How to choose, install and configure kitchen hinges. Modern Kitchen Cabinet Hardware - Latest Trends Kitchen Cabinet Door Hinges

Quality and reliability furniture fittings– guarantee of long service life of any piece of furniture.

Not the last element in furniture fittings is the furniture hinge - a semi-mechanical device that serves to attach the facade to the furniture body and open the door at a certain angle.

IN Soviet times There were a limited number of varieties of furniture hinges, which were mainly with a single four-bar hinge.

Today, furniture hinges differ in:

building,
Mounting method
Purpose,

and the number of varieties of furniture hinges goes into dozens.

Furniture manufacturers are constantly increasing the requirements for tools for fastening facade elements. Various design developments in the manufacture of furniture involve different, unusual and non-standard methods attaching facades to the body.

Hinges for cabinet doors, bedside tables and other components of a furniture set or kitchen must have a high margin of strength in order to withstand numerous operating cycles throughout their entire service life.

Today, manufacturers can offer furniture designers many varieties of furniture hinges, starting with a simple frog hinge and ending with a closed hinge with a complex, well-thought-out device.

Types of furniture hinges

The most popular are four-hinged overhead furniture hinges (“frogs”). Their main difference from the others is their versatility and reliability.

Such designs provide the door with an opening angle from 90 to 165 degrees. The moving part of the hinges resembles a jumping frog and consists of four hinges and a mechanism with a spring.

The hinge is attached to the furniture frame with the base (to mounting plate) and a cup, which is inserted into the hole cut for it (towards the sash).

Self-tapping screws are used as fastenings; in some cases, the hinge is pressed into the furniture door without drilling holes.

According to the method of applying the sash to the body, hinges are divided into:

Furniture invoice. When closed, the hinged part (or simply the hinge) of the furniture door is tightly adjacent (or overlapped) to the end of the furniture body. This method of attaching a hinge is the most common, and you can see it on almost any furniture set - kitchen, bedroom, living room, on various bedside tables, cabinets, chests of drawers. The above-mentioned four-hinged overhead hinges allow the sash to completely close the frame of the furniture to which it is attached. The process of installing overhead hinges is described in more detail in the article.
Semi-overhead. The hinged part of the sash is only partially (half) overlapped with the furniture frame. Semi-overlay furniture hinges are used in cases where two facades (sashes) fit onto one side stand at once.
A semi-overlay hinge can be distinguished by a slight bend in the base, which provides a small distance between two doors installed on one stand, for example, on a bedside table with two facades opening in opposite directions;
Inset (internal). If you don't look closely, it can be confused with a semi-invoice, but its purpose is completely different. It is used in cases where the facade needs to be placed inside the furniture body, while the hinged part of the sash is in contact with the adjacent wall of the body. The base of this loop has the most pronounced bend;
Corner furniture– designed to secure the facade of furniture at a certain angle. These are the most suitable hinges for corner cabinets. Furniture hinges for corner cabinets can have a different structure depending on the angle of installation. There are furniture corner hinges for installation at an angle of 30, 45, 90, 135 and 175 degrees, and there may also be other non-standard models depending on the manufacturer’s decision;
Inverse– hinges that open 180 degrees, in which the sash forms a straight line with the side post when open.

Different types of furniture hinges (overhead, without a cup, screw-in, etc.) may also have their own characteristics of the design and opening of furniture facades.

Piano- an outdated type of furniture hinges, which is rare today due to its low reliability. Such hinges can be seen on the hinged facades of antique and retro-style furniture, and in book-shaped tables. The cover over the keys of pianos is usually attached using such hinges, which is why they have the corresponding name. You can read more about installing piano hinges in the article.
Card. This type of hinge is in many ways similar to piano hinges. They can be collapsible (two tubular) or non-collapsible (multiple tubular). Card furniture hinges consist of two plates, which are placed parallel to each other on one hinge using curves on the inner ends of the plates. They are used for retro style furniture design. You can find card loops in a figured design (with wavy outer edges, giving the structure the appearance of a butterfly).
Mezzanine— used for hanging horizontal facades that open upwards. They are used as hinges for various types of cabinets or as hinges for kitchen cabinets. Their structure is in many ways reminiscent of ordinary overhead hinges. The operation of the design mechanism is based on a spring.
Secretary room. In structure, they resemble card or piano cards, consisting of two plates with an axial hinge. Secretory fasteners (hinged) are used to fasten horizontal facades that open downward. Such loops got their name from the secretary - small closet for storing papers. They can be mounted either with or without a cut-in.
Adit– hinges used for hanging facades on side posts adjacent to the wall. Adit hinges are also called blind hinges, since the doors of the “blind” walls of cabinets and bedside tables are hung on them. Used to attach the facade to the false panel.
Card– hinges used for fastening folding facades. The card loop is attached to both parts of the furniture structure at the ends and makes it possible to open the door 180 degrees. It is very often used on folding kitchen tables.
Bar (pendulum)— Their structure also resembles piano hinges. They have several popular names: spring, double-sided, swinging, reversible or “metro” - furniture hinges 180 degrees. The bar hinge allows the doors to open 180 degrees, similar to the doors in American bars (this is where their name comes from).
Heel or heel. They can be installed as hidden if you make an insert first. Attached to the top and bottom inner corner doors. Such hinges are suitable only for light facades, so they are rarely used.

