Kitchen Cabinets

Furniture that makes the kitchen functional and comfortable is acquired for many years. Therefore, to the elements of the kitchen are special requirements. Strong and roomy drawers should be silently pulled out, the doors should open freely and close smoothly. Kitchenware should be kept handy.

The convenience and durability of the operation of kitchen cabinets, the competent organization of the working space depend on the right choice of quality mechanisms. For different ways of opening doors there are the following mechanisms: with a rotary opening, vertically lifting, vertically and horizontally folding, tilting.

Types of mechanisms for the method of opening:

For hinged opening, furniture hinges are used, designed for installation on various materials: MDF, particle board, fiberboard, plastic and metal.The hinges are mounted inside and outside the cabinet body, so that the facade can be easily removed and hung.

There are the usual four-hinged and seven-hinged hinges that allow you to open and move the door to the side. Improved hinge models allow you to significantly speed up the hanging time.

The duration of the hinge depends on the frequency with which the doors are used. Modern hinges of leading manufacturers are manufactured from high-quality and durable materials that can withstand up to one hundred thousand opening and closing cycles of doors.

The standard plow angle of the loop is 95 degrees. Hinges with non-standard installation angles of 30 °, 45 °, 120 °, 135 °, 180 °, 270 ° (carousel loop) are used for corner cabinets with withdrawable and rotating storage systems.

Modern kitchen is not limited to hinged hinged doors. With the help of convenient lifting mechanisms that can withstand heavy loads and significantly save space, you can provide any way to open the cabinet, for example, in a vertical plane upwards. There are models of lifts that provide autonomous work without loops.

The most advanced lifts can be used for the upper facades made of aluminum and chipboard without handles in high-tech kitchen furniture. Such mechanisms are reliable, have adjustment of smoothness of the course, calculated on one hundred thousand cycles of step-by-step opening and closing of doors. Getting items from the shelves becomes a convenient process, since the automatic lifting of the door is done by gently pressing the surface with the hand. Next, the pusher opens the door to the end.

Lifting folding devices designed for upper kitchen cabinets are divided into mechanical spring and gas elevators. Folding mechanisms are very convenient for large solid facades, as well as for kitchens with overhangs with lights. It is enough to pull the handle and the door will smoothly move up to the set moment of fixation.

The main advantage of spring devices is their reliability. Because of the impossibility of adjusting the spring force and installing the door in an intermediate position, they are installed, as a rule, in inexpensive kitchens. There are facial elevation mechanisms with adjustable opening angle, developed by foreign companies, but they are quite expensive.

Today, more and more reliable gas lift lifts are used, in which the elastic element is gas compressed by a piston inside a cylindrical body.

Foldable systems are occasionally used in the lower kitchen modules as a stopper when opening the door down. Mechanical devices are characterized by adjustable soft stroke and reliable fixation.

Lifting mechanisms are designed for opening double-wing facades in multi-tiered wall cabinets. During the upward movement, the mechanism folds the two halves of the facade in the middle. In the modern design of expensive kitchens there are horizontally folding segments of the facades of the floor high cabinets.

Fittings are constructive elements: sliding systems, locks, closers, magnets, handles, rails, baskets and others. Without them, the operation of the kitchen unit would be impossible. The cost of a set of accessories is up to a quarter of the cost of the kitchen. The choice of accessories when buying a kitchen should be approached seriously, as it is difficult and expensive to change it after installing the kitchen.

The movement of the boxes and other withdrawable elements provide sliding mechanisms, which are a system of guides full or partial extension. The support rails of roller or ball guides are attached to the walls of the cabinet and make it possible to move boxes and shelves along them. More comfortable, but also more expensive, fully retractable designs. In inexpensive kitchen sets, partial extension systems are more often used.

Roller guides are quickly mounted, make it possible to effortlessly push and return the box into place. Ball guides put on spacious boxes that can withstand weight up to 80 kg. These mechanisms are notable for their reliability and noiseless running. Guides of the newest sliding systems for soft closing are supplied with air catchers.

In the cabinets can be stored bulk products and sharp cutlery, from which you should protect small children. For this purpose, locking mechanisms are used. The mechanism is a durable plastic lock on the tape or latch, fixed with double-sided tape on the door or drawer.

