Kitchen space
To increase the free space in the kitchen, it is wise to purchase a pull-out table, which significantly frees up space for more important furniture. Typically, it performs several functions:
- Acts as an additional tabletop on which it is convenient to cut food or place electrical appliances (combine, mixer).
- A small table for tea or coffee gatherings takes up little space, unlike the main dining surface. Having pulled out such a design, it is possible to have a snack quite comfortably.
This system, in addition to visually enlarging the room, also adds free space for work. The design, without much effort, “turns” into a small serving surface that is quite stable.
Typically, the tabletop slides out from the bottom drawer of the nightstand, under the main surface. But you can find a number of models that are located along with the main dining area.
Despite the many positive aspects, the design also has a number of disadvantages:
- The product will need to be removed after use;
- the surface area allows you to accommodate only a couple of people, but not all family members or, especially, guests;
- It is necessary to think about the installation of the system immediately with the installation of kitchen furniture, since often ready-made parts do not allow adding additions;
- the built-in design significantly increases the total cost of a custom headset;
- The folding system requires regular maintenance, that is, constant tightening of screws and nuts, for which some additional tools and work skills will be useful.
How to make a folding table with your own hands
The first step is to prepare an assembly drawing. It should be noted:
- size;
- type of construction;
- recesses;
- fastenings
In addition, a schematic sketch of the space where the table will be placed is made so as not to make mistakes during assembly.
The tabletop and supporting elements are cut from the selected material. Additionally, fasteners, hinges, metal corners and screws are purchased.
The wall serves as the main support. It is quite difficult to build a table into a closet or other furniture yourself, so it is better to give preference to simple models.
DIY wooden furniture set
The tabletop is connected to the leg supports (support strips) using hinges. Metal corners are attached to the support. Everything is done using self-tapping screws. The last point will be to mount it to the wall.
Decorating ideas
To decorate a folding table, you can use the following methods:
- decoupage;
- paint and stencils;
- craquelure;
- adhesive tape;
- ceramic tile;
- decorations under glass;
- photo collage;
- epoxy resin.
A folding countertop for the kitchen is an excellent option not only for small spaces. You can make such a table with your own hands. This will not require special skills, and a kitchen with a built-in table will look stylish and organic.
Manufacturing technology rules
It is possible to manufacture and assemble a folding table from various raw materials: stone, MDF, chipboard, wood, plastic sheet, glass. Designers do not stand still and have come up with mixed designs in which several types of materials are used simultaneously.
It is recommended to opt for items and accessories from proven, proven manufacturers, whose prices are much higher, but meet the requirements of quality and reliability.
It is reasonable to supplement the mobile model with a closer, which smoothly and quite silently helps to clean the area, barely touching it. If desired, a table with a retractable cabinet can be equipped with folding legs, which are then retracted simultaneously with the surface into a special niche.
Pros and cons of a retractable table
Dining tables (75 photos): types, how to choose
This type of design will adequately replace a traditional dining surface, disguising it when you need to free up space. Some housewives will be pleased with the plus cooking zone, which can be disguised when not in use.
Note that despite the visual instability, high-quality products of this type are very durable even without support on the floor. Some brands claim retractable surface loads ranging from 60 kg on aluminum slides and up to 100 kg on hardwood springs (such as beech).
Owners of non-standard or small-sized kitchens are attracted by the possibility of transforming a furniture façade into a full-fledged dining space with one movement of the hand. Moreover, the rest of the time the place will remain free.
The disadvantage of this design is the lack of mobility. This piece of kitchen furniture can only be moved with the base to which it is attached.
Depending on the type of fittings, movable tabletops can be retractable or roll-out.
Retractable single surface (cocktail mechanism)
The design consists of a base tabletop and an additional part mounted on springs. The guides are mounted on the tabletop itself and on the cabinet.
Retractable fittings can be metal with a roller and bearing mechanism. There are also options made from natural wood (for example, beech), lubricated with a special compound.
It would not be superfluous to use closers for smooth and silent folding. If the tabletop consists of two or three modules, telescopic mounts will be required with the number of sections equal to the number of tabletop modules.