Many modern views furniture hinges are a real engineering design, complex in their execution. This was just a brief overview of the types of furniture hinges found in the manufacture of cabinet furniture.

Helpful information

At TBM-Market you can buy high-quality furniture hinges at affordable price. Our online store offers a wide range of components for furniture, doors, and household products. We guarantee quality service, fast delivery at a time convenient for you.

The main task of furniture hinges is to ensure that the doors open at the correct angle. Furniture hinges with a closer have won the trust of customers. Their peculiarity is that they perform three functions simultaneously: the action of a lever system, the tasks of a standard hinge, and providing resistance to the structure in the open position.

In the body of the door closer hinge there is a cylinder with a spring embedded in it. When the door opens, the spring compresses, and when it closes, it straightens and exerts a force on the door. Due to the fact that the cylinder is filled with oil, the product operates in damping mode, so the door leaf closes slowly and does not hit the jamb.

Types of hinges for furniture

Standard hinges for cabinets and bedside tables perform protective function. They have high strength indicators and can withstand dozens of operating cycles. The most popular model in installation is the “frog”. A distinctive parameter is ensuring the door opening angle from 90 to 160 degrees.

Card loops are products consisting of two plates that are connected by a special movable rod. They are made of steel (stainless steel) or brass. Card hinges are a standard type of fittings.

The overhead loops have a non-standard “butterfly” shape. The peculiarity of this type of product is that there is no need for sampling. Overhead hinges are double-sided products that have plates.

Closer hinges provide:

automatic door operation;
regulate deceleration;
closing speed.

Hinges with a door closer are distinguished by ergonomics, slamming damping, and the function of fixing the door position. Such hinges with closers for the kitchen - best option, ensuring the silent process of closing/opening the door. In addition, the ease of operation of the facades of the structure after installation of such a product is ensured.

In the TBM-Market catalog you will find big choice hinges with a closer for doors represented by products of the Firmax, FGV, etc. brands. Depending on the design furniture modules We can select products for overhead, inset and adjacent doors, as well as for corner sashes with an angle from 30° to 135° (45°). For search purposes additional elements For proper installation, we recommend visiting the “Furniture Fasteners” section.

Today, due to the dynamic development of new technologies, the requirements for the design and manufacture of products intended for furnishing premises have increased. Modern and functional steel and furniture hinges come in a wide variety of varieties, on which the durability of household items depends when used. Correctly chosen fittings give the furniture strength and take it to a higher design level.

Today, the supporting fastening mechanism for modern furniture is manufactured in a huge range. A variety of furniture hinges, their versatility makes it possible to enjoy using kitchen sets, bedside tables, and easily close and open drawers, cabinets, and doors. Furniture hinges are divided into types according to their purpose, design features, and installation:

invoices;
semi-overhead;
internal;
corner;
inverse;
piano;
card;
mezzanine;
secretory;
gallery;
card;
pendulum;
heel

Overhead and semi-invoice

Classic locking mechanisms are used for furniture, entrance, and interior doors. It has different shapes, sizes, and can withstand loads well. They ensure free opening and closing of the cabinet door at an angle of 90, support the doors at the required level, and prevent distortion. The hinges on the cabinet are attached with the main part to the side inner wall of the furniture.

Furniture holders differ from overhead holders in the bend of the base. The mechanism is fixed when it is necessary to mount two doors at once on one of the side doors, opening in different directions. Typically, such hinges are used for kitchen sets.

Semi-overhead

Semi-overhead and slip-on

Semi-overhead

Invoices

Internal and corner

Furniture fittings have a general resemblance to a semi-overlay hinge, but with a deeper bend, mounted inside the body of the product, ideal for wooden cabinet doors and heavy cabinet doors. The mechanisms are attached at different angles to furniture doors, are widely used for corner cabinets, and have different configurations depending on the intersection of the installation planes. Corner hinges are produced for installation at an angle of 30°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 175°. They may have built-in or separate closers that allow the door to open smoothly.

Domestic

Inverse and piano

Connection for furniture with a rotation angle of 180, widely used for doors of built-in bedside tables and cabinets. The hinge securely connects the side post and the door, forming a straight line.

The connection holder consists of two perforated plates movably fastened to each other. Despite the fact that the furniture hinge is considered an outdated option, it is installed on swing facades and in other products.

