How to assemble cabinet furniture, the main nuances. Assembly of cabinet furniture

Sometimes DIY furniture assembly can be a real challenge. Depending on the design, the same cabinet or chest of drawers can test your nerves for strength. Usually, various problems arise during the first assembly, so we'll talk about the intricacies and features of the process.

Fundamental rules

First of all, in order to assemble any piece of furniture well, it must be made with high quality. Therefore, when accepting delivery, first of all check the contents of your order. Most often, a separate piece of furniture, or a whole set, should be accompanied by a list of parts, which will be the first part of your instructions for the correct assembly of furniture.

Before that, you should have accurately measured the space that the furniture you bought will occupy, so that in the end it turns out that the conventional wardrobe simply does not fit in the right place.

Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the same cabinet still needs to be assembled indoors, and the latter should be spacious enough to comfortably carry out assembly with subsequent movements. Carpets should be removed, and the floor itself should be covered with something like a blanket to protect the surface from damage.

Tool

Equally important is the tool that is necessary for assembling furniture - sometimes a simple screwdriver may be enough for you, in another case you may need a whole arsenal, it depends more on the size of the furniture and the complexity of the design.

Initial difficulty level

For simple pieces of furniture, you will need a simple tape measure, a hammer, a few screwdrivers (can be replaced with a screwdriver), a drill (ad hoc), a hammer, and a few wrenches. All this is enough to build the initial difficulty levels.

Complex constructions

This category includes large pieces of furniture with a lot of details, including moving ones, or furniture of complex shapes. Photos of assembling furniture with your own hands, of this type, can often be found in magazines and catalogs.

For her, in addition to the above-mentioned items, you may need: a level, a perforator with various drills, a furniture stapler and the like.

Dresser

Consider a DIY furniture assembly scheme using the example of a regular chest of drawers. The item is very useful, and in any living room - it is difficult to imagine a bedroom or nursery without this.

Previously, his role was played by simple chests. The disadvantage of such a piece of furniture was a very simple design - in essence it was a box that was closed with a lid, which is very inconvenient for storing a large amount of clothes, despite the obvious spaciousness.

Its modern counterpart, a chest of drawers, is well suited not only for outerwear, but also for shoes, cosmetics and other things that the owner may need.

Blueprints

If we talk about the step-by-step assembly of furniture with your own hands, then you should always start with drawings. First you need to decide on the place where the chest of drawers will stand - depending on this, it can be made higher or wider.

As for the assembly process itself, here the drawings, namely the graphic and textual description, will help you assemble the furniture not only correctly, but also quickly - usually simple assembly instructions are used in their role, with which good stores complete almost any piece of furniture.

For example, IKEA completes all its structures with all the necessary documentation, consumables in the form of self-tapping screws, bolts and the like.

If the kit contains fasteners that require a special tool (hexagon), it is also included in the delivery kit.

back side

But not everyone buys furniture from IKEA and Hoff, and it often turns out that the furniture you bought does not have any fasteners in its kit, and sometimes even drawings. In this case, you will need a photograph, looking at which you all bought it, nails, screws, a screwdriver, bolts of different sizes and a lot of patience.

Note!

Assembly

If you give advice on assembling furniture to a beginner, it is best to start from the bottom or back wall. They are usually deaf and solid, so the rest of the parts are attached to them.

Most often, the chest of drawers has drawers, the guides of which will be more convenient to install while the walls are not fixed and do not hinder movement. Next, you need to assemble the boxes themselves and install the fittings.

If you need to assemble something like a large wardrobe, then here you need to start by installing the frame - the bottom, the back wall, if any, the side walls and the top. Only then can you start installing the internal parts.

In the case of small cabinets and racks, it will be more convenient to assemble in a free space on the floor or a large table, and then simply move it to the desired location.

Note!

It is worth assembling carefully, but without fear - there is no need to rush, usually the manufacturer thinks out the assembly process for you, the main thing is to understand how he represents it.

DIY furniture assembly photo

Note!

The article tells about the technology of assembly of cabinet furniture. It will also cover the main types of fastening equipment that are commonly used in this matter. Let's talk about a tool that we will definitely need.

The main types of furniture fasteners.

