Why your Kitchen might feel cold: Finding Draughts under your Kitchen Cabinets

Finding Draughts under kitchen cabinets

An area where we have been uncovering some horrid draughts is from hidden gaps below kitchen base units. Here’s one example from a DraughtBusters visit where when we removed the plinth, we discovered a space between the plasterboard dry lining and the floor, letting in cold air undetected.

The householder had always noticed how chilly it felt, especially near the sink. In an attempt to fix it, they added a door seal strip (visible on the right in the first picture). While that helped slightly, we took it a step further by sealing the entire gap along the corner and behind the sink.

All the plumbing was internal and the results were immediate: a warmer kitchen.

A picture of underneath a kitchen bas unit showing pipes but also a gap along the bottom of the back wall and plasterboard where draughts are getting in. There is door strip attempting to cover some of it.
Picture of the corner underneath the kitchen base units with the householders seal in place as far as they could reach.
Picture underneath Kitchen Base units showing the gap between floor and plasterboard
Another picture underneath the Kitchen Bas units and sink, showing the gap along the wall from floor to plasterboard

It is common practice when building to stop the plaster or dry linings slightly above the floor. Sadly this gap is rarely filled and generally it is covered up by a skirting, but the gap is still there.

The gap allows us to see the blockwork, which is not airtight, so there are bound to be some draughts there. In fact, draughts are almost guaranteed to lurk behind dry linings. Evidence of this comes from the chilly outdoor air sneaking in through plug socket holes, slipping under skirtings, and finding its way into the building through any cracks or openings.

For more tips on various aspects of draughts and finding them in the home visit our learning pages or check if you are eligible for free referral and support from our volunteer DraughtBusters.