Drawers for the kitchen: do it yourself, design features, pros and cons

What is a drawer

Modern retractable shelves for the kitchen are special structural systems for storing kitchen utensils and dishes, which allow you to save every centimeter of space, but make even the corners of deep cabinets accessible to view and use.

Thanks to these furniture designs, you don’t have to rummage through the shelves to find the right thing; all the contents of the drawers become as open as possible.

Small utensils and dishes are stored in drawers.

Creating a drawer in the basement of the kitchen or under the oven

The last option involves creating a drawer, as demonstrated in the photo of kitchen drawers, to accommodate baking dishes and pans. Also, this type of furniture will help provide storage for containers or utensils that can be used for baking.

Read here: Kitchen furniture - 155 photos of design ideas for modern kitchen furniture

The free space can be filled with a small cabinet with drawers for the kitchen, and this option is mainly used in the case of a small kitchen. Such a solution will make it possible to increase the total capacity in your kitchen.

No less popular is the creation of a corner drawer for the kitchen, which makes it possible to fully maintain access to its contents.

Main characteristics of retractable systems

Roller guides

This is the most common retractable mechanism. The main advantage of such a system will be the absence of fragile parts; only when the box is overloaded, balls can pop out of the relay. The maximum load for such a system is 15 kilograms.

Drawers with roller guides.

Such fittings are made of plastic and metal, only the plugs, feet and fastening elements are made of plastic, and all other parts are made of sheet metal and coated with a special reinforced coating.

With the correct calculation of the dimensions of the retractable structure and the size of the guides, you can get almost silent open doors. Drawers with such a retractable system can be easily removed and removed, which is important for cleaning and cleaning such objects.

Roller guides come in different sizes. They range in length from 250 to 600 millimeters, and in width from 3 to 6 millimeters. When choosing, you need to consider the following parameters:

If the drawer itself is shallow but long, then the guides should be of medium width.
For deep drawers, use the widest guides. Otherwise, they simply will not withstand the load and will quickly fail.
If the depth is 350-500 millimeters, then it is better to use metaboxes - this is one of the subtypes of roller guides.

Roller guides allow silent opening and closing of drawers.

Telescopic fittings

Used as functional units in sliding sections. More often they give the opportunity to open the box only two-thirds of its length. Designed for both large and small loads.

Drawers with telescopic fittings.

Telescopic fittings are made entirely of metal and have no plastic parts. The most vulnerable point is the balls that cause movement; when overloaded or installed incorrectly, they quickly fly out and wear out the fastening teeth.

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Tandem

The tandem is made to order and helps to optimize space and space as much as possible. The peculiarity is that when you open the cabinet door, certain drawers located behind it will automatically open. You can set up the logic for opening boxes yourself or discuss this when placing an order.

Tandem drawers in the kitchen.

They are made of steel and can be of completely different heights and sizes.

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Cargo system

They allow efficient use of space in small spaces. The design will allow you to reliably and safely store dishes, food, and so on.

The cargo storage system allows you to rationally use the space of a small kitchen.

Good materials such as steel, aluminum, and industrial plastic are used for manufacturing. All models of such a system have different shapes and designs, and this makes it possible to choose a convenient option.

The cargo system includes a basket with shelves, mounting guides and a set of screws. The shelves in such baskets can be removable or stationary; their height can be adjusted and, if necessary, completely removed.

Design of retractable cargo storage systems in the kitchen.

Essentially, cargo is a replacement for a regular storage box. Most often they are vertical, but sometimes horizontal baskets are also found.

The maximum weight that they can withstand depends on the design and its size, but on average it is from 5 to 30 kilograms.

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How to choose the right one

In order to properly equip your kitchen with retractable fittings, you need to draw up a plan for the furniture - and, accordingly, think through the purpose of each shelf and cabinet.

Of course, the main selection criterion should be the quality of the fittings, so that constant load and dynamic use of furniture does not lead to annoying jamming, noise and breakdowns. The metal thickness for guides of any type and purpose must be at least 1 mm.

One of the main criteria for choosing boxes is the quality of the fittings.

Adviсe

When choosing a box, you need to pay attention to the presence of additional stiffening ribs on the walls (they help extend the life of the organizer).

It is better to store heavy construction tools in modular metal boxes. This is a specific set of organizers, each of which is designed for a specific group of tools.

When assembling a wooden tool box with your own hands, you should not screw in screws in places with knots and other wood defects. Otherwise, the slightest load will lead to the collapse of the organizer.

How to make it yourself

Making pull-out shelves in kitchen cabinets with your own hands is not at all difficult; the main thing is to make a choice and learn about the installation features.

Note! For the manufacture of the box itself, preference is given to MDF material, as it is resistant to moisture and deformation. Solid wood and chipboard are not recommended for these purposes.