1) Universal screw with countersunk head. Its size is 3.5x16. Nothing particularly remarkable stands out. Most often it is not supplied with furniture. Purchased separately. They attach the rear furniture walls, handles, hinges, sliding rails for shelves, etc. The screw is screwed in with a screwdriver. (photo1-2)

2) Furniture screw - simple and convenient connection. Presented as a screw and nut. The screw has a semicircular square head that does not protrude or twist while tightening and tightening the nut.

3) Furniture corner. Easily holds perpendicular structures together. Depending on the purpose, it can be metal and plastic. Its overall dimensions also differ. (photo 3-5)

4) Thorn one-piece connection. A cylindrical wooden part is smeared with glue and inserted into a pre-drilled groove. After that, the protruding part is also smeared with glue, after which it is inserted into the groove of another element. (photo6)

5) Confirmation is the main furniture fixture. It is screwed into both elements, thereby "pulling" them together. Confirmations usually have a size of 6.4x50 mm. Before tightening this fastener, you will need to drill a 5mm hole. The confirmat is screwed in with a hexagon.

6) Eccentrics are a very interesting type of fastener. Allows you to make a hidden gusset of two elements located in relation to each other at an angle of 90 degrees. Consists of two parts. The first part is made in the form of a screw, the thread of which is screwed into the edge of one of the fastened elements. The special head of this screw is inserted into a 5mm hole located at the end of the second piece of furniture to be fastened.

Access to the inserted screw head is through a 15mm hole on the side. A special nut is inserted into this hole, which, screwing onto the head of the inserted screw, firmly tightens the walls of the furniture. The nut is clamped with a hexagon. Despite the fact that the mount remained hidden on the inside, it is finally hidden under the plastic attachments. (photo 7-10)

Assembling cabinet furniture with your own hands: "Where to start, how to continue?"

The first step, of course, is to unpack the purchased furniture. The boxes should be cut with great care. The main thing is not to touch the packed pieces of furniture. This is especially true for the front parts.

For convenience, lay out the assembled elements of cabinet furniture on the floor. Pour the accessories that come with the kit into one box so that you don't waste your time looking for the right part every time. (photo11)

Be sure to find the instructions. She must be together with a set of furniture in a box. After reading the instructions, bring all the necessary tools. Usually, when assembling cabinet furniture, the following set of tools and accessories is required: a screwdriver, a screwdriver, a hexagon, a hammer, pliers, a corner, a small level, a fixing corner (photo 12-19). In some cases, you may also need a drill with a drill of different diameters. However, in good quality factory-made furniture, as a rule, all the necessary holes and cutouts are made in advance!

Sometimes there may be errors in the instructions. What is the reason for this is difficult to say, the main thing is to turn on the logic, and not follow the instructions blindly. It also often happens that a set of cabinet furniture includes cheap fittings in order to save money. If in doubt, purchase others from your furniture store. Unreliable fasteners can completely remove the furniture from their use.

Generally assembly of cabinet furniture will not seem difficult to you. The main thing is accuracy. Do not clamp the fasteners so hard that everything will crack, but also do not leave them under pressure. All pieces of furniture must be level. The evenness of the corners is checked with the corner tool. Always check the slopes with a level. When tightening the fasteners with a screwdriver, make sure that the bit does not slip off and ruin the surface of the furniture.

In some cases, glossy and other decorative parts are covered with a protective film (photo 20-21). Do not remove it unnecessarily. During the assembly process, this should be done only when the film interferes with attaching something. It will be better if the film remains on the furniture until it is used. It is important to know that some glossy panels in modern furniture have special properties: they are ways of repelling dust. However, once the film has been removed, such panels cannot be cleaned for about three weeks.

Collecting cabinet furniture with your own hands is a great idea, since you will save your money from unnecessary waste!

How to assemble a wardrobe or chest of drawers, a kitchen or other furniture? This question is asked by every man who first faced such a task. A man should be able to do everything and this is true, and if he does not know how to do something, then we will teach him!

How to assemble furniture correctly, because there are a huge number of varieties. Sliding wardrobes, kitchens, dressers sometimes cannot be assembled even by an experienced craftsman. Structures and complex installation are often confusing. It will be easier if instructions are attached to the furniture.

