What is a furniture damper, what are they, how to install

Furniture and fittings are two related concepts. It is difficult to imagine furniture that does not contain fittings. A furniture damper is designed for doors that open, lift or even slide out, providing softness when closing. Thanks to dampers, everything in the house stops rattling and knocking.

Purpose

Not everyone knows what a damper is. However, this tiny design detail plays an important role in ensuring comfortable operation of cabinet doors and cabinets. It is for this reason that it is worth knowing more about the varieties of this furniture fittings.

Dampers are various types of parts that can soften the contact of two surfaces. In other words, even an ordinary rubber gasket can be called this. If we are talking specifically about a furniture damper, then it has some features in its structure and use.

In practice, furniture dampers are a special part used in furniture assembly. This is a kind of shock absorber that will allow a furniture facade that opens upward to be locked in the open position. You don’t need to hold the door additionally with your hand to get the contents of the shelf, which is very convenient. Of course, this is far from the most innovative fittings. It was invented quite a long time ago, but these days manufacturers are improving when creating dampers in order to make products as functional, practical, and durable as possible.

Installation

Furniture dampers create peace and comfort in the apartment, eliminating unpleasant sounds. Installing a damper on furniture does not require special skills or knowledge. Depending on the choice of product, adhere to the rules and recommendations for installation:

1. Silicone products. They just need to be glued to the end of the cabinet. Use the adhesive side of the product.
2. If the damper is installed on a hinge, then you will have to mount the product on the hinge. Without experience in this area, a person is unlikely to be able to install a loop damper. We recommend using hinges and dampers from the same manufacturers.
3. A mortise damper for furniture must be embedded into the surface of a furniture shelf. Here the design of the loop does not play any role - a special installation platform is provided for the damper.
4. Overhead models are installed on the front side. Fixed on the inside of the furniture surface. Additional fasteners will be required. In order to install an overhead damper, you should drill a hole at the end side and install the product into it. It is fixed using hardware.

Naturally, silicone dampers are considered the most popular models. They are inexpensive, and even a child can install them. The main thing is to choose the right place for fixation.

Furniture dampers are indispensable accessories in every home. By installing them in your home, you will never hear annoying pops again. The main thing is to choose the right product and install it correctly.

Varieties

The purpose of such devices is the same, but the types may differ. They differ in design, appearance and installation features. Furniture shock absorbers are classified based on their operating mechanism:

• on hydraulics - they look like a cylinder with protruding pistons;
• on pneumatics - they are a complex mechanism that is used in combination with lifts.

Hydraulic products, in turn, are divided into:

• flow stabilizers;
• pulsation products;
• hydraulic shock mufflers;
• dampers.

Based on the installation features, there are overhead shock absorbers, mortise shock absorbers and hinged shock absorbers. A big advantage of overhead structures is the ability to replace them if they break. But the mortise shock absorber is almost invisible, which makes the furniture more aesthetically attractive.

Based on power, dampers are distinguished for narrow and wide furniture facades. For example, a door up to 50 cm wide should be equipped with a product with a power of 60 Newtons, and wider options should be equipped with a mechanism with a power of about 100 Newtons.

Mechanical

Gas

Kinds

If you need to buy furniture dampers for facades and doors, you will probably have questions about what exactly to choose. After all, there is an impressive range of different designs. Just go shopping for furniture fittings in Moscow or visit Leroy Merlin or any other furniture store. You will be surprised how many different MDs there are.

If we rely on the mechanism of operation of the elements, they are divided into 2 categories:

• Hydraulic. Externally they look like a cylinder with protruding pistons;
• Pneumatic. A much more complex mechanism that is part of the furniture lift.

There is also a special classification depending on how the installation is carried out. As a result, the MD element can be applied, self-adhesive, mortise and hinged.

The door closes softly

In favor of invoices, I will say that they can be easily and quickly replaced in case of malfunctions. But mortise dampers remain almost invisible during installation. From an aesthetic point of view, this is much more interesting.

The difference in power is also determined. The choice of power depends on how narrow or wide the doors the damper will have to serve. If the door width is no more than 50 centimeters, fittings with a power rating of 60 Newton will suffice. If it is a wider type of structure, a power of at least 100 Newton is required.

When a hinge with a built-in damper-closer is installed on the façade, there is no need to select power. The required number of hinges on the door automatically solves this issue.

Manufacturing materials

For the production of furniture dampers, different materials with unique performance parameters are used. To ensure that the fittings serve for a long time, are functional, and provide the user with silent operation of the cabinet, silicone and rubber dampers are used:

• silicone - the silicone shock absorber is made in the form of a primitive round piece, which is highly soft. Silicone parts have an adhesive side, which is used to fix them to the surface. Note that the self-adhesive damper is also unique in that it can protect a small child from injury. Children often love to play with the doors of kitchen units and drawers in the closet, pressing their delicate fingers. Thanks to the presence of silicone shock absorbers, this can be avoided. Manufacturers offer customers different options for silicone shock absorbers: transparent, white, beige. This allows you to choose the most invisible option against the background of furniture;
• rubber - is a mortise part located in places where one surface constantly impacts another. For example, at the end of the shelf that is in contact with the door. Rubber shock absorbers serve as a shock absorber and also as a seal for the façade vestibule.

