Kitchen cabinet Drawers Guide
Properly proportioned and well-built drawers are an indispensable part of any kitchen. Like cabinet doors, well styled drawer fronts can contribute handsomely to the overall look of a kitchen. Yet their appealing faces hide the kitchen's most abused elements: the drawers themselves. Their organization and construction are of paramount importance, for a visually striking kitchen can be a frustrating place to work if its drawers are haphazardly located or jam every time they are opened.
Kitchen drawers must be built to last. They are yanked open and slammed shut countless times a day. Worse, drawers in the kitchen are often weighed down with appliances and crammed full of cutlery and utensils, so any shortcut made in their construction will eventually compromise their strength and utility.
This chapter details the techniques involved in building strong, attractive, smoothly functioning drawers. The construction guides on pages 80 and 81 offer an overview ofyour options for drawer faces, joinery, mounting, and materials. Your eventual choice will depend on your experience, shop setup, and timetable. When it comes to joinery, there is little question that the strongest joint is the through dovetail. Other options, like the lock miter, dado, and the double dado are suitable alternatives.
Kitchen drawers place tough demands on the mounting method used to secure them to the casework. Side-mounted firll extension sltdes are designed to withstand very rigorous use, and are the best choice if your budget permits. Bottom-mounted slides are not quite as strong, but are less expensive and easier to install.
When it comes to the appearance of a kitchen, the front is the most important part of a drawer. The design of your drawer fronts will help set the tone for the kitchen's style. Howwell the drawers are installed will also prove to be a lasting testimonial to your craftsmanship. It can be a time-consuming task to hang a drawer so it rests perfectly straight and level, let alone several banks of drawers in a cabinet run. Applytng a false front to the drawer can reduce the time spent fussing with levels and drawer slides. Wth minimal experience, you can quickly and accurately install false fronts on both inset and overlay drawers. Even if the mounted drawers themselves are slightly uneven, they will appear to be hung with the precise eye of a master cabinetmaker.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- QUESTION:
How can I best plan do it yourself replacement of cabinet doors & drawer fronts?
I live in a very rural and isolated community in southern Arizona and if work on my home is going to get done, its up to me. How can I best plan do-it-yourself replacement of kitchen cabinet doors & drawer fronts? I have browsed the internet and find there are many suppliers of doors and drawer fronts. I am fairly good with my hands. I'm just wanting to plan this well for the best possible results. Anyone know of a good book on the subject? I read extensively before I built a masonry block privacy wall and am glad I did.
Thanks to all, in advance, for your suggestions, ideas, and advice.
- ANSWER:
For a do it yourselfer, I would suggest doors made of some kind of plywood. You can use 1/2" plywood and edge it in 3/4" solid decorative wood strips. Both are available at most hardware stores or lumber yards. You only need a brad nailer (or brad nails and a hammer), wood glue, a chop saw and a table saw (or good circular handsaw for ply).
Making the doors 1/2 larger (or more) for overlaying the cabinet sides by a 1/4" on each side (or more). Many options on hinges: Concealed self closing (non-bore) screw in hinges, or surface hinges.
Finishes can just be a tung oil or danish oil rub. Poly would provide good resilience in a kitchen or you could just paint (recommend an oil paint).
Good luck
- ANSWER:
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