How to assemble furniture correctly

To carry out the assembly efficiently, you need to learn some rules. These rules are about careful handling of parts, your own safety and the correct assembly sequence.

After delivery or purchase of furniture, make sure it is your furniture and your color. Check the complete set and complete unloading from the machine. If the furniture is disassembled (tables, cabinets, cabinets), then you need to determine the number of parts and boxes. After that, you can safely bring furniture into the house.

At home, you should check the complete set of furniture fittings. To properly assemble the furniture, you need to free up space. If the furniture is large and massive, then the assembly place should be in the room in which this furniture will be located.

Cover the flooring with a blanket or other covering before assembling the furniture to avoid damaging the floor. It should be remembered about the safety measures for assembling furniture, so that later you do not have to correct defects. And most importantly, prepare with which you will assemble.

Furniture assembly tools are divided into two types:

assembly of a simple structure;
assembly of complex furniture.

The assembly of a simple structure is carried out using:

roulette;
screwdriver or screwdriver;
drills for assembling furniture;
hammer;
wrenches.

To assemble and install furniture of a more complex structure or unusual furniture of complex shape, additional tools are needed:

jigsaw;
device for determining electrical wires;
punch for furniture assembly:
crowns of different diameters;
furniture stapler;
various types of drills;
level.

If you are not sure that you can assemble furniture or it requires a serious installation process, it is better to contact a specialist.

How to assemble a chest of drawers

The chest of drawers is an irreplaceable piece of furniture in the interior. or the bedroom cannot be complete without it. A variety of materials and types of furniture allows you to save your family budget. And you can also design a dresser with your own hands that will fit all your preferences.

In ancient times, a chest was used instead of a chest of drawers, but it was not entirely convenient. This was the reason for the appearance of such furniture as a chest of drawers. Today the chest of drawers is considered versatile and spacious enough furniture. It is used to store things, shoes, perfumes and cosmetics and other things.

How to develop a project and drawing for assembling a chest of drawers with your own hands

Start the development of a chest of drawers project by choosing a place on which it will stand. Measure the space taking into account the placement of outlets and baseboards. In order not to interfere with their full functioning. Then start sizing the dresser itself. It is recommended to stick to 800 mm in height and up to 1200 mm in width. These dimensions are considered optimal for assembling a dresser with your own hands. When creating a dresser with your own hands, carefully consider the choice of materials. Consider the following points:

natural wood has an impressive weight;
Particleboard or MDF is much lighter and cheaper.

The assembly is best done using a drawing. In our modern world, it is very simple. If you are able to draw the drawing yourself, then stock up on a ruler and pencil. And if you want to simplify the task, then use an electronic program (Compass 3D or AutoCAD). An electronic drawing for the assembly of the chest of drawers simplifies the work and determines the size of each element of the chest.

The next step in assembling a dresser with your own hands will be to determine the size of the parts, taking into account the gaps. Remember that the edge adds thickness. For the preparation of the rest of the parts, contact any chip company for assistance. If you have "golden hands", then use a disc and saw.

Mounting the case for assembling the chest of drawers

For installation we need:

nails with a wide head;
screwdriver or screwdriver;
screws for assembling the chest of drawers.

We start by assembling the chest of drawers, connecting the back wall with nails. If it is impossible to make a wall from a solid material or it is not possible, then replace it with two pieces. You can connect them to each other using polymer docking parts. To fix the parts, you need to use a furniture screw, drilling a hole with a diameter of 4 mm in the edge of one fragment.
After that, we take the next part and make a hole in it about 7 mm. Cover the screws on the front side of the chest of drawers with plastic pads. Let's start attaching the top cover. We will do this with the help of steel corners, attaching them with self-tapping screws. The assembly of the chest of drawers is over!

Assembling dresser drawers

The chest of drawers consists of:

facade;
side walls.

The drawer assembly process is more difficult than assembling the chest of drawers. In order not to get confused in the elements, number them and start assembling the chest of drawers.

Let's start assembling the chest of drawers by installing the bottom. To do this, you need to make cuts at the bottom of the walls with a depth of 10 mm. Fasten the face fragments with paired self-tapping screws. To facilitate the movement of the drawers of the chest of drawers, install roller strips on the inside of the walls. Apply glue to the plank and set it to the bottom of the dresser drawer. When dry, you can insert the box into the frame.