Piano hinges

Piano

Inverse

Card

The design of the hinge for connecting furniture elements is similar to a piano mount. The fittings, consisting of two parallel plates connected by a hinge, are attached to the facade and frame through holes located along the edges. The mechanism has different size, are mainly used for retro style furniture design, jewelry boxes.

Mezzanines and secretaries

The hinge is similar to an overhead fastener and is installed on kitchen doors hanging cabinets. Fixed for vertical opening. Its main element is the spring.

Furniture hinges are designed for small desks with a folding board and front walls of cabinet furniture. A special feature of the mechanism is double adjustment, the presence of a secretory bracket, and convenient standard milling of holes with a diameter of 35 mm.

Secretaries

Mezzanine

Gallery and card shops

The hinge, by its design, is considered the most popular fastener when it is necessary to connect a facade to a false panel at an angle of 90°. The fittings allow doors of any size or shape to close easily and silently.

Furniture holder designed for folding fronts, most often used in production kitchen tables. It is fixed at the ends of the connecting parts of the structure, which allows you to open the door 180 degrees.

Adit

Card

Pendulum and heel

The main feature of the fastening is the ability to open the structure in different directions. The mechanism, being a type of door hardware, ensures that doors open 180 degrees. The loop has a highly specialized application; during installation, it requires correct and precise adherence to the instructions.

A simple type of hinge is mounted in the upper and bottom corners boxes, fixed with small cylindrical rods. The mechanism operates on the principle of hinged canopies. They are used in the manufacture of kitchen cabinets with light-weight doors for small spaces. The installation of hinges on glass facades is being considered.

Heel

Pendulum

Manufacturing materials

An important requirement for all furniture fittings is their compliance with safety standards. Simple auxiliary products, providing movable movement of furniture parts, are manufactured according to special technology using various materials. When manufacturing connecting fasteners, the manufacturer takes into account the types and meaning furniture products Based on this, the required mount is selected.

When choosing hinges, you must take them into account basic characteristics this is the quality of the material, their functionality, versatility, appearance models. The most popular and in demand are connecting mechanisms made of brass and steel. They are considered the most reliable, durable, do not corrode, have good glide, and do not deform.

An important point in the versatility and quality of the product is simple installation and the ability to adjust furniture hinges. Modern fastening structures allow you to adjust the facade along the vertical, horizontal and depth planes. Various types of settings are presented in the video.

Installation and adjustment

No furniture fittings are required to install correctly. special knowledge The main thing is to follow the rules and recommendations included when purchasing the product. Before starting work, you need to familiarize yourself with the structure of the holder, its advantages and capabilities. Before installing furniture hinges yourself, you need to choose a rational approach to work, this is:

prepare the necessary tools;
make markings;
drill the necessary holes;
install the loop and adjust.

Before installing hinges, it is necessary to take into account the features of the process. When making markings, adhere to precise distances so that after installing the loops, they do not come into contact. Furniture fastening elements must be on the same axis. To do this, use a building level for leveling.

When making the depth of the holes, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the material from which the furniture is made.

The final stage of installation is adjusting the fittings. The adjustment procedure requires a responsible attitude because how correctly the adjustment is carried out depends on the functionality of the furniture. One of the ways to adjust this in depth is to press or weaken the facade to the body. By tightening the oval holes, you can tighten the facade as it sagging. Lateral adjustment helps to avoid cracks and gaps between the facade and the frame.

The ease of use of kitchen furniture, its reliability and even design are largely determined by kitchen fittings. Manufacturers are constantly offering, in addition to existing ones, new types of furniture hinges, handles, lifting and sliding mechanisms, baskets and other useful devices that improve the functionality and increase the level of comfort of furniture. We hope our review of kitchen fittings will be useful to those readers who are faced with the design problem kitchen furniture and selection of components.

To install kitchen cabinets in the lower row and pillar cabinets, height-adjustable supports are used, this allows you to align the furniture strictly horizontally, regardless of the floor level. There is free space under the furniture where communications can be placed. Depending on what level the working surface should be at, supports of different heights are used, from 100 to 170 mm. Relative to the nominal height, the support can be adjusted by 10 mm plus (higher) or minus (lower). As a rule, this is enough to compensate for the curvature of the floor, if any.

Size range of supports for kitchen cabinets

The supports also serve to fix the base. The base panel is secured with quick-release latches.

The adjustable support kit includes fastening elements for various types of plinth panels

In the case where the space under the cabinets remains open, use supports with a more attractive appearance.

Chrome-plated adjustable legs without locks are suitable for kitchens without plinths

For wall-mounted dining tables, bar counters and kitchen islands that do not rest on the lower row cabinets, adjustable supports are also often used. They are distinguished by an improved design, a larger support area and a larger adjustment range, 2-4 cm in each direction.