Retractable two-tier tabletop
Not to be confused with a single one, supplemented with telescopic guides. The main difference between this design is its multi-layer nature. The telescopic structure allows you to create a full-fledged dining or work surface of a large area. It will be very useful to have a lifting mechanism to align all the parts into a single sheet.
Roll-out kitchen table
This is a full-fledged table, only on wheeled supports. The essence of the design is to remove an element if it is not needed at the moment.
This design is not practical for a small kitchen, as it requires a separate space under the countertop, which is unlikely to be used.
Careful calculations allow us to make furniture in such a way that the roll-out table is placed between the main tabletop and the storage cabinet.
The roll-out table can be attached on one side to the base. The free edge is equipped with a foot on a wheel. There are models of completely free movement or with a limiter along the edge of the base and along the edge of the table.
Materials
If you expect to use this type of furniture frequently, make sure to buy a panel made from high-quality profiles. The most durable material is solid wood. But the price of the issue makes alternative materials no less popular: MDF, laminated chipboard.
Today, manufacturers offer reinforced cladding made of high-pressure plastic (HPL, CPL).
Smart placement
Most often you can find horizontal sliding models that are mounted inside the outer cabinet (in the form of a shelf). Also, one part may well roll out of another.
Less commonly, vertical compositions are found, since standard sets cannot always accommodate the additional volume of the tabletop. For example: a children's version - a book. Inside such an instance it is advantageous to place a narrow basket for kitchen utensils, to the sides of which additional folding modules are attached.
“Carousel” systems are called corner products that slide out of the bedside table at the same time as the drawer. As a rule, they are embedded at the junction of two walls of a room. This option significantly saves kitchen space, beneficially filling only a free corner.
The photo of the retractable table shows several types of tabletops:
- on support legs, where one module is secured by a rotating mechanism under the working area, and legs on convenient wheels are attached to the other part;
- retractable stools that are hidden inside the facade of the kitchen furniture. To unfold it, you need to pull a special handle and the tabletop comes out along with the soft seat of the stool;
- a bar counter with an extension is usually made to order. To do this, a niche should be emptied on the side of the lowest drawer, and the complementary part should be removed from the end;
- The folding design is a more complex version of the mechanism, as it has a complicated type of fittings and quite large dimensions. The closed part will be lowered along the cabinet wall. Moreover, the magnitude of the expected load directly depends on the size of the fittings used.
Peculiarities
A retractable kitchen table is a built-in design that, when folded, is disguised as a kitchen drawer. In essence, this is a transforming table, depending on the type of model, it has a different transformation mechanism.
Of course, it cannot replace a full-fledged table, but its use in an apartment or house where two or three family members live is quite appropriate.
The symbiosis of a table and a drawer is equipped with a tabletop located inside the floor drawer. The product can have a different size, material of manufacture, as well as the type of tabletop fastening. Some options are more like sliding panels, others are equipped with supports of different configurations. This directly affects the stability of the table and its ability to withstand a large weight load.
Step-by-step work execution
- First, you should choose the location of the sliding object. In small-sized kitchens, it is most convenient to place it in the space above the radiator.
- We decide on the color scheme, dimensions and shape.
- Next, we draw up a sketch and drawing with ready-made natural dimensions. We fill out the list of necessary fittings and additional accessories. We purchase all the necessary parts and tools from a specialized hardware store.
- We attach the base of the table above the radiator, in which we make holes for the outflow of warm air into the room.
- Then we attach the leg. The console must first be secured to the inside of the supporting part.
- We assemble the finished model, as indicated in the pre-drawn drawing.
- We adjust the height of the leg in accordance with possible unevenness of the floor using the threaded attachment at the end of the support.
The technical characteristics of the specimen are quite simple and durable, since the tabletop moves along the limiters from under the top.
General rules for remodeling a window sill-table top and practical tips
- The main condition for arranging a window sill-tabletop of any configuration is that air must circulate freely around the radiator.
