# Advice on Kitchen Cabinet Furniture Doodads



## Droogs (15 Sep 2020)

The time is (hopefully) fast approaching where I will be able to the carpenter back in to replace the 2nd half of the floor and joists in our flat. They had to stop in Feb due to Covid and my being placed in the shielded group. The new floor means that the old kitchen has to come out. It is not going to be put back in as it is knackered having dropped 2 1/2" along with part of the floor and is over 25 years old.

So, once the new floor is in, I will be making new cabinets and all that stuff. No problem with that, where I have a severe lack of knowledge is in all the gadgets that you can use in them, like spinnie turney pot shelves etc. You know open a corner cuboard and out pops 40 cans of beans on a swing arm all that sort of stuff, pop up sockets and things. Can the good folks here recommend suppliers of these things or where to have a root around to get info and ideas?


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## murdoch (15 Sep 2020)

We use hafele


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## porker (15 Sep 2020)

Just because I'm in the middle of a kitchen refit - here are a few things that need thinking about (I have not used all these but considered them)
- Corner cupboard swingy thing - Hafele make the nice ones of these but they are expensive. Other carousels are available
- Plinth heaters - I didn't use these
- Under cabinet lighting - loads of options here. LED is probably the way to go now. Also plinth lighting is a thing but we chose not to do this
- Hob extraction - need to consider whether you can vent to the outside or recirculate. Needs ducting if you don't have it.
- Position of isolators for appliances etc that you can't get to sockets - I have put these in a cupboard all together. Some people say that these should be put on the wall
- Drawers or cupboards for cabinets - we have moved to more drawers as its easier for us to reach things without bending over
- Handles or knobs - loads of options here. I think we bought ours from Ironmongery Direct

Will add anything else if I think about it


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## lurker (15 Sep 2020)

Wickes, screwfix, tool station get the catalogues so you can browse and see the doda’s correct name.
not saying any or all of these are the best but you can at least figure what’s what.
I am close to finishing a howdens supplied kitchen into our new home, first time I have fitted a kitchen and am quite enjoying doing it.
howdens fittings (doodahs) were an eye watering price, I bought knobs and handles from wickes for a third of the price!


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## lurker (15 Sep 2020)

Porker,
would be interested in which under cabinet lighting that you have settled on.
sorry about the hijack Droogs


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## Myfordman (15 Sep 2020)

Have a look at the Buller website. Lots of stuff there and my goto supplier for basic FE drawer slides.


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## porker (15 Sep 2020)

I bought the Robus LED strips that Screwfix do like these. They are switchable on the colour and SWMBO is very particular and in general likes a softer white. I thought though that she might want a whiter white so these lights give a switchable option. I have not completed fitting them but wired them up temporarily and they look fine.


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## MikeG. (15 Sep 2020)

For the corner unit....I put shelves in the corner cupboards like in any other, but hinge the two adjoining doors to each other so that they operate somewhat like a bi-fold. This means when they are open you have a huge opening to get at the cupboard contents, for the grand cost of a couple of hinges. Obviously, this means an L-shaped unit without a corner post or central divide.


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## robgul (15 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> For the corner unit....I put shelves in the corner cupboards like in any other, but hinge the two adjoining doors to each other so that they operate somewhat like a bi-fold. This means when they are open you have a huge opening to get at the cupboard contents, for the grand cost of a couple of hinges. Obviously, this means an L-shaped unit without a corner post or central divide.


I was going to suggest that - the swing out carousel things are the work of Satan - avoid! 

BUT have a look at YouTube  for some nifty kitchen cupboard ideas I've just made some pan-drawers and will make under-sink pull-outs when our new sink is fitted and I can see where the waste pipes are


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## Argee (16 Sep 2020)

Get the best hardware you can afford - when cabinets look tired it's usually because the doors have sagged. I've used both Blum and Hafele with success. Expensive, but the best in the long-term.