Among the supports for tabletops and bar counters, three heights are more common: 710 mm for dining table, 820 mm for work surface(low bar counter) 1100 mm for high bar counter

Furniture ties

For connection external elements cabinets and stationary shelves use a furniture euroscrew (euroscrew, confirmat, screw tie). It is good because it is quickly and easily installed, including at an angle. And it's inexpensive. The negative point is that the screw tie is not designed for repeated disassembly and assembly of furniture, which, however, for a home kitchen, as a rule, does not matter.

The confirmation tie is installed at the ends of the side walls of the cabinet

You cannot drill holes for Euroscrews with a regular drill; for this, only a special one is used, with an expanded diameter at the base, repeating the configuration of the confirmat.

To install Euro-ties, you will need a special drill and a screwdriver attachment or a hex key.

It is necessary to connect not only the cabinet elements, but also the cabinets themselves (modules, sections). Both lower and upper, combining them into a connected structure. This is done using intersection ties, which connect adjacent cabinets through holes drilled in the walls.

Intersectional coupler is a connecting screw of adjustable length; it can be used to fix elements (in our case, the side walls of modules) of different thicknesses

Attaching wall cabinets to the wall

The upper cabinets of a modern kitchen are hung on a common mounting rail (bar) using special devices - hangers. The rail, the length of which is equal to the length of the entire upper row of cabinets, is secured securely and strictly horizontally.

The mounting rail common to all cabinets greatly simplifies their installation.

The mounting rail has special holes for the hooks that are available on the hinges. In the upper cabinets modern kitchens, as a rule, the hangers are already installed. If not, installing them is easy, you just need to make a small hole in the back wall. The design of the hinge allows you to adjust the pressure of the cabinet against the wall, making it possible to raise or lower it by a few millimeters.

Hitch mechanism with removed decorative cover. The top screw adjusts the height of the cabinet, the bottom screw adjusts the depth (degree of pressure against the wall)

When using rails and hinges, it is advisable that in upper cabinets the back wall is inserted into the grooves with a slight recess, rather than secured over the body at the back.

Upper cabinets, in which the fiberboard back wall is slightly shifted inward (to the right), will be pressed more tightly to the wall

Furniture hinges

Hinges on the fronts of cabinets that allow them to open to the side are the kitchen fittings that we deal with all the time. In the average family, kitchen doors open and close up to a hundred times per day. Hinges intended for kitchen furniture must have a high service life, open with minimal effort and silently. Of all existing types For kitchen hinges, four-hinged mortise hinges are best suited.

Four-hinge furniture hinges

The vast majority of modern kitchens are equipped with four hinged furniture hinges. The presence of several hinges ensures that the hinge moves offset relative to the rotation axis. When opened, the door moves slightly forward and to the side, towards the center of the cabinet. Thanks to this, its edge does not touch the neighboring one, even if the distance between adjacent facades when closed is minimal - 3-4 mm. A flat spring in such a hinge ensures not only automatic closing of the door at a small opening angle, but also its tight clamping when closed.

Four-hinge hinges are not visible from the outside, so they do not affect the design of the furniture in any way. The hinge design allows you to adjust the position of the facades in all directions and correct horizontal and vertical deviations.

Four hinged hinges allow you to adjust the position of the doors in all directions

Adjustable hinges make it possible to very carefully distribute the facades along the front surface of the furniture with equal and minimal gaps. The cabinet bodies are practically invisible.

Kitchen furniture in the European tradition: the doors completely cover the cabinet bodies, the gaps between the facades are minimal

It should be mentioned that in the North American tradition a different principle is used for hanging facades on cabinets. Unlike the European system, where the door is placed on top of the cabinet, covering the ends of its walls, in the USA and Canada the front is often inserted inside the cabinet flush with its body.

Kitchen furniture in the European tradition: the doors are placed inside the cabinet body, the ends of which are visible

When installing a mortise hinge, a cross-shaped mounting pad is screwed onto the side of the cabinet, and onto the door, into a pre-drilled blind hole with a diameter of 35 mm, a cup with a hinge-spring mechanism is inserted. In budget hinges, the base of the mechanism is inserted with a groove into the pad and screwed on with a screw.

Installation diagram of a four-hinged hinge with mounting the mechanism in a groove

The more expensive hinges snap into place in one movement, and removing them is just as easy.

In this loop, the housing snaps onto the platform, spring retainer and the hole for it is highlighted in red

As a rule, hinges are installed in production, but you can do it yourself. This will require a special drill and careful marking.

Forstner drill for making a blind hole for a mortise hinge cup

Application of four-hinged hinges

Depending on the degree of overlap on the cabinet body, mortise hinges are divided into three types:

Overlays - designed for doors of standard cabinets that have a full-fledged body, closed on all sides. That is, the cabinet has side walls, a bottom and a plate or plank on top. Most modern kitchens are assembled from such cabinets. The façade must cover the end of the side wall, so the flow of the door is as large as possible, taking into account the gap between adjacent facades.