The main assembly of the chest of drawers is over, it remains to install the handles. You can easily attach them with screws. Be sure to pop out and check each drawer and its movement along the frame.

How to assemble a wardrobe

Making a wardrobe with your own hands is a popular activity. It gained its popularity because the cabinet does not have swing doors, it is possible to carry out a hidden installation and the cabinet itself is very compact. When assembling a wardrobe, you will have to learn design, carpentry and engineering skills.

The design skill lies in the position of the cabinet shelves and the design of the entire cabinet. Having come up with the desired design in your head, transfer it to a piece of paper.

Calculation and cutting of material for the assembly of the wardrobe

Measure the width and height of the cabinet to calculate the dimensions of the rest of the parts (partitions, shelves). Having counted all the dimensions, draw out each part of the cabinet. It is recommended to make shelves and partitions when assembling the cabinet less than the overall size of the cabinet by 2 sheets of chipboard or other used material. Standard chipboard is taken with a thickness of 16 mm.

Given the 16 mm thickness, we size each part. This work is very painstaking. Therefore, check several times to get the correct cabinet design.

Now we turn to trimming (front ends of the chipboard). We mark the edges on each drawing of the cabinet details, which we will paste over with special tape. This procedure is very expensive, therefore it is necessary to determine the edges visible from the front side when assembling the cabinet. Having done this work, you can calmly breathe and take all the drawings and diagrams to a specialized place where you will be cut.

It is very easy to make sliding doors when assembling furniture. With the help of the width, height and internal dimensions of the cabinet, you can inform the warehouse and they will calculate everything on their own. You will only have to choose in your closet.

Material for sliding doors when assembling a cabinet with your own hands:

mirrors;
Chipboard for cabinet assembly;
plastic pseudo mirrors.

What material for the door to choose is up to you.

How to assemble a built-in wardrobe with your own hands

Assembling the cabinet by completing all the drawings is absolutely not difficult. You need to stock up on the right tools:
screwdriver;

jigsaw;
drill for confirmation;
a set of different types of drills;
stapler for cabinet assembly;
furniture fittings.

We twist the main frame of the wardrobe (side, bottom and top). Use a hex bit to connect them together. Next, we fasten the inner boards. We drill 2 boards at once and screw in the confirmation. After assembling the cabinet frame, close the back of the fiberboard frame with a stapler. You need to fix it every 10-15 cm.

To install the shelves, you need to drill 4 holes for the pins and place the shelf on them.

Installing a sliding door when assembling a cabinet with your own hands

It is done simply. When unpacking the doors, locate the top and bottom rails. A flat narrow guide is a lower one, a volume one with wide grooves is an upper one. We fasten the upper guide to the top of the cabinet, and the lower one, respectively, to the bottom. Insert the sliding door and adjust.

To insert the doors, you need to get into the top rollers of the track, lift the door and install it on the lower track. To adjust the door when assembling the cabinet with your own hands, it is worth tightening the fixing and adjusting screws that are located at the bottom of the bottom.

Don't forget to adjust the stops. They are located in the bottom rail. The stops just need to be moved and the cabinet doors will not hit the body.

Collecting furniture on your own at home is a laborious task, at the same time it is an excellent tool for saving the family budget, as well as an opportunity to demonstrate an original design approach and aesthetic flair. Making cabinet furniture with your own hands is not very common, but it brings noticeable benefits and moral satisfaction. The created product can be very stylish and emphasize the overall interior design favorably.

Select the fasteners after you decide on the base material.

To cope with this not very simple, but exciting task yourself, you must have at least initial skills in working with the instrument and have attentiveness and accuracy. To create cabinet furniture, you can choose inexpensive parts or use the materials available in the house.

The created product can be very stylish and emphasize the overall interior design favorably.

To assemble a wardrobe or chest of drawers, you must first calculate the parameters of the future product. To make cabinet furniture with your own hands, the first step is to make a drawing with the dimensions of all parts.

Before making furniture, prepare a drawing of the future product.