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## Ollie78 (16 Sep 2020)

As mentioned get the best quality.
If your drawers and hinges are annoying you will be mad quite quickly as you use them every day. 
I have generally found Blum stuff to be the very best, Hafelle is also decent, the grass stuff is just not as nice in my experience.
Remember even within the ranges for each brand there is quality levels too.
When buying hardware really shop around I have had good luck on ebay, there is a guy who sells millions of blum hinges and no one could compete with it last time I bought some. But the runners I got somewhere else.
For those corner cupboard thingies I find the Le mans style ones are better than the ones that pull the cage out. eaiser to fit and more practical.


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## Nico Adie (16 Sep 2020)

Remember to budget for your swearbox for those moments when you're searching for that casserole dish that you're absolutely certain was towards the back of the corner cupboard just behind the spare colander...


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## doctor Bob (16 Sep 2020)

I buy from Hafele but never touch their own brands go for the higher end products, especially if you are doing face frames where you can't have any wobble.


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## Jonathan S (16 Sep 2020)

Another +1 for hafele, there le mans corner's are nice.


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## Trainee neophyte (17 Sep 2020)

Probably the most useful thing in the kitchen is the little silicon stick on buttons to stop all the doors banging. Trivial, but make a difference. They probably have a name, too.

Buffers, apparently: https://www.amazon.co.uk/adhesive-kitchen-cabinet-cushions-Hafele/dp/B01H2T87X8

(Of course you may use robotic soft close door hinges with extra "Real People Personality" a la The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)

Chosing knobs is probably the most soul destroying task ever created by a vindictive demon. You may want to be busy that month and leave it to the creative department.


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## sometimewoodworker (17 Sep 2020)

Argee said:


> Get the best hardware you can afford - when cabinets look tired it's usually because the doors have sagged. I've used both Blum and Hafele with success. Expensive, but the best in the long-term.


I’ve mostly used Häfele hinges up to now but am just in the process of making a 6 metre run of cabinets, with a rather unusual cutout to allow SWMBO to open the window, I’m going to switch to Blum as the back plates are better and easier to adjust.

I don’t have a corner and only space for a single upper as there is a 3.3 metre window with a few banana plants outside. I will be using soft close hinges and soft close draw/shelf runners.

I’m undecided on the benefits of many of the cabinet furniture items. They are expensive, some extremely so, they do work well but maybe looking to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

I will be interested to know of items that people find really useful, equally items that you’ve got that just weren’t value for money.


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## Droogs (17 Sep 2020)

As you say in the last paragraph SW, would love to hear what people have actually found to be useful to fit and what they feel has been a waste of time


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## RobinBHM (17 Sep 2020)

doctor Bob said:


> I buy from Hafele but never touch their own brands go for the higher end products, especially if you are doing face frames where you can't have any wobble.


Sadly kitchen hardware has always been designed for overlay doors rather than inset.

I've spent many an hour prototyping to see if something can be adapted successfully for inset

How do you do your set your drawer fronts? I've never found a particularly successful way to fit drawer fronts to the boxes and get an even margin.

Do you put a weight in the drawer when checking margins, there is always a bit play in concealed runners.

I've also tended to fit a pair of screws at the back as a stop rather than rely on the drawer runner. It seems more consistent.


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## doctor Bob (17 Sep 2020)

RobinBHM said:


> Sadly kitchen hardware has always been designed for overlay doors rather than inset.
> 
> I've spent many an hour prototyping to see if something can be adapted successfully for inset
> 
> ...



What hardware are you using, sounds antiquated ............. blum and Grass are pretty rock steady and have 4D movement clips, so they can be altered using the runner mechanism L, R, up, down, in and out.
Most lay on gear can be used with inframe with a bit of tweaking of fitting instructions, just need to use top end stuff.


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## RobinBHM (17 Sep 2020)

doctor Bob said:


> What hardware are you using, sounds antiquated ............. blum and Grass are pretty rock steady and have 4D movement clips, so they can be altered using the runner mechanism L, R, up, down, in and out.
> Most lay on gear can be used with inframe with a bit of tweaking of fitting instructions, just need to use top end stuff.



Thanks for that.

Ive not tried the latest blum or grass -the last time I was using Hettich 4d V6 runners.

I will get some blum runners and give them a go.