The semi-overlay loop covers only half of the end of the wall, again, taking into account the gap. Designed for cases when you “saved” on one of the walls by mounting two (or more) cabinets on one bottom and in one full-size body, separating them with a partition. Accordingly, one partition wall is covered by two doors. The solution is not typical, it is more often found in furniture individual design and manufacturing.

The inset hinge is designed for kitchen furniture made in the North American tradition, which we mentioned above. The door is placed inside the cabinet body without covering its ends.

Overhead, semi-overhead and inset hinges are designed for cabinets various designs

Opening angles of four-hinge hinges for standard rectangular cabinets

The furniture hinge ensures that the door opens to a certain angle. A standard rectangular kitchen cabinet is in most cases equipped with a hinge that opens perpendicular to the facade, at a right angle. To be more precise, a little more straight - most manufacturers make standard hinges with an opening of 95º.

A standard hinge allows the door to open at a right angle or slightly more

This opening is suitable for standard cabinets in the lower row, but is not always convenient for the upper ones, especially those that are most often used. For example: freshly washed dishes are placed in the dish dryer several times a day, while the doors often remain open all the time while the dishes are washed. There is a risk that one of the owners will be injured by hitting their head on the edge of the facade sticking out forward.

But if the door is equipped with a full opening hinge and rotates at an angle approaching 180º (165º if there are protruding handles on the facades), the open cabinet becomes injury-proof. Full opening hinges are also used for cabinets with doors that have pull-out elements.

The full opening hinge has a rotation angle close to 180º, the open door will be located parallel to the facade. At the same time, it is pushed forward and does not touch the adjacent door.

Opening angles of four-hinged hinges for non-standard shaped cabinets

For cabinets of non-standard shape, hinges that allow doors to open at right angles are often not suitable. For example, it is much more convenient if the door of a corner trapezoidal cabinet in an L-shaped kitchen opens to a larger angle (135º). In a corner rectangular cabinet with a “pocket,” the hinge is attached to the wall (raised panel) parallel to the facade, so it should open to an angle approximately equal to 270º.

Corner cabinet doors with a “pocket” will require hinges with an opening angle of about 270º

And for the folding door of an L-shaped corner cabinet you will need two types of hinges of different designs

Folding doors require hinges with different opening angles

Fittings for kitchen cabinets of non-standard shape should be selected in such a way that the opening angle of the facades provides maximum access to the contents of the shelves.

Hinges according to the opening angle must be selected taking into account the design of the cabinet

When selecting hinges, the buyer may encounter confusion caused by differences in methods for determining the opening angle. There are two methods: the first indicates the nominal opening angle of the loop, from closed to fully open. In the second method, the value is subtracted from the real value of the loop opening right angle. This value is called the installation angle and for a standard 90º hinge its value is 0º. Thus, hinges with an opening of 45º, 90º, 120º, 165º, 180º, 270º have installation angles, respectively: -45º, 0º, 30º, 75º, 90º, 180º.

On sale you can find many models of four-hinge hinges with the most different angles openings suitable for almost any cabinet of non-standard design. However, there are situations when the available models are not enough. Typically this is furniture individual design and designs where the front of the kitchen does not bend at a right angle. In this case, the door opening angle can be changed by installing an additional wedge-shaped spacer under the cross-shaped hinge bar.

A wedge-shaped platform installed under the hinge bar changes the opening angle of the door

Mortise hinges with closers

Most (but not all) four-hinged hinges have a flat spring that automatically closes the cabinet door. If you do not hold it, the door will hit the cabinet body with unpleasant sound. The silicone pad, which is usually glued to the back of the facade or the end of the cabinet, only partially solves the problem. Kitchen closers installed on mortise hinges slow down the movement in the last stage of closing; it occurs softly and silently. In addition, it is easy enough to push the door so that it begins to close.

Furniture hinge with integrated spring closer

Other interesting device, which is worth mentioning is the system of opening doors by pressing them. To implement this solution, a cylinder with a button is installed on the cabinet body opposite the hinge, and a magnetic plate is installed on the door. The cylinder makes the closure of the facade soft, partially also serving as a closer.

If the cabinet is equipped with a mechanism for opening and closing doors by pressing, there is no need for a closer

Traditional types of furniture hinges

Until the 60s of the 20th century, traditional hinges were used for kitchen furniture open type with one hinge, in many ways similar to door ones.

Traditional single-hinged hinges can be attached to the plane of walls and doors (card type) or to their ends (pin type)

Such hinges “do not know how” to automatically close and press doors. To ensure that the doors open to an angle noticeably greater than 90º, the fronts of adjacent cabinets have to be placed at a considerable distance. The use of traditional single-hinge hinges with their inherent disadvantages is justified for kitchen furniture made in a distinctly traditional style. Correctly selected open hinges serve as an element of external decor.

An open pin-type hinge serves not only as a functional element, but also as a decoration for kitchen furniture made in a traditional style.