It is also necessary to determine what material you will use in the assembly. Depending on this, fasteners, tools and an auxiliary arsenal (sandpaper, etc.) are selected.

It is also necessary to determine what material you will use during assembly.

Wood as a material can be "capricious", it is important to select high quality boards with a good, even texture, dried and processed. Birch, poplar, maple, aspen and other hardwoods are suitable. Conifers need special conditions, so pine or spruce must be selected in combination with some other variety. Try not to pick up layered rocks so that the base does not split during processing.

In the manufacture of cabinet furniture, pay attention to the fact that chipboard can crumble during the insertion of fasteners.

Do-it-yourself cabinet furniture can be made of chipboard, MDF or chipboard (the latter option is the most common). These materials are processed in different ways.

The material requires accuracy and precision in the outline and actions.

All details of the future cabinet must be carefully checked against the drawings and accurately adjusted to the intended dimensions.

Wood as a material can be "capricious", it is important to select high quality boards with a good, even texture, dried and processed.

A specialist store will help you to make the fit (trim). You can also do this with a ruler, pencil and wood saw at home.

If desired, you can improve the appearance with original inserts.

Particleboard panels must be covered with a protective compound - this will reduce the risk of evaporation of resinous substances. The rest of the materials do not require this approach.

Do-it-yourself cabinet furniture can be made of chipboard, MDF or chipboard (the latter option is the most common).

How to work with laminated chipboard - the main material of cabinet furniture?

A material such as laminated particle board is quite actively used in the manufacture of furniture. Chipboard has a number of undeniable advantages over chipboard:

holds fasteners better;
inhibits the evaporation of formaldehyde;
looks aesthetically pleasing;
you can choose an interesting texture and color.

Do-it-yourself cabinet furniture implies the ability to process the material, for example, to clean and close the cuts with an edge to match the overall surface (this must be done to avoid evaporation of the chipboard adhesive composition. It must also be remembered that when cutting to size, chips and cracks of the laminated part are possible. cabinet furniture made of chipboard will require caution, care and accuracy.

A material such as laminated particle board is quite actively used in the manufacture of furniture.

The panels should be covered before assembly, not after, to avoid smudges.

In the nursery, laminated chipboard furniture is not always appropriate, especially if the room is small, poorly ventilated or located on the sunny side, and the base itself is not very high quality. Resins and chemicals can evaporate quickly and create an unfavorable atmosphere. This also applies to chipboard. It is better to prefer solid wood and plywood.

Do-it-yourself cabinet furniture implies the ability to process material.

What tools are needed?

The tools that are in the house are suitable for assembling cabinet furniture:

screwdrivers;
screwdrivers;
Sander;
jigsaw;
hacksaw for wood;
ruler;
simple pencil.

Sandpaper is suitable as a material for cleaning surfaces. In order to measure the elements correctly, it is necessary to do this not on the floor, but on a table, preferably a carpentry or something like it. Can be used as props when cutting off extra centimeters of stools from the board.

To assemble a wardrobe or chest of drawers, you must first calculate the parameters of the future product.

Preparation before assembly

The selected material - chipboard, laminated chipboard or solid wood panels - must be properly processed. The preparation of the cabinet or chest of drawers consists in leveling the surfaces, if it is not a laminated base, as well as in cleaning them from roughness and burrs. The cut edges of the chipboard can be simply sanded and closed with a tone-on-tone laminated edge.

Spot lighting is also a practical addition.

Any material that you intend to use must be of high quality and well dried so that after manufacturing the product does not create hazardous chemical vapors in the room.

Before assembling the cabinet furniture, you need to carefully remove the dimensions of the area where the structure will be installed. For a cabinet with doors, a little free space is required so that the doors can open without the possibility of rubbing against the walls.

In work, you can use a power tool, which simplifies the connection of a particular part to the body.

The repeated parts of the future product must be symmetrical to each other, otherwise skew is likely.

Select the fasteners after you decide on the base material. Try to get reliable fittings. They should be bought with a margin, so that in case of failure, it can be easily restored.

Sandpaper is suitable as a material for cleaning surfaces.

The main stages of assembly

Before making furniture, prepare a drawing of the future product. It is necessary to reconcile the dimensions of the cabinet schematically indicated on paper with the proportions of the prepared parts.