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## Droogs (17 Sep 2020)

Phew Dr Bob, Iwas starting to think I would have to make euro boxes


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## Steve Maskery (17 Sep 2020)

Those space-saving corner basket thingies are, indeed space-saving but...

I had my kitchen done a couple of years ago. Having done a couple - only a couple - over the years, I know how much work is involved and I didn't want to be without a kitchen for six months. The kit they supplied is adequate but not top-notch.

Check the load-bearing capacity. It will say one them what that is, and the top one may be different from the bottom. If you fill them with anything heavy, such as bottle or tins, that loading will be easily exceeded. I don't know what brnnd mine are, but I wouldn't have them again.

Re lighting. Under-cabinet lights are fantastic, they make so much difference. But be careful where you place them. Too close to the wall and they will just show up the tiles. Too close to the front and you will have a shadow line at the front edge of the worktop. So get a stick, place it bwteen the worktop front edge and the underside of the cabinets, touching the plinth (or whatever that bit of trim is called that is fitted underneath the upper cabinets). That will show you the line for the lighting strip. I have TWL and would buy again.


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## doctor Bob (17 Sep 2020)

RobinBHM said:


> Thanks for that.
> 
> Ive not tried the latest blum or grass -the last time I was using Hettich 4d V6 runners.
> 
> I will get some blum runners and give them a go.



You need blum movemento with depth ajustment clips


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## doctor Bob (17 Sep 2020)

Buy the Vauth Sagel hardware from Hafele rather than Hafele stuff.
For corner units I always go for fly moons or Lemans units with seperate swinging shelves.


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## doctor Bob (17 Sep 2020)

With regards to underlighting, thats moved on a fair bit, we tend to use LED strips now, if it can be seen in reflection, i.e glass splashback or tiles you can either fit it in a diffusser or a casing which stops the reflection.
Thing is wall units are out of fashion these days anyway, so we tend to light up behind cornice and internally on swanky units, usually on PAR switches.


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## Jake (18 Sep 2020)

All drawers under the counters, no doors, corners are dead space, no regrets.


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## doctor Bob (18 Sep 2020)

as above, as many drawers as possible, nothing gets stuck at the back of a cupboard then.


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## spb (18 Sep 2020)

And, if you have a tall narrow space that doesn't lend itself to drawers, the pull out larder units can be brilliant for using space that'd otherwise be impossible to fill sensibly. We've got a void a bit over 300mm wide by a metre deep that was just boarded over when I moved in, and now has a 2m high pull out unit for drinks storage.


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## Oddbod70 (18 Sep 2020)

Had a bit of left over marble so I made up an under counter pull out shelf with a set of really heavy duty full extension slides. (Workshop ones not kitchen ones. You could stand on it in theory. ) Unfortunately it wasn't actually a lot of use - it blunted knives, couldn't take spills, and flour got everywhere if you used it for pastry - but it sure looked mega-cool!

If I'd left enough room to add small stands offs for hot pans it would have been fantastic - says he wistfully!


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## Max Power (24 Sep 2020)

Nobody using Hettich


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## doctor Bob (24 Sep 2020)

Max Power said:


> Nobody using Hettich


Yes sometimes, I like their stuff.


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## Max Power (24 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> For the corner unit....I put shelves in the corner cupboards like in any other, but hinge the two adjoining doors to each other so that they operate somewhat like a bi-fold. This means when they are open you have a huge opening to get at the cupboard contents, for the grand cost of a couple of hinges. Obviously, this means an L-shaped unit without a corner post or central divide.


Always found they functioned better hung seperately with the corner post attached to one


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## Max Power (24 Sep 2020)

Steve Maskery said:


> So get a stick, place it bwteen the worktop front edge and the underside of the cabinets, touching the plinth (or whatever that bit of trim is called that is fitted underneath


Usually called light pelmet Steve


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## lurker (24 Sep 2020)

What about diy add ons?
other than the inevitable spice rack, what other space saving things have you made or seen?


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## Oddbod70 (25 Sep 2020)

Somebody who decided their worktop needed more electrics. So they cut a hole in it and screwed a double socket down using wood screws - they then wired it up as a spur from the lights.....in bell wire!

I so wish I'd taken a photo....of my expression when I found it!


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