A kitchen should be very functional. Its layout therefore implies observing certain rules both for the practicality of this room where you spend a lot of time and for the security. Among other things, care must be taken to think carefully about the height at which kitchen cupboards should be fixed so that the user can access all shelves without difficulty. As for their fixation, it must be reliable in order to be able to support a sometimes considerable weight. Let’s do a check in.
Kitchen layout: the ideal location for high cupboards
The kitchen is far from being left behind in terms of decoration and layout. Whether closed or open to the living room, we imagine it bright and aesthetic. But we also want it to be perfectly equipped and laid out so that the storage that is optimized because we like to see this ordered room.
As the base units are not always sufficient to store crockery, kitchen utensils and household appliances of all kinds, it is often necessary to also install tall furniture. To determine the height at which they must be fixed, it is necessary to take into account:
- The main user size, especially if it is a person under 1.60 m because they must be able to take an accessory or a glass located at the back of the wall unit without always having to use a stepladder. This limits the risk of falling.
- L’tallest shelf in a kitchen wall unit should ideally be at less than 2.15 or 2.20 m from the ground. It is nevertheless sometimes necessary to provide a small step to facilitate access.
- The distance to respect between the worktop and the wall units in the kitchen must be sufficient so that anyone can have a comfortable clearance. It is considered that a credenza of 56 to 60cm is suitable.
In absolute terms, and for aesthetic reasons, the top of tall cupboards must be aligned with that of the tall unit. And for the layout of your kitchen to be perfectly successful, you must not neglect the height of the worktop either, again to be adjusted according to the height of the user. It should neither be too high nor too low to be the most ergonomic possible.
Fixing high cupboards in the kitchen: good advice
It’s a milestone in the development of a kitchen and it requires a little preparation. It is indeed highly recommended to install a support element upstream such as a rail or a cleat, this type of equipment weighs more than 20 kg and that is without counting the weight of what it will contain later. . This precaution is essential if the mur is hollow material such as hollow brick, concrete block or Placoplâtre for example. Finally, it should be noted that the high cupboards are only fixed after having installed the low furniture and that it is better to do it with two people because these elements, in addition to being quite heavy, are also bulky.
Mark the marks on the wall
This installation obviously involves drawing marks on the support wall with a pencil, a ruler and a spirit level, after having taken the necessary measures to ensure that this furniture is at the right height and that the credenza area is sufficient. We therefore trace a trait the level of cabinet topanother for locate the base on which the rail or the support cleat must be aligned, and the location of the hooks and fixing lugs of each high element to be placed is also marked. Do not forget to also mark all the locations of the holes to be made with a drill or perforator.
Fix kitchen cabinets
Here is the method to adopt for a solid fixing tall furniture.
- First install the fixings sold with the cupboards as well as the supports (rails or other) starting by inserting the appropriate dowels, such as:
- Molly anchors, also called expansion anchors for heavy loads, essential in a wall made of hollow material,
- them chemical anchors in a solid wall, since they are able to support high loads.
- To loosen the tightening screws of the cupboard fixing hooks,
- Place a tall piece of furniture on its support, taking care to align its top with the tracking line,
- Tighten moderately the tightening screws at first without blocking them,
- Proceed in the same way for each wall unit,
- Check that all the furniture is perfectly aligned using the spirit level,
- Adjust if needed hugging or on the contrary in deserrant adjustment screws,
- When everything is level, that thehorizontality furniture is perfectall that remains is block the screws Clamping.
Even if this procedure seems simple, it is preferable to install your cupboards of the kitchen by a craftsman if you don’t have any notion of DIY. Indeed, a poorly fixed high cupboard can come off at any time because of its considerable weight but also that of its contents. Improper installation may therefore lead to brokenbut also represent a risk to people. Let’s not forget that before being pretty, the kitchen must not represent any danger… We therefore apply ourselves to making it safe.