Kitchen is the heart of the house and is a place where you and your family gather to cook, to eat, to socialize and sometimes just to have a quick snack or a cup of tea/coffee.
Kitchen cabinet is made up of combination of floor /base/lower unit, wall unit & full cabinet unit. Kitchen cabinets are the important part of kitchen where the raw materials a restored prepared and cooked on countertop!
Kitchen platform installation usually depends on the wide range of materials, cost of materials and installation process. Choosing a right material for your kitchen base unit is an art whichdepends on their design, type, colour, and patterns.
Here we give the list of precautions you should keep in mind while installing kitchen cabinets/units:
Things to Keep in Mind before installation of Kitchen Platform/lower or base cabinet:
- Referring the exact designed Layout of kitchen counter/platform location, accurate measurement of kitchen countertop (Length-Width-Height), Right material selection for cabinet & countertop are necessary before you start to install!
- From all measurements the height of counter/platform is the most important point to check during installation. Majorly the housewives suffer from spine pain due to inappropriate height of the counter/platform. As for example of if its height is low than it is difficult to keep your spine straight which induces pain in your spine. Also the high Counter/platform leads to pain in your wrist and shoulder while cooking.
- Apart from all these, services are also the important part in a kitchen. There are lots of services like, hot & cold water supply line, exhaust fan, chimney, etc. which should be installed carefully. For installing all the services easily, your detail layout of the kitchen services should be ready before the installation.
- All kitchen gadgets like, Gas Stove, oven/ Microwave, RO Plant/ Water Pot, Mixture Machine, Juicer and many more as per your personal use should be fixed before you start executing your cabinet. If you keep on changing your decisions in between the execution or service work, it will not only delay the work but will result in extra cost and time which gives hassle to yourself (as a client), contractor & designer too!
- Finish the plumbing work before you start installing your kitchen cabinets!
- After your base unit/platform gets fitted apply flooring to your kitchen.
Kitchen platform installation requires the special arrangement of drawers which are as stated below.
Precautions Required for Kitchen Countertop Installation:
The full potential of any kitchen countertop installation is realized when the individuals complete the selection of materials, design, fabrication, and installation process.
For achieving full potential of kitchen countertop one should follow the below mentioned guidelines:
Selection of Material:
Know the Different Types of Kitchen Countertop required for selection of material for your kitchen!
Design:
Design ofkitchen countertop requires thetwo main points:
- Types of materials -local stones like granite, marble,Quartz, wood, and many more…
Local Stone Fabricator Shop
Local Wood Fabricator Shop
- Types of Edging Patterns
Square, bevel, bull-nose, miter, ogee, etc. are the different types of edging patterns.
Generally the level of facia is designed slightly up from the level of platform/counter top. It helps to drain water toward the drain slope while washing the kitchen platform/counter. This detail shown in figure below is mostly used in sandwich platform/counter.
Nowadays, there are lots of other materials available in market to give a modern touch to your kitchen like, Korean platform, artificial white stone, concrete countertop and many more. We cannot wash these materials regularly otherwise their shine will be fade away soon.
Thedetails for the platform facia also gets changed according to the choice of design and materials.Such arrangements help to avoid accumulation of dirt along the joint leading to growth of bacteria. And of course it will ultimately depends on your personal choice!
Fabrication:
- The countertop installation is done by the contractor but you should know how it is created so that you don’t go wrong in any case!
- The template can be created from cardboard or thin plywood for the most accurate way to get the measurement. Mark the exact location of cutouts for sink, faucets and soap dispensers in the template. Fabricate the countertop as per template.
Installation:
- Measure the countertop carefully. Walls should be square or should be in perfect diagonal, if not make necessary allowance in countertop measurements.
- For laminate or particle board countertop, lengthwise cutting is advisable. It gives smoother surface. In the case of granite, marble, quartz and limestone upside down cutting will reduce chipping, but make sure you support the countertop until the cut is complete.
- Sink opening should be at exact location or as per template. For cutting a sink opening, invert the sink at the location and make a mark on the outline with the pencil. Cut the sink opening 8 mm inside from this line.
- Make the remaining hole with the drill bit as per template and install sink, faucets and soap Dispensers. Apply joint filler for filling the gap between accessory and countertop.
Kitchen Platform Faucets Installation
The Kitchen platform undergoes lot of stress due to aggressive chemicals like lemon juice, etc therefore the Kitchen top should have good load carrying capacity, good resistance to heat and chemicals. Granite slab is one of the best options for Indian home kitchen platforms/counters.
Precautions Required for Installation of Cabinets (Shutter/Drawer):
- Drawers are usually recommended below the stove/hob for storage of cooking accessories. Normally there are 2 or 3 drawers which are used as utensil tray for cutlery.
Kitchen Counter-Drawers Below Stove
- Install the topmost drawer for storage of frequently required cutlery. Basket usually consists of dividers to hold the different cutlery items.
Kitchen Counter- Drawer for Frequently Required Cutlery
- If there are 3 drawers then install the middle drawer for storage of small utensils for cooking and last drawer for big utensils used for frequent cooking.
- Dish tray and other grocery items should also be nearer to the drawers.
Grocery Kit Holding Grain Cane
Storage of Dishes
- Recommended position of multi-utility kit for storage of recipe books, bills, tools, napkin should be within easy reach or far from the wet place with three or more plain drawer.
- Recommended position of bottle pull-out kit for the storage of spices and sauces bottle should be near the cooking area with the minimum three plain drawers.
- Recommended position of utensil kit for the storage of big utensils which are not frequently used should be located near sink area with minimum two plain baskets.
- Recommended position of Carrousel -D tray kit for the storage of infrequently used items like snacks &spice packets, etc. should be located at the corner with semi-circular baskets.
- The drawers should have roll bearing movement slider for easy opening and closing operations.
Kitchen Drawer – Leveled to Entire Length
- Make sure that the drawers are leveled across their entire length. If not, unfasten the base unit and level them.
- Provide floor skirting to avoid water seepage and preventing dust entering from underneath the drawer.
Also Read:
Modular Kitchen Accessories for Easy Kitchen Life
10 Smart Kitchen Gadgets to transform your Kitchen!
Popular Kitchen Island Shapes!
G Shaped Kitchen: Know Its Pros & Cons Before You Go For It!
