen, ensuring full functionality for all burners.

Understanding “Standard” Recommendations vs. Practicality:

To underscore the importance of this customization, consider the typical recommendation found in most microwave instruction manuals: approximately 30 inches from the top of the stove to the bottom of the microwave. This measurement is widely considered the “standard” installation height.

However, after our own practical measurements, using our canner and largest stockpots, we quickly realized that the bottom of our microwave needed to be a full 22 inches from the stovetop. This specific height allowed me to easily lift jars from the canner and comfortably manage large pots without feeling cramped. Factoring in the height of the microwave itself, this meant our total measurement from the top of the stove to the top of the microwave would be approximately 38 inches. That’s a significant 8-inch difference from the “standard” recommendation! While your ideal height might not be as high (especially if you are shorter than my 5’5″ height), the core principle remains: measure and customize for your own practical use.

Ultimately, we settled on 38 inches, adding an additional 1/2 inch due to a perceived instruction in the manual for installation clearance (which, as it turned out, wasn’t strictly necessary). This slight adjustment resulted in our microwave sitting 1/2 inch higher than initially planned, but still well within a comfortable and highly functional range for us.

3. Reattach the Cabinet Shelf and Manage Electrical Connections

Once you’ve firmly established your desired microwave height, it’s time to re-secure the cabinet bottom that you previously removed. This piece will now serve as a functional shelf positioned above your newly installed microwave, providing additional storage space.

Securing the new shelf:

You have a couple of reliable options for re-mounting the cabinet bottom at its elevated position. The simplest and often most robust method is to use simple L-brackets. Position these brackets discreetly on the inside of the cabinet walls, beneath where the shelf will rest, and screw them securely into both the cabinet sides and the shelf itself. Ensure the brackets are perfectly level and evenly spaced for maximum support and stability. An alternative, if you have access to a nail gun, is to use it from the insides of the adjacent cabinet sections, driving nails directly into the sides of the newly positioned shelf for a hidden fastening method. Whichever method you choose, verify the shelf is completely stable and level before proceeding.

Creating an electrical outlet for the microwave:

Most existing range hoods are hard-wired directly into your home’s electrical system, as was the case with ours. Before initiating any work on the electrical components, you should have already turned off the corresponding circuit breaker to ensure absolute safety. Use your voltage tester to confirm that the wires are indeed dead.

Given our prior experience with various home remodels, my husband Brian had acquired a solid understanding of basic electrical work. We determined that the most practical and aesthetically pleasing solution was to install a new electrical outlet directly into the corner of the newly mounted shelf. This placement allows the microwave’s power cord to plug in neatly and discreetly, minimizing visible wires. Another potential option would have been to place the electrical box on the very top of the cabinet unit. However, this would have necessitated a significantly larger hole in the shelf below for the cord to pass through, which would have been visibly unsightly from kitchen view and harder to conceal.

To integrate the new outlet seamlessly, Brian took a standard bright blue electrical box, spray-painted it white to match the interior of the cabinet, carefully wired it to the existing electrical lines (following all safety protocols and local codes), and then attached a white switch plate for a clean and professional finish. Remember, if you are unsure about any electrical work, it is always best to consult or hire a licensed electrician.

4. Attach the Mounting Bracket and Prepare the Electrical Hole

With the new shelf securely in place and your electrical outlet prepared, it’s time to prepare for the microwave itself. Every over-the-range microwave comes with a metal mounting plate designed to support its considerable weight. Carefully read your microwave’s specific instructions for attaching this plate to the wall. It’s absolutely crucial that this bracket is installed perfectly level, and most importantly, securely fastened into wall studs using appropriate lag screws or heavy-duty anchors to safely bear the microwave’s load. Use your stud finder to mark the stud locations accurately.

Customization Tip for Cabinet Backing and Scrap Materials:

In our situation, after cutting out the original cabinet bottom, there was a small 1/4-inch space created by the existing wood backing of the upper cabinet. To ensure a completely flush and stable surface for the mounting bracket, Brian found a scrap piece of plywood and meticulously cut it to fit this space, effectively eliminating the gap and providing a solid, even surface for the bracket. This highlights an important DIY lesson: **always keep your scrap materials!** You never know when a small piece of wood, trim, or paneling might become incredibly useful for shimming, filling, or customizing a fit. This also explains why some of our project photos might appear grainier – as many DIY projects do, ours often stretched from morning into evening, especially before daylight savings time adjustments!

Next up, you’ll need to drill a strategically placed hole through the bottom of the newly installed shelf. This hole must be large enough to comfortably feed the microwave’s power cord plug through. Ensure the hole is positioned so the cord can reach the electrical outlet without strain. Once the hole is drilled, feed the cord through and plug it into the electrical outlet you installed in Step 3, before proceeding to physically mount the microwave onto the wall bracket.