Pull-out storage systems

On the lower tier it is much more convenient to store kitchen utensils in drawers than in cabinets with shelves. There is no need to bend low, quick access to the entire depth of the cabinet is provided, things are arranged systematically, and there is actually room for more of them. The only drawback of retractable systems is their higher cost compared to conventional cabinets. We won’t see it in budget furniture large quantity cupboards, but the lower level of an elite kitchen can consist entirely of pull-out elements. The horizontal movement of such storage systems is provided by guide mechanisms.

It is much more convenient to store and use kitchen utensils in drawers than on shelves

Guides for retractable systems

There are two types of mechanisms for drawers: roller and ball:

In roller guides, the counter movement of the runners is ensured by two polymer wheels - rollers. Due to the special shape of the guides, the drawer is pressed against the cabinet in the final stage of closing - an analogue of a closer. The roller guides do not extend the drawer all the way; you have to feel the contents at the far end with your hand. The rollers do not provide ideal smoothness, but they are cheap. This is a completely acceptable solution for budget furniture.

Inexpensive roller guides can be matched to drawers of almost any depth

Ball guides are completely devoid of the disadvantages of roller guides. They are a linear telescopic bearing: steel balls are located between moving guides in two rows. The robust steel telescopic structure is very durable and can withstand significant weight. Several dozen small diameter balls ensure smooth and silent movement. Ball guides, consisting of two telescopic elements, do not extend the drawer all the way, like roller guides. But three-piece slides allow the drawer to be pulled out completely from the cabinet.

The illustration above shows full extension ball guides designed for heavy loads. Bottom - guides for medium load, partial extension

IN basic version ball guides do not have closers, but you can purchase options with a mechanism that ensures smooth automatic closing of the drawer.

Ball guide with closer, automatic mechanism triggers when the drawer is pushed more than three quarters of the way in

Retractable system options

The most common retractable systems are ordinary drawers (cabinets) on roller or ball guides. They may have a body made of ordinary laminated chipboard or metal frame.

Full extension drawer with metal frame, which serves as one of the elements of a special ball guide

Mesh baskets can be used instead of a solid-sided box, but general scheme This does not change - the guides are installed horizontally on both sides of the retractable system.

Pull-out drying rack for large dishes, located in the lower tier of cabinets

Retractable cutting boards and mini-tables are constructed using the same principle.

Large and convenient retractable cutting board when folded, it takes up almost no space

Another option for the layout of retractable systems is cargo baskets (bottle holders), where mesh baskets are installed in several levels and represent a single structure with the cabinet door. If the cargo is wide enough (from 30 cm), the guides are installed, as for drawers, on both sides of the lower basket. For narrow bottle holders, ball mechanisms are placed vertically on only one side of the baskets, one above the other.

Cargo for a tall cabinet with one-sided guides

Swivel and tilt-and-slide systems

For corner cabinets where access to the blind half is difficult, we came up with rotating mechanisms for storing utensils. “Carousels” are widely known, where mesh shelves in the form of sectors of a circle rotate around a central axis, corresponding to the configuration of the cabinet. Convenient, but not very rational, because the corners remain unused.

Rotating “carousel” - the radius shape of the shelves does not make it possible to use the corners of the cabinet

Swing-and-slide systems designed for corner furniture. With this solution, there are two sections of two-level baskets: one, integrated with the door, moves along a complex trajectory, simultaneously sliding on runners and turning. The second section slides out from the blind part of the cabinet to the place of the first one that moved away, where access to it is provided.

Swivel and pull out storage system for a corner cabinet, its entire area is used

Lifting mechanisms for upper level cabinets

In the top row, cabinets with wide lifting doors are often more convenient than conventional ones that open to the side. A large space is available, adjacent doors do not overlap each other and do not interfere with a person. Wide and low horizontal doors are in harmony with the sliding systems of the lower row, fitting perfectly into the fashionable minimalist style. The only drawback of “lifts” is their considerable price compared to conventional hinges.

Lift mechanisms can be lever-spring or pneumatic (gas lifts). The latter use gas-filled shock absorbers, providing exceptional ride smoothness. A standard lift also works as a closer and completes the movement itself, stopping only when completely open or closed. The friction lift can be stopped half-open in any position, which is convenient for tall cabinets. Functionally lifting mechanisms for kitchen cabinets can be divided into three groups:

Rotary lifts - the door rises around an axis located on top. Not perfect solution: it is inconvenient for a short person to close a locker; a tall person may hit his head on the door

Lever-spring swing lift, some force is required to open and close the door

Vertical lifts - the door slides vertically parallel to the facade. Safety solution.

