Let’s take a moment to marvel at the modern Lazy Susan turntable. For so long, it has lived up to its name by streamlining the distribution of food and condiments. Whether it is sitting in the middle of a kitchen table or nestled in a corner cabinet in your kitchen space, the Lazy Susan has proven to be a valuable piece of the entire kitchen ensemble.
Because of its shape, the Lazy Susan may not seem like the most optimal product to have in a corner cabinet. After all, that’s a lot of edges for a well-rounded turntable to reside in. But truthfully, a Lazy Susan can be a great fit for that space, especially when paired with a custom cabinet door for that corner.
Do you have a corner cabinet with a Lazy Susan turntable inside? Getting a custom cabinet door for a Lazy Susan cabinet is easier than it may seem and comes down to just a few simple steps. You won’t need many materials, either. Really, the most essential tools that you’ll need for this project are some basic measuring skills and the ability to do some simple math. Or better yet, a capable calculator. If you have a smartphone, chances are you have exactly that.
Follow along as we take you step by step below, or hop over to our YouTube channel and watch as we follow these same instructions.
Materials
You don’t need much to measure for your Lazy Susan doors, but these essentials will help ensure precision:
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Calculator
- Note paper or our free Lazy Susan Door Measurement Calculator
Accurate tools are especially important when working with face frame cabinets or corner cabinet spaces where angles and dimensions can vary slightly.
Step 1 – Measuring
To get things started, remove your cabinet doors from the cabinet boxes. This will ensure the most accurate measurements, free from obstructions.
- For the width, the opening from one edge to the center should match the corner to the other edge, but due to varying cabinet construction they might not be. Measure from one inside edge of your cabinet opening to the corner of the opening (where your two doors will meet), then measure from the corner to the other inside edge of the cabinet opening.
- Take note of the left and right cabinet openings
- For the height, measure from top of the cabinet opening to bottom of the cabinet opening.
If the height varies slightly between both sides, use the height that’s consistent with the rest of your cabinet doors. It’s stylistically important to maintain your horizontal lines. - Take note of your cabinet door opening
Once you have your cabinet door opening widths and height measurements, determine the thickness of your new doors. Most doors will be ¾”, but some are 7/8”. Add your ½” overlay, then subtract the thickness of the door.
If you’re installing a kidney-shaped Lazy Susan, measurements will generally align with the radius of the shelves, while pie cut doors are more dependent on hinge placement and overlap.
Pro Tip: Take each measurement at least twice to ensure accuracy, especially if the cabinet walls or frames aren’t perfectly square.
Step 2 – Calculate
Once you’ve measured the width and height, it’s time for some math, but don’t worry, it’s pretty easy, and if you use our online calculator here, it does the math for you!
We have to subtract the thickness of each door so they do not butt up against each other as they open and close.
Width formula: (W + ½”) – (Thickness of door) = Width of door
Example: If your total width is 20”, each door would be approximately 9 ⅞” wide.
Height formula: (H + 1”) = Height of door
If you entered your opening measurements above:
Your opening width and height are W x H
Double check your hinge specs, especially if you’re with pie cut hinges as they may affect how much overlay is needed. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Not subtracting clearance from total width
- Forgetting to allow for door thickness and hinge style
- Assuming both doors need to be the same size in an asymmetric face frame
Once you have your measurements you can head on over to the desired door and place your order. Remember, your left and right doors might be slightly different in width.
Step 3 – Order
Now that you’ve calculated the correct dimensions, it’s time to choose your Lazy Susan cabinet door style, and your boring options.
- Style: Pick a door that matches the rest of your kitchen—raised panel, shaker, or slab.
- Boring Options: For pie cut doors, choose boring for hinges on both the left and right doors. Be sure to select the correct overlay for your cabinet style.
Quick Tip: Add each door to your cart separately, we will be doing different boring options for each one.
Boring
When you get to the ‘Bore and Hinge Options’ drop down, select ‘No’ and click add to cart for your first door, the left side. For the second door, the right side, select ‘Lazy Susan Boring + Hinge Set’ and click add to cart. For more information on boring, take a look at our guide here.
Pro Tip: When ordering your doors be sure to pick a style with no outside edge detail so that they fit together properly. Your finished and installed cabinet doors will have a small square gap so that they can open and close properly.
For overlay cabinets, make sure to select an edge profile that complements your hinges—especially if you’re using soft close or concealed hinges. Some styles, like cup and dowel hinge setups, may require additional clearance. Always allow a small gap between the doors for smooth function, especially in a tight corner.
Just like that, your corner Lazy Susan turntable has a proper set of cabinet doors to be enclosed with. There are three different steps to follow to complete this process, although all of these steps can be completed without expert levels of knowledge when it comes to kitchen remodels and cabinet doors.
Accurate measurements lead to the best results when replacing or upgrading your corner cabinet doors. Whether you’re working with a classic lazy susan or a more complex blind corner cabinet design, the steps above will set you up for success.
For more help, check out these posts if you need help measuring for a single door or double cabinet doors, or browse our full selection of cabinet doors to get started!
We hope this tutorial has been helpful, please reach out to us if you have any questions or need any assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
A pie cut Lazy Susan uses two doors attached to each other with hinges that rotate together with the shelves. These are typically installed on corner cabinets with face frames.
A kidney shaped Lazy Susan, on the other hand, features a rounded shelf shape that rotates independently behind attached cabinet doors. The difference in style impacts how you measure and where hinges are placed.
Yes. Lazy Susan doors typically require pie cut hinges or bi-fold corner hinges that allow the two doors to fold and pivot with the shelving unit. These hinges often need to be bored specifically for the hinge hardware and may have different overlay requirements than standard cabinet doors.
It’s common for older or custom cabinetry to have slight imperfections. Always measure both sides of the opening and use the smaller of the two when calculating door dimensions. A small amount of adjustment can typically be handled by the hinges, but accurate measuring is key to avoiding fit issues.
Absolutely. Lazy Susan doors can be installed on both face frame and frameless (Euro-style) cabinets. The key difference is where you take your measurements from—frameless cabinets require edge-to-edge measuring since there’s no frame to consider. Hinge boring placement also differs slightly.
Yes, we offer custom hinge boring options when you place your order. You’ll just need to specify the hinge type, boring location (left or right), and your preferred overlay. Pre-bored doors save installation time and ensure accuracy for hinge placement.
For more information on this, check out our guide on Choosing Your Cabinet Door Boring Options