Mark the extra centimeters of the chipboard panels with a simple pencil, saw off along the lines with a hacksaw on wood, clean the edges and close them with an edge.
Attach the side, bottom and top panels to the back panel using a screwdriver and self-tapping screws.
Mark the hinge spots before hanging the doors. If the sashes are heavy, increase the number of fasteners, otherwise, over time, the panels may twist under their own weight. The distance from the edge to the bottom and top loop should not be less than 12-13 cm.
Fasten the hinges and check the door action. They should fit snugly, without gaps and displacements. Don't forget to cut in the mini lock.
For a wardrobe with sliding doors, a roller mechanism should be selected, which will be located at the top and bottom of the panels. Most often, aluminum elements are used for this.
If legs are supposed, then they need to be done before hanging the doors. After the assembly of cabinet furniture with your own hands is completed, check the stability of the structure, how level the cabinet is and whether it "sinks" in one direction or another.
Use self-tapping screws and strips to make supports for the shelves. The latter are adjusted to size after assembly of the cabinet body. For glass shelves, special holders are sold that will not damage the base.
It is better to equip the boxes (if expected) with guides, then they will slide out easily and freely, without the possibility of warping and getting stuck.

The selected material - chipboard, chipboard or solid wood panels - must be properly processed

In the manufacture of cabinet furniture, pay attention to the fact that chipboard can crumble during the insertion of fasteners. The material requires accuracy and precision in the outline and actions.

It takes time to dry after each coat.

Furniture fittings

The choice of accessories for cabinet furniture is a moment no less important than the assembly itself.

Cabinet hinges	Poorly fitted hinges can negate the results of your efforts.
Hinge mechanism with four joints	Today this part is used more and more often. Adjustment is carried out both at the stage of fastening and after completion of the installation work.
Drawer guides	You can take roller or ball.
Handles for drawer lids and cabinet doors	They need to be matched to each other. They may differ in style - it is important to adhere to a single design for the facade or for internal filling. For children's wardrobes or dressers, it is recommended to choose a streamlined handle so that the child does not get hurt while moving or playing.

Any material that you intend to use must be of high quality and well dried.

Furniture finishing

If desired, you can improve the appearance with original inserts. These can be mirrored panels, dividers, various patterns or stencils, ornaments. Spot lighting is also a practical addition. In addition, it looks quite stylish, especially if there are glass or matte inserts.

When installing furniture, make sure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

When using natural wood, it is recommended to cover it with a varnish. Finding the right shade is not difficult. For fixing, the coating should be applied two to three times, then the surface will appear smooth and even. It takes time to dry after each coat. This will make the surface resistant to abrasion and fading. The panels should be covered before assembly, not after, to avoid smudges.

Repetitive parts of the future product must be symmetrical to each other, otherwise skew is likely

The popular design with craquelure varnish makes the cabinet front look original and expensive.

With the help of decoration, you can not only add style to a new piece of furniture, but also refine an old product.

Advice: when installing the furniture, make sure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. This will prevent surface fading and drying out of the wood base.

To create cabinet furniture, you can choose inexpensive parts or use the materials available in the house.

VIDEO: Manufacturing of cabinet furniture. A couple of tricks.

The kitchen and wardrobe are almost the easiest types of furniture to assemble for novice craftsmen (not counting only bedside tables and shelves). In general, furniture for the living room and bedroom usually requires a more serious approach, the use of non-standard materials, glass. This article will help beginners understand how to make their own furniture.

Pure wood is practically not used in cabinet furniture anymore; the array is considered an expensive elite material.

Now the tree is being replaced with a cheaper material - laminated chipboard (abbreviated chipboard). Most often, these boards have a thickness of 16 mm; chipboard with a thickness of 10 and 22 mm can also be found on sale. 10mm sheets are commonly used for filling wardrobe doors, and 22mm for bookcases and shelves where high flexural strength is required. Also, sometimes with the help of elements from laminated chipboard 22 mm, they decorate the structure.

Almost all furniture parts are made of 16 mm laminated chipboard (except for doors and facades).