Installation Tip and a Lesson Learned (Avoid Our Mistake!): It’s immensely helpful to have two people for this part of the installation. One person can stand on a stool, ready to pull the microwave cord through the hole and prevent it from getting pinched or caught behind the microwave as the other person lifts and guides the heavy appliance onto the mounting bracket. In our experience, we initially installed an L-bracket towards the back of the cabinet that ended up interfering with the microwave’s path. After several attempts (and much grunting and frustration) to wrestle the heavy microwave into place, we realized this small bracket was the culprit and had to remove it. Learn from our minor setback: ensure all clearances are checked and re-checked before attempting to lift and mount the microwave. A clear path is essential.

5. Mount the Microwave Securely

This stage requires careful maneuvering, precise alignment, and often an extra set of hands. Following your microwave’s specific instructions, carefully lift and set the microwave onto the previously installed mounting bracket. This typically involves tilting the microwave slightly upwards, hooking it onto the bottom lip of the bracket, and then rotating it upwards until it sits flush against the wall. For us, this step involved a fair amount of physical exertion, along with classic DIY phrases like, “What’s wrong? Why won’t it go in?” This was precisely when we identified and subsequently removed that pesky L-bracket mentioned in the previous step, which was preventing a smooth installation and causing unnecessary struggle.

Once the microwave is resting securely on the mounting bracket, use the template provided with your microwave to drill pilot holes through the new upper shelf and then insert screws that secure the top of the microwave hood to the cabinet above. These top screws are crucial for stabilizing the microwave and preventing it from tipping forward, adding another layer of security to the installation.

It was during this final securing process that we realized our initial, extra 1/2-inch height allowance, based on a slight misinterpretation of the directions, wasn’t actually needed. Consequently, our “customized” microwave ended up sitting 1/2 inch higher than our carefully planned 38 inches. While this minor adjustment made it a tad higher than anticipated, it still works perfectly for me. For shorter individuals, this extra 1/2 inch might be a more significant consideration, though our 5’4″ daughter uses it without any trouble. In my personal assessment, being slightly too high is infinitely preferable to being too low, especially since I use my stovetop much more frequently than the microwave itself, and full clearance for cooking is paramount.

6. Finish Off the Newly Created Shelf Above the Microwave

Once the microwave is installed, you’ll be left with a newly created open shelf above it. While the electrical box was painted white, the visible cord and the unfinished wood surfaces (originally designed to be hidden behind cabinet doors) didn’t present the most polished or aesthetically pleasing look. Initially, we used a temporary solution, placing a decorative plate and some teapots to visually distract from and cover the exposed outlet until we could implement a more permanent, integrated solution.

UPDATE: The completed beadboard cover for the back of the shelf:

A few months after the initial microwave installation, we designed and constructed a simple yet elegant false back to conceal the electrical outlet and the raw, unfinished areas. We utilized scrap beadboard and picture molding, materials that added a touch of cottage charm while providing a highly functional and decorative cover. This step significantly elevated the finished look of the entire installation.

We precisely cut all the wood components (the beadboard panel and the picture molding for the frame) to the exact dimensions of the shelf’s back opening. Accuracy here ensures a seamless fit.
The wood frame molding was then carefully attached to the beadboard using strong wood glue and clamps, creating a unified, framed panel. This adds structure and a finished edge.
Once assembled and the glue had dried, the entire cover was meticulously painted to seamlessly match the existing cabinet color, ensuring a cohesive and integrated look that appears as if it was always part of the cabinet.
Finally, a small, simple hook was screwed into the top edge of the cover. This thoughtful addition allows the panel to be easily pulled out if ever needed to access the electrical outlet for maintenance, troubleshooting, or adjustments, without damaging the finish.

The finished look was absolutely perfect, adding a refined and professional touch to the entire installation. We were absolutely delighted with the outcome, transforming a functional necessity into an attractive feature!

But what truly brought the greatest satisfaction?

It was undoubtedly the decision to invest the time and effort into raising the cabinet to our customized height, rather than simply adhering to the standard, lower recommended installation. This thoughtful adjustment has paid dividends every single time I’ve effortlessly lifted the lid of my large stockpot without any obstruction or awkward maneuvering. Had we blindly followed the generic 30-inch measurement, the bottom of the microwave would have actually hung a full 3.5 inches below the bottom of our existing cabinets! Imagine the frustration and difficulty of trying to lift jars from a hot canner, or simply checking on a simmering soup or stock, with such inadequate clearance. The initial effort of precise measurement and customization was undeniably worth every minute and has significantly enhanced our daily cooking experience.

This tutorial has been updated to provide even more comprehensive details and insights, having originally been published in April of 2011. We hope our experiences and lessons learned help you achieve a successful and satisfying kitchen upgrade!

Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.