To extend the life of modern furniture used hinges with closers that slow down the movement of the door, contribute to its noiseless closure. The closer, fixed on the hinge cup, optimally regulates the load on it, begins to work shortly before complete closure.

The gas-lift closers used for the top cabinets have a number of advantages:

• have a long service life;
• provide self-regulating smoothness and noiseless running;
• reliably fix an open door;
• makes possible the absence of numerous handles, which gives the facade a stylish look.

The disadvantage of the gas lift is that the cylinder is filled with gas in the factory, which guarantees tightness, but requires full replacement in the event of a breakdown.

Magnets are practical devices that help to close the doors of kitchen cabinets without claps. The principle of operation of a furniture magnet is based on the difference in poles. A magnet with one pole is mounted on the door, a magnet with the opposite pole is mounted on the body.

The main elements of design, decorating, giving style and adding convenience to the kitchen, are the handles of the cabinets.When choosing handles, it is important that their design fits into the style of the kitchen and the kitchen as a whole. Handles come in the following forms: drop, key, button, ring, sink, railing and bracket. Handles-buttons and brackets, easily mounted on the facade, are considered the most convenient.

The handles are made of wood, metals, plastics with elements of stained glass, crystal, porcelain, leather and stone. Experts recommend the use of resistant to corrosion and deformation of aluminum or steel handles.

Railing consists of a hollow metal tube with a chrome-plated coating, holders and a corner located above the stove and table tops of floor cabinets. Being at an accessible distance, the rails create additional comfort during cooking, they are hung with small mesh shelves for storing small kitchen items, such as jars with spices. On hooks are placed ladles, skimmers, cutting boards, oven mitts and kitchen towels.

For efficient use, lower cabinets can be equipped with stainless steel mesh baskets.The convenience of a capacious netting capacity is that it is visible from all sides and allows you to quickly find the desired item. A cargo basket on roller bearings, being an alternative to a drawer, can be equipped with a stand for bottles, household chemicals, baking sheets.

Manufacturers of kitchen accessories offer a good solution for the lower and upper corner modules in the form of a storage mechanism called the “smart corner”. The design consists of two mesh baskets placed one above the other with a solid bottom, which can withstand tens of kilograms of weight. A part of the system is attached to the front of the cabinet, which allows the entire structure to be extended along the guides when the door is opened.

High-quality fittings designed for long use. If a breakdown does occur, it is better to contact a specialist for repair or replacement. Simple budget mechanisms break down more often, it is much more difficult to repair them, it is easier to replace them completely, having carefully read the instructions.

Quick and easy, you can make an independent installation of the loop.When mounting a hinge with a collapsible design, both its parts are separately fixed on the door and the housing, then the door is hung and the hinge is fixed. A hinge with a non-separable structure is applied to the intended place and is attached to the wall of the cabinet and the door. After the hinge is installed, the junction density is checked and the opening and tight closing of the cabinet doors are adjusted.

Replacing the sliding mechanism can be a difficult process for a beginner and requires the action of an experienced furniture master. The replacement mechanism of the sliding mechanism requires you to accurately mark the mounting location of the rails and drill holes in the cabinet body and the sides of the drawer. It is very important to fasten the guides correctly: one part at the base of the cabinet, the second part with a roller on the drawer. Checked the smoothness and, if necessary, carried out adjustment.

The dimensions of the gas lift will depend on the thickness of the door held. Before installing the gas lift, it is important to determine at what angle the door will open upwards. Fasteners are installed on the side walls of the cabinet and doors at the right distance. After hanging the facade by pressing the head on the fastener until it clicks, gas-lift is mounted.Closed facade is adjustable with hinges. To avoid skewing the massive door, experienced craftsmen advise to install two gas-lift doors symmetrically on both sides of the case.

Simple care allows you to increase the life of kitchen mechanisms. To avoid corrosion, food acid solutions inside the cabinet should be stored in tightly closed bottles. Washed dishes before installing on the dryer is better to wipe with a towel.

Mechanisms must be periodically cleaned of kitchen grease and soot with a napkin moistened with detergent, then wipe dry. It is absolutely impossible to use soda, sand, products with abrasive particles, scrapers and hard scrubbers for cleaning.