How to design a kitchen
If you decide to update the furniture in your kitchen yourself, you will need to draw up a design for the furniture. To do this, you need to use a pencil, a tape measure and, of course, paper on which the drawings will be created. It will reflect a clear floor plan with the specified parameters and dimensions. You will also need to clarify the location of communications and choose the shape for the headset.
The headset can be:
- linear;
- U-shaped;
- L-shaped.
In order for the set to be functional and for you to feel cozy and comfortable in the kitchen, you will need to highlight several important areas in the kitchen:
- Storage space for dishes;
- Space for storing food;
- Place for washing;
- Workplace;
- Place for a hob.
In order to ensure the efficient functioning of household appliances, a washing machine or dishwasher is installed in close proximity to the water supply and sewage system. As for installing a gas stove, it should be placed no further than 2 meters from the pipe, but the refrigerator should be installed as far as possible from the hob. But, as practice shows, it is not always possible to achieve an ideal result.
After this, the design of the kitchen furniture set is transferred to the drawings, but the following must be taken into account:
- Height of the working surface. This figure is set depending on the height of the housewife, and whether she is left-handed or right-handed is also taken into account;
- The exact dimensions of household appliances that will be built-in and installed separately;
- Material, color, texture and frame of furniture;
- Accessories;
- Lighting if necessary.
Advice : if you cannot come up with a kitchen design project, use information from the Internet, where you can find a large number of ideas ready for implementation.
If you have some difficulties with drawing and you cannot fully display the appearance of the typeface, you can use special computer programs. These programs are interactive editors that allow you to create a 3D image.
Minimum set of power tools
As already mentioned, experienced craftsmen note that it is possible to assemble a kitchen with a minimum set of accessories. However, what does it include? So, among the electrical tools that a master should have with him in order to easily cope with kitchen assembly, there should be three important things: a cordless screwdriver, an SDS+ hammer drill and an electric jigsaw.
| The first is a hand-held power tool that is designed for unscrewing and tightening self-tapping screws, screws, dowels, screws and other fasteners. You can also drill holes using a screwdriver. |
| The second, the SDS+ hammer drill, is a drilling machine with a special chuck that allows the use of bits with a shank diameter of 10 mm. Using a hammer drill, it is convenient to make holes in a concrete wall and other similar materials. |
| And finally, the third power tool is a jigsaw, with which you can cut various surfaces. With a power consumption of at least 700W. |
Final work
We close the gap between the table and the wall by installing a plastic plinth. Its first part is attached to the wall with self-tapping screws, and a decorative attachment is snapped on top. Special caps are used to decorate corners. Typically, hidden wiring can be placed inside the baseboard. Next, household appliances and kitchen hoods are installed. For a gas stove, you need to mount the hood at a height of 75-85 cm, and for an electric stove - 65-75 cm. In order to hide it in the cabinet, you need to provide a hole for the air duct in the upper wall of the cabinet in advance.
Additional set of power tools
| Circular saw, designed for transverse and longitudinal cutting. Replaces a jigsaw at the stages of cutting tabletops, wall panels, various parts and has a more professional character in the work. The disk rotation speed is not lower than 5000 rpm. |
| A miter saw (miter box) is designed for cutting parts straight and at various angles. It is also advisable to select the disk rotation speed min. 5000 rpm |
| Construction hairdryer. Simply necessary for gluing edges. Can be replaced with an iron. |
| Belt sander. If your kitchen design involves rounding the countertop, then you simply cannot do without this machine. Of course, unless you are going to do this work manually, which is very inconvenient and difficult. |
Kitchen assembly process
- First of all, a cross-shaped mount for the doors is attached to the side boards. They are screwed with two self-tapping screws into pre-prepared holes.
- Attach rails for sliding cabinets to the side walls, because this will be inconvenient later.
- Then wooden choppers (also often called dowels or wooden dowels) are inserted into all blind holes to make the initial fasteners. They help to assemble a more even frame and also increase the strength of the structure. It is best to plant them with glue. Insert a dowel into one hole, put the second one on its end and squeeze them together.
- Then, when you are sure that the parts are located evenly, screw in a furniture screw using a hexagon, it will finally tighten the two parts. A plastic plug is placed over it, matching the color of the furniture.
- Next, if you have legs, screw them into place and adjust the height. In cheap kitchens, usually instead of adjustable legs there are ordinary plastic attachments - thrust bearings, which are nailed to the bottom so as not to damage the panels.
- After assembling the cabinet, nail a sheet of fiberboard onto the side wall.
- On wall cabinets you need to secure fittings to secure them. Typically, adjustable awnings are now used for this purpose. They are attached to the side walls of the cabinet close to the top corners.
What tools and materials are needed to assemble a kitchen set?
To assemble the kitchen, you will need the following materials:
- Cabinet doors;
- Wall material, recommended thickness 16 mm;
- Material for drawer walls, thickness 5 mm;
- For countertops – 32 mm;
- Plumbing fixtures, fittings and the like.
Tools for furniture assembly
In order to assemble the set, you need to have a set of tools on hand:
- Drill;
- Screwdriver;
- Nails and hammer;
- Roulette;
- Level and square;
- Iron;
- Jigsaw;
- Construction knife.
You can always cut the material yourself, but it is better to have specialists do the cutting. This will avoid additional hassle and save not only time, but also money.
Installing the headset
- Before assembling the set begins, you need to complete all repair work and prepare the room.
- To correctly assemble the set, installation begins from the outermost module; if the kitchen is L-shaped, then installation begins from the corner.
- After installation and leveling, all cabinets are fastened together with ties.
- After the bottom row of the headset is completely installed, you can lay the tabletop, but do not forget to control the horizontal position. The tabletop is attached to the cabinets with self-tapping screws.
- In order to install the sink, a hole of the appropriate size is cut in the countertop.
- If the bottom row of furniture is completely installed, you can proceed to assembling the upper part of the set.
- According to standards, the distance from the countertop to the bottom of the wall cabinet should be at least 65 cm. Now, according to the knurled pattern, we install the upper cabinets and be sure to align them horizontally. The hood will be installed last.