Vertical lift - a suitable solution for low cabinets

Folding lifts - the door describes a complex trajectory, the handle is low, while the cabinet space is easily accessible. Cabinets can be quite high, the handle is easy to reach

For a short person or with tall cabinets, a folding lift is more convenient than a rotary or vertical one: the door handle is located lower, you don’t need to reach for it to close the door

Lifts for folding doors are not inferior to folding doors in terms of ease of use, but the cabinet can be made even higher, giving free access to the shelves. The most convenient solution, the most expensive mechanisms.

Folding lift doors are the most convenient solution for the upper tier

All types of mechanisms, except rotary ones, can be equipped with a push-pull door opening system and electric servo drives.

Door handles

Handles are front fittings, an active design element. We will not consider in this article Various types furniture handles, after all, while noticeably different visually, they are functionally identical.

The front fittings for the kitchen are extremely diverse; the photo shows only a tiny part of the offered range

However, it is necessary to mention alternative door opening systems that do not have handles:

Integrated kitchen handles are a groove on the upper or lower end of the door that you can grab like a handle. A special aluminum or polymer profile or the groove is milled directly into the facade material.

The profile selected at the top of the door replaces the handle when opening

The solution is quite convenient, you just need to leave a place for a grip above the door. Furniture without handles fits perfectly with an interior designed in the spirit of fashionable minimalism.

There must be free hand space above or below the integrated handles.

Push opening systems, which we have already mentioned, do not require handles. For such cases, we recommend choosing furniture with a matte surface on the doors. There are no fingerprints left on it, unlike glass and gloss.

Clear fingerprints will always be visible on the glass door that opens when pressed. For such a case, it is better to choose a matte facade

Prices for kitchen fittings

The cost of furniture fittings directly depends on its type and quality. For example, a standard domestic or Chinese-made furniture hinge costs only $0.25, $0.5 per cabinet. More or less decent roller guides for a drawer - from $1.25 per set, ball guides - from $4 per set. The presence of door closers and other amenities will significantly increase the price. A simple lifting mechanism for a swing lift starts at $30, and for folding doors starts at $70. You need to understand that cheap products are designed for lightweight doors, they are unlikely to work perfectly and will not last very long. Those wishing to purchase reliable, high-quality fittings from well-known manufacturers should be prepared to pay several times more.

We talked only about the main types of modern fittings for kitchen furniture. Much remains behind the scenes; interesting new items will definitely appear in the near future. For most readers, the available information is enough to start designing a kitchen and selecting equipment. Having decided on general outline With wishes and specific questions, it makes sense to contact a furniture manufacturer or a salon, where a professional designer will help make your dreams come true.

When choosing a kitchen set for installing a kitchen, you need to carefully approach the issue of choosing hinges for its facades. These are small mechanisms by which swing doors can open and close. Today, developers offer consumers a variety of various options loops on facades. How to choose the right furniture hinges for facades and how to make the right choice.

Purpose of hinges (thick, radius facades)

First of all, hinges are necessary to secure the facades to the body. They also provide the ability to open and close swing doors. The possibility of adjusting the facades themselves (thick, radius), the degree of fixation of the doors, the maximum possible angle of the doors when opening, the smoothness of the free movement of the doors, the absence of creaks, distortions and other possible defects depends on which hinges will be selected.

About standard sizes kitchen sets can be read in this.

Device

The most popular model for the facades of kitchen cabinets are four-hinge hinges, popularly called “frogs”. This design is very durable, has the ability to adjust the position of the facade and a stopper to prevent arbitrary opening of the doors.

The production of four-hinged hinges occurs using stamping sheet metal(become). The product is covered with a layer of galvanic coating on top, which provides an aesthetic appearance and protection against rusting (corrosion). They can also be coated with various decorative coatings, making the surface matte, chrome or colored.

Parts of a four-joint hinge:

Cup. It has a square shape with rounded corners. Inserts into the hinge hole in inside doors. And it is attached using self-tapping screws; it is possible to use an additive.
Shoulder. Four-joint mechanism that acts as a lever for opening/closing.
Striker required for installation. The hinge body is attached to the strike plate. Special screws can be used to adjust the position of the façade.

Additionally, the kit may include:

Bowl covers.
Shoulder pads.
Closers (allow the hinge to close smoothly).

