Although trends in kitchen appliances and furnishings come and go, the use of microwave ovens never has. The convenience and safety of microwaves makes them a common feature in most kitchens, leaving homeowners to determine precisely where to keep their microwaves.

One option for storing a microwave is to place it atop a microwave cart, a rolling piece of furniture. By keeping the microwave on a cart, it can be easily shifted to access the plug, to clean the floors or to remove it from the kitchen if extra space is needed for a special party or gathering. Microwave carts can also be used to store other types of appliances or even double as television stands.

To help you select the perfect microwave cart for your home, we created our Buyers' Guide to Microwave Carts. The guide is centered around questions that customers like you commonly ask while shopping for microwave carts. Use the guide to introduce yourself to the various style options that are available and then bookmark it to return to as a quick reference while you shop.

What are the main styles of microwave carts?
Microwave carts are available in numerous styles to make them suitable for different types of home kitchens; however, most have a wooden top and all will have casters on their bases or legs. Manufacturers also tend to produce microwave carts that fall into specific style categories.

• Hutch microwave carts resemble a piece of wooden furniture and have a flat surface with an open wooden frame above it. The microwave can be placed within the frame, or for smaller models, atop it. This style of microwave cart is popular because it resembles a piece of furniture, making it preferable to some homeowners. Hutch carts are generally one of the bulkier styles and not practical to select if you will be moving the cart over large distances frequently.


• Cabinet microwave carts are similar to hutch carts in that they look like furniture; however, this type of microwave cart does not have the frame situated above its surface. Instead, the style features one set of cupboards, typically below a drawer, topped with a flat wood surface. Cabinet microwave carts are easier to move than hutch carts, but not as easy to move as open styles.


• Open microwave carts have mostly open space below their tops, though many do include storage space. This style is the easiest to move throughout the kitchen, but is not as appealing to some homeowners because it looks far less like furniture.

What size microwave cart do I need for my home?

Determining the correct size for your microwave cart will depend upon a number of factors.

Size of the appliance

The first step should always be obtaining the dimensions of your microwave or the appliance or electronics equipment that you wish to store on your cart to ensure that whatever piece you select, it will fit on it. Using a tape measure, obtain the distance along the front of the appliance to obtain the length and then turn the tape measure to obtain the width, the distance from the front corner to the back corner. To ensure that the top of the cart is large enough to safely support your microwave, you'll need at least one inch of room on all sides of it, and to allow for this, add two inches to both the height and width measurements.

You'll also need to determine if you want to be able to use the cart top for anything else besides storing the appliance. For example, in a hutch style, you may be able to use the hutch top to hold the microwave and then use the cart top as a work or storage area. With other types of styles, you may want to leave space on the cart top to store other items.

If you will be purchasing a hutch style and plan to keep your microwave within the hutch frame rather than on top of it, you'll also need to measure the height of your microwave, or the distance from its bottom to its top. Add an inch of height to the measurement to ensure that it is easy for you to slip the microwave onto the cart.

Overall Size

After you have the dimensions of your appliance to serve as the minimum dimensions for your cart, you'll want to determine the largest size piece that can be used in your home. Measure the length and width of the space where you intend to keep your microwave cart. Make sure you leave 30 to 36 inches of space in front of the cart to maintain a safe walkway. If people will need to walk along the sides of your microwave cart, 30 to 36 inches of space will be necessary there as well. You should also leave an inch or two between the cart and the wall, cabinets or appliances that will be located beside the cart.

Once you have determined the size of your space, you'll need to think about whether or not you will ever be moving your microwave cart to another area in your home. In kitchens where you will be shifting the cart to another room frequently, you'll also need to measure the other area where you will keep the cart and the size of the path that you will need to wheel the cart through to get it there. If you will not be moving the cart or will be doing so infrequently, then this step will not be as vital.

What types of wood are used to make microwave carts?

The most common woods used to make microwave carts are birch and maple. Birch has a slightly more golden color than maple, which is a light beige, but both have a very neutral appearance that makes them blend into a large array of kitchen decors. A small number of microwave cart manufacturers produce styles out of American cherry wood, which is reddish-brown in color. Others offer American walnut microwave carts, which have a deep brown color that is similar to the hue of chocolate.

What types of bases are available in microwave cart styles?

Hutch and cabinet microwave cart styles will typically have wood bases that match their tops, though in some cases, the base may be painted to give the piece a two-color look.

Open microwave carts may have wooden bases or stainless steel bases. Some also feature stainless steel legs, but wooden shelves beneath their cart tops. The type of base that you select for your microwave cart is largely based on aesthetic preference and your existing decor.

What special features are found in microwave carts?

Some microwave carts have special features that can make them especially useful in certain home kitchens.

• Folding Mechanisms allow microwave carts to collapse and be stored in a compact form in a cupboard, cabinet or closet. The mechanism locks securely to provide enough strength to support your appliance. Folding microwave carts will have open styles and cannot be used as permanent storage pieces if you intend to fold them up often.


• Drop leafs are hinged wooden surfaces that can be raised up to serve as work areas or kept up continually. Purchasing a microwave cart with a drop leaf will give you a working area beside your appliance, which is ideal for kitchens where counter space is limited.

What storage is available in microwave cart styles?

In addition to holding an appliance on its top, a microwave cart will generally feature additional elements that allow you to store other household items or specialty items. Typically, hutch and cabinet microwave carts will offer more storage options, though some open microwave cart styles have a variety of storage solutions as well.

Some of the storage options that you'll find are

• Drawers are common features in many microwave carts and can be found alone or in combinations of two or three drawers. As a storage option, drawers allow you to keep small items hidden from sight and well organized.


• Cupboards are a common element in the designs of hutch and cabinet microwave carts. If you have taller items to store and want to keep them out of sight, cupboards are an excellent storage option to choose.


• Open shelves are most common on open microwave carts; however, some cabinet and hutch carts have open spaces below their tops, which function like shelves. When storing large items, shelves make it easy to quickly retrieve things as you need them, but they do not hide the items away.


• Towel racks can be mounted on the side of any style of microwave cart and used to hold folded linens.


• Wire baskets are available in a small number of microwave cart styles. Like drawers, the wire baskets are perfect for small items, but they do not keep the things stored within them completely out of sight.


• Wine racks are an area below the microwave cart tops that are designed to hold bottles of wine in a horizontal position to preserve their corks. This is a specialty type of storage found in a small number of cabinet microwave cart styles.