The service life of such products is quite long, but if necessary, it is quite possible to install them yourself at home.

Rubber

Silicone

Materials used

For the manufacture of dampers, various materials are used that differ in performance characteristics. Rubber and silicone products are considered the most practical and durable.

1. Rubber ones perfectly dampen shocks and are installed on the end side of the shelf, which is covered with a door. Rubber allows you to absorb and dampen impacts, additionally performing the function of a seal.
2. Silicone furniture dampers are represented by an ordinary circle made of silicone. It has an adhesive surface on one side, with the help of which the installation of accessories of this type is carried out. This device is perfect for furniture, especially children's furniture, as it reduces the likelihood of fingers getting crushed by the doors.

Rubber and silicone products last a long time. If they break or fall off, you just need to purchase new fittings and replace them. It is inexpensive considering the benefits it brings.

Fastening rules

To prevent the closet door in a child's room, bedroom, living room or hallway from knocking on the furniture frame, special fittings are used. The type of shock absorber selected determines the specifics of its installation, so before purchasing it is important to understand whether you can install such an element on the furniture yourself.

Silicone products are the cheapest and most accessible type of shock absorbers, which are very easy to stick to the surface of furniture. To do this, you simply need to remove the protective film and press the product onto the surface. After just a couple of seconds, the furniture can be used, and the process of closing the door will be almost silent.

Installing a furniture damper on a hinge for furniture doors can cause some difficulties for a person without experience in such matters, since the fastening process must be carried out strictly according to the rules. Shock absorbers are installed after installing the furniture structure, for which the hinges must be equipped with a special groove for the shock absorber. Select hinges and shock absorbers from the same manufacturer at the same time. Then you can be sure that the products will be securely connected into a single structure.

Overhead and mortise products are not related to the design and type of hinge. The first dampers have a mounting pad, the second ones do not. Their installation is also not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The overhead product is fixed on the inner surface of the box using special fasteners. For the mortise, you need to prepare a hole in the end of the box wall, where a damper is subsequently installed and secured with hardware.

Useful tips

Dampers for furniture or finally silence!

Slamming and knocking front doors begin to get boring over time, especially if there are small children in the house who take great pleasure in opening all the drawers and cabinets.
In order to soften the impact of the facade on the furniture body, there are small helpers - dampers. Dampers are a kind of shock absorbers for furniture, having various shapes and purposes. Let's consider the most popular and sought-after types of this fittings.

The easiest to install, inexpensive, and most importantly effective are small rectangular or round overlays - bumpers. They are made of rubber or silicone and are attached directly to the point of contact with glue. Such dampers soften the impact when the door is closed.

In order to gently move or push the door towards and away from the body, there are more complex shock-absorbing devices - hydraulic stops. Such shock absorbers look like a structure with a cylindrical piston button: when it collides with an obstacle (a door), the piston goes inside the structure and the facade closes quietly and smoothly. Hydraulic shock absorbers are indispensable in cabinets whose doors open upward - such doors make a loud bang when closing, which is poorly muffled by thin stationary dampers made of silicone and rubber. Hydraulic stops are made of plastic.

Such designs can be of several types: for separate installation and for mounting on a loop. The latest model of shock absorbers is mounted on a door hinge; accordingly, the hinge must be special, with a special groove. Manufacturers offer not only stand-alone shock absorbers and hinges, the selection of which can be mistaken, but also more expensive door hinges with a built-in shock absorber.

Shock absorbers for separate installation, which can be mortise or overhead, have nothing to do with the design of the hinges. They are similar to each other. The overhead shock absorber is attached to the inner surface of the furniture. If such a mechanism fails, it is easy to replace. A mortise damper requires a hole in the end - it cannot be easily dismantled, but it does not take up space in the cabinet.

Gas elevators are also a type of furniture shock absorbers. Furniture gas lift is a lifting device for holding and opening cabinet doors. The principle of operation of the mechanism is quite simple and is based on the action of a gas spring and a hydraulic shock absorber. When the door is opened 10 degrees by hand, its further movement until it is fully opened (90 degrees) is ensured automatically.

Gas lifts have a number of undeniable advantages:

• reliable holding of the open door in the upper position, which allows you to open several cabinets at once;
• smooth self-regulating door movement;
• its silent opening and closing;
• the ability to get rid of pens;
• Opening with light hand pressure.

To correctly select a gas elevator, it is necessary to accurately determine the weight of the door, taking into account all the fittings, coatings and decorative elements. Standard furniture gas lifts are available with a force of 60, 80, 100, 120 and 140 N. The selection calculation is based on the condition: 1 kg of door mass per 10 N.

Dampers will provide the necessary practicality, comfort and ease of use of your furniture. The choice of fittings of this kind will depend on your goals and financial capabilities. This article discusses the most popular and affordable shock absorbers among domestic manufacturers.

The Amethyst product range includes more than 30 types of furniture dampers

and
lifting mechanisms
.