Kinds

Invoices. When attaching the hinges to the facade in this way, it is completely closed on the side, eliminating gaps. When the door is closed, the angle between the facade and the side of the box is 90 degrees. When the door is open, this angle is 110 degrees. This fastening option is used in cases where it is necessary to cover the open part of the box with one or two doors.
Semi-overhead. Such loops have a bend at their base. Installed on the facade, they cover half of the side of the box. The hinge angle when closed is 90 degrees, when open it is 110 degrees. They are used if there is a need to install hinges on one partition in order to open the doors in different directions (when installing overhead hinges, the doors will not be able to open).
Deposits. They are installed inside the box and have a large bend at the base. When using these types of hinges, the sides of the box are visible. The hinge angle when closed is 90 degrees, when open it is 100 degrees. They can be attached to the sides of the box or to its partitions.
Angular. Hinges are used for installation on. In this case, the width of the side parts that are located next to the facade must be the same. The hinge angle when closed is 45 degrees, when open it is 95 degrees.
Inverse. Installed when it is necessary to open the door completely. The angle of the hinge when open is 180 degrees, the facade is located on the same straight line with the sidewall of the box.
Piano hinges are single-hinged. They are rarely used because without an additionally installed magnet the doors do not close completely. Most often they are mounted on furniture with a top-opening door.
Card. The structure is similar to piano hinges: two hinge plates are mounted parallel to the hinge. Installed on furniture.
Mezzanine. Used when it is necessary to open the facade upwards. The principle of operation is similar to that of the mezzanine, but a spring is installed in the mezzanine, which allows you to smoothly open and close the doors.
Secret. They are arranged according to the principle of piano and card games. Installed on furniture whose doors open downwards.
Ombre. Installed on folding facades. Often used to make kitchenware.
Pendulum (bar). Spring hinges, which are similar in structure to piano hinges. They ensure the opening of facades by 180 degrees (similar to the principle in Mexican countries).
Heel. They are used extremely rarely, because to install such hinges the door must be light in weight mainly for.

You can find out about a rattan chair here.

Types of furniture hinges, how to choose:

Installation (on corner, non-standard furniture)

As a rule, kitchen furniture doors are already ready for installing hinges, but if you need to install a non-standard door or install new hinges, then first you need to take measurements.

To drill the hole for the bowl, you will need a Forstner drill bit. Also required for installation: calipers, drill and wood drill bit, screws, locking brackets.

First, we make markings on the door depending on the number of hinges required. We retreat 21 or 22 mm from the edge. In the designated places, use a pencil to mark the center of the future holes. Drill holes using a Forstner drill. The diameter of the hole for the bowl is 35 mm, depth 12 mm. Before you start drilling, you need to make sure that the drill will not go through.

Now you can attach the hinge base in the drilled hole. Fastening occurs with two self-tapping screws on both sides of the hole.

We fix the central screw on the hinge body (in the center of the groove) so that we can adjust the hinge back and forth.

We bring the door to the side wall of the box and mark the attachment points. The strike plate is fixed at a distance of 37 mm from the edge. Leave about 1.5-2 mm between the door and the body. We tighten the self-tapping screws and adjusting screws.

Tips for installing hinges/closers on kitchen facades and kitchen cabinets

Depending on the size of the door, the number of hinges that need to be installed varies:

Door length up to 90 cm, weight about 4 kg - 2 hinges.
Length from 90 cm to 160 cm, weight up to 13 kg - 3 loops.
Door length from 160 cm to 200 cm, weight up to 17 kg - 4 hinges.
Length from 200 cm to 240 cm, weight up to 20 kg - 5 loops.

When marking, the top and bottom hinges should be at a distance of 70 to 120 mm from the top and bottom edges of the door, respectively.
When marking and placing hinges, you need to make sure that shelves and partitions will not be located in these places.
Before starting installation, it is necessary to measure the thickness of the hinge so that it fits firmly into the drilled hole.

When installing internal hinges, markings are made from the inside of the door, taking into account the gap between the door and the frame of 2 mm.

Replacing the hinge on a cabinet door:

Repair

Over time, furniture hinges may fall out of their installation sockets. There is no need to immediately throw out the cabinet or change it. First you need to remove the loop and carefully widen the hole (10 mm deep). Next, you need to lubricate the wooden dowel with wood glue (or PVA) and drive it into the resulting hole.

We do everything carefully so as not to pierce the material through. After the glue has completely dried, we cut off the protruding part of the dowel with a hacksaw. We tighten the screws that secure the loops directly into the dowels.

Manufacturers of furniture fittings

Bloom furniture hinges, advantages and disadvantages:

SCILM. An Italian company that produces high-quality frame profiles, plinths and other products that are used in furniture production.
Boyard. Ekaterinburg company supplying furniture fittings from China.
"RosAks". Moscow manufacturer of furniture fittings.
VIBO. Italian company, largest producer accessories in your country.
BLUM. Austrian manufacturer of fittings and .
FENNEL. For many years, the Ukrainian company has been a leader in the supply of furniture fittings to more than 60 countries.
TBM. Domestic manufacturer metal furniture fittings.

You can read more about the features and range in our article.

Tips for choosing furniture fittings for the kitchen:

When choosing hinges for facades and, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

Required opening angle and cabinet location.
Type of lockers (corner, with doors opening up/down, etc.).
Door weight and length.
The quality of the metal from which the loop is made (it is recommended to choose a brass-zinc alloy for).

The hinges on the doors may not be the brightest detail of the kitchen façade, but they are one of the most important. After all, the comfortable and reliable use of a furniture set depends on the quality.

See also information about handles for kitchen furniture.