The heat from the battery should freely rise up to the window, and the cold air from the window should fall down. Otherwise, the kitchen will become cold and damp and, what is even more dangerous, the kitchen windows will begin to constantly fog up. If the latter happens, then the window slopes, and then the kitchen walls, will become covered with mold.
What to do? If you plan to use the tabletop-window sill as a table or cabinet with open shelves, then for normal air exchange it is enough to make several holes in it or build in a ventilation grille as shown in these photo examples.
Ventilation holes in the table top-window sill
If you plan to equip the underframe of the window sill-countertop with cabinets, then their doors should have perforations or lattice inserts, as, for example, in this photo.
An example of arranging a cabinet with lattice doors under a window sill-countertop
- Keep in mind that a window sill-countertop and, especially, a cabinet built above the radiator (even with lattice doors) will worsen the heating of the kitchen (by 2-3 degrees). You can compensate for heat loss by installing an additional radiator or underfloor heating system. In addition, the battery from under the window sill can be moved to another location along the same wall or to an adjacent wall. Relocating a radiator ideally requires an agreed design and thermal calculation, but in practice the consent of the building management company is often sufficient. And one more nuance - since moving/replacing the battery requires turning off the riser and draining the water, this should be done during the non-heating season.
- The window must be at least 1.5 cm higher than the window sill-tabletop.
- To avoid the formation of mold on window slopes, do not forget to treat them with an antiseptic primer. And so that the slopes can be frequently cleaned from accidental stains and splashes, they should be painted with moisture-resistant paint.
- Under no circumstances should you install a stove on a windowsill-tabletop. Firstly, this is prohibited by sanitary and building codes, and secondly, it is simply impractical, because oil splashes during cooking will certainly end up on the windows.
- When planning to leave the battery under the windowsill-countertop in plain sight, it is highly advisable to cover it with a decorative screen and paint it in a bright color or to match the wall. However, sometimes it is enough to replace a large and outdated radiator with a more compact and modern one.
Radiator with perforated screen under the window sill-tabletop
- Due to the proximity of the window and the connection to the external wall, the window sill-tabletop must be made of super-wear-resistant material. The ideal option is artificial stone, which is not afraid of moisture or cooking and, moreover, allows you to create a seamless surface. If the outer wall of the kitchen freezes and leaks, the windows are prone to fogging, and mold once “bloomed” in the room, then you should play it safe and choose artificial stone for arranging the window sill-countertop.
How the reliability and running of the mechanism are ensured
The width of a standard retractable kitchen table is approximately 45-55 centimeters. On average, the structure can support a weight of 20 kg without effort. The maximum weight is 30 kg, but this figure is directly dependent on the quality of the parts that make up the structure.
Only very large models with expensive guides and stops can take about 30 kg of weight.
Such important indicators as the cost and maximum surface area of a pull-out table depend, among other things, on how the mechanism for folding it is organized. There are three main ways:
- The surface slides out along special guides from the floor cabinet.
The maximum possible length of the folding table depends on its depth.
This method, among other things, provides additional endurance to small weights.
Fiberboard (MDF), laminate, and artificial stone are most often used as materials for the manufacture of retractable tables.
A practical pull-out table in the kitchen allows you to create a clean and uncluttered interior.
When choosing a color scheme for a future small-sized kitchen, one should not forget about the basic principle - light colors and horizontal lines visually increase the space.
Types of supports
The supports provide the retractable tabletop with a secure position in space. Although if the surface is short, it can be suspended. However, such a structure cannot be overloaded.
Models with legs are considered more practical. Their number depends on the design of the product. The table built into the kitchen unit has one or two supports at the end.
The withdrawable model is equipped with two or four legs.
A built-in table with a folding lid at its maximum length requires supports not only in the end part, but also in the middle part.
A retractable kitchen table allows you to properly manage the free space in a small kitchen. When folded, the structure is almost invisible, and it only takes a few seconds to take it out.
Kitchen design should be not only stylish, but also functional. Retractable countertops will be a godsend in any kitchen. So, a short overview of the types, materials, advantages and disadvantages of this type of structure.