First of all, you need to calculate the dimensions of the future kitchen drawer.
Decide on the type of retractable element.
There should be a gap between the cabinet walls and the future shelf to accommodate fittings - as a rule, it is 13 mm.
The depth of the shelf should be almost the full length of the retractable runner, minus 5-10 mm for the movement of the element, or minus 2 cm for the stiffeners, if any. The standard length of runners produced for kitchen cabinets is 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 centimeters.
The box must be exactly symmetrical, its diagonals must be the same.
When using a tandembox or modernbox, the box already has sides; you only need to make the back and front strips and the bottom.
Fix the false panels from the inside and install furniture handles.

Where can drawers be placed?

Please note: Modules with pull-out elements must be located in the kitchen so that they do not interfere with each other when opening. This is especially true for corner cabinets.

While cooking, everything should be at hand, so retractable containers are needed, first of all, in the area of the working surface of the set. As a rule, small accessories are stored here, so roller or conventional telescopic mechanisms can be used.
The corner cabinet is inconveniently deep and often remains unused or filled with unnecessary utensils. Today there is a solution for corner cabinets - retractable carousel-type mechanisms, a rack with tiered shelves on which you can place everything you need, and it will always be in sight.
On the sides of cabinets - usually between two adjacent ones, or between a cabinet and a refrigerator/wall - you can make bottle holders. These narrow and long shelves are convenient for storing bottles of oil, sauces, jars of spices and some kitchen utensils that do not fit in the length of the cabinet.

Installation nuances

The parts of the box are secured to each other with confirmations.
The bottom of the shelf should be made of fiberboard or plywood (used less frequently), have high strength and rigidity, support the entire structure, and not sag.
To attach the guides to the walls of the cabinets, you must first mark their correct location by measuring an equal distance from the bottom of the cabinet and drawing exactly horizontal lines on the inside wall on one side and the other.
The cabinet guides are secured along these lines with self-tapping screws (roller) or screws with a cylindrical head of 3 mm
(telescopic), drawer slides of the guides - on the drawers, symmetrically to their body parts, with a 3 mm indentation from the front strip.

Filling

Pull-out shelves will be more convenient if they are supplemented with various partitions, cabinet organizers, baskets, etc. All these parts must be different in size and suitable for the kitchen utensils and accessories that are supposed to be stored in them.

Thanks to the internal organization of the shelves, they will increase their functionality, each item will be in sight and at hand, in its place, and there will always be order in the closets.

Boxes must be divided by partitions suitable for the size of a particular utensil.

What materials are used for boxes?

Drawers allow you to use almost all the vertical space of the cabinet. But their location is limited - it is impossible to use the contents above the eye line. The optimal location involves floor cabinets with a work surface for cooking. The more small drawers there are in the lower tier of the kitchen, the more things can be stored in an organized manner. However, the size of the drawers limits the type of items you can store. Therefore, when purchasing furniture, you must be careful about the parameters and number of drawers.

The materials from which the drawers are made affect the durability of the furniture. The furniture industry uses several options for manufacturing - one-piece and prefabricated construction. Solid boxes are made of metal, metal mesh or durable plastic. The opening system is usually integrated and forms a single structure that is built into the cabinet.

Combined boxes are made of wood, metal, chipboard, MDF.

Wooden boxes in expensive settings are assembled using dovetail fastenings without the use of other materials. Cheaper options have a bottom made of thick chipboard.
Metal is combined with plastic and wood - this combination is used for modern innovative drawer systems. Many cabinet manufacturers use metal drawers with wood faces.

All options have a number of advantages and disadvantages, but the choice depends on personal needs.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are many advantages of sliding systems for kitchen drawers:

Availability of each item and accessory, good overview of the contents of the shelf.
The functionality and ergonomics of the headset are improved.
The systems save space and make even small-sized kitchens comfortable.
Saves time when cooking due to convenience and maximum access to all shelves.
The price and type of retractable system can be selected according to your needs.

Retractable systems have many advantages.
The disadvantages of such accessories are not obvious, but they can be called:

High price for the most functional examples of retractable systems.
The structural complexity of the fittings, which can lead to breakdowns if used incorrectly or initially incorrectly installed.

Other pull-out mechanisms for the kitchen

Today, based on the basic retractable systems, many varieties are produced that completely change the idea of the traditional kitchen space.

For example, in small-sized “hotel” type kitchens, you can even install a retractable countertop, which is removed inside the furniture after eating.
A retractable cutting board with a waste container will be out of sight, making the overall appearance of the kitchen tidy.
If you put baskets on runners instead of drawers, you will get a system for storing napkins and tablecloths. The same system can be used to organize a “mini-cellar” by placing vegetables in baskets.
The bottle holder system can be used to place kitchen towels and napkins out of sight.

How to use?

When filling the box, you must adhere to some rules:

the tools that are used most often (hammer, screwdrivers, pliers) are placed last;
a tool that is rarely used is placed on the bottom;
Small parts and fasteners are stored in small compartments of a removable tray.

To ensure that the box is always in order, only clean, usable tools are stored. From time to time, it is necessary to carry out an audit of the organizer, removing faulty devices.