Laminated chipboard

Chipboard is cut on special machines along guides. Of course, you can cut it off at home with a jigsaw, but then there will be chips and wavy irregularities on the edges. It is almost impossible to cut off the chipboard exactly with a jigsaw at home.

Edges

The most vulnerable place of laminated chipboard is its saw cut. It is easiest for moisture to penetrate through it, therefore, with poor protection, the ends can soon swell. Therefore, the ends are closed with edges; there are several types of them.

- Melamine edging is the cheapest, but of poor quality. You can stick it at home using an iron.

- PVC edging 0.4 and 2 mm is the best option. It can be glued only on a special machine, so they make it immediately when ordering a cut. To save money, 0.4 mm is glued to invisible ends, and 2 mm to external ones, which will experience constant loads and friction.

PVC edge 2 mm

- ABS edge - similar to PVC, only made of eco-friendly material.
- Cut-in T-profile - inserted into a groove previously made by a cutter. It is rarely used.

- Overhead U-profile - can be easily glued at home on liquid nails. The main disadvantage is that the edges will protrude by a few millimeters, so dirt gets clogged under it. On the other hand, this drawback allows you to hide a low-quality cut.

Facades

Kitchen fronts and furniture doors are usually made of more elegant materials. But if you make a drawer door inside a wardrobe that no one will see, you can also use a regular 16 mm chipboard with a 2 mm PVC edge for it. But kitchen cabinets should look more presentable.

The facade is a separate piece of furniture. Usually it is made to order. If the dimensions of the facades are non-standard, their production can take several months.

You can easily navigate by standard dimensions: usually the facades are made 2 mm less than the cabinet itself on each side. Therefore, for a standard 600 mm cabinet, a 596 mm facade is used.

The height of the kitchen cabinet also depends on the facade and ranges from 715 to 725 mm for base cabinets (without legs) and low wall cabinets, and 915-925 mm for tall wall cabinets.

Types of facades

Since the facades mainly perform a decorative function, the choice is huge, they differ in appearance and material.

- Facades from laminated MDF. This is a pressed material, which is more moisture resistant and dense than chipboard. Most often, the surface is laminated "wood-like". But no matter how strong the film is, over time at the edges it can come off and crack. The main advantage of this material is its low cost and fast production.

MDF facades

- In addition to standard blank facades, there are also options with curly cutouts for a stained glass window. The glass is attached to the cover from the back side.
- Softforming - such facades are similar to conventional MDF, but have a characteristic two-color layout with relief on both sides. They can only be used in dry rooms, bedrooms or living rooms.

- Postforming - even better quality and durable products. Thin plastic at the edges is wrapped 90 ° or 180 °, thereby eliminating unnecessary seams at the corners. Chipboard or MDF boards are used as the basis. Usually, postforming is done in a strict form, without unnecessary pretentious decorative elements.

- Plastic facades are of high quality, but expensive. They consist of a base (chipboard / MDF), lined on both sides with thick plastic. They always have a strict design and a flat surface, glossy or matte. The edges of the slab are sometimes protected with ABS edging or aluminum profiles. Recently, super-glossy acrylic plastic is especially popular.

Plastic facades in an aluminum profile

- Facades made of wood and veneer are suitable for lovers of natural materials, but they are expensive. In addition, there is a long debate about environmental friendliness: there is an opinion that there is so much varnish and impregnation that only one name remains from the tree.

- Painted facades under enamel. They have a significant drawback - the surface is vulnerable to scratches and deformations, and has low chemical resistance. They used to be popular for their rich color, but with the arrival of glossy acrylic plastic, this has changed.

Aluminum fronts with glass - suitable for high-tech kitchens. They look modern, but difficult to manufacture and install. For their fastening, non-standard fittings are used.

Back walls and bottom of drawers

The back wall and bottom of the boxes are most often made of MDF. The smooth side of the sheet should point towards the inside of the cabinet / drawer. The thickness of the sheets is 3-5 mm, the color is matched to the chipboard.

Some people prefer to fix the MDF on a furniture stapler, but this cannot be done. Over time, the staples will loosen and the structure may warp. It's not worth talking about the bottom of the boxes - a stapler for fastening is clearly not suitable.

Furniture LDVP

Sometimes it is inserted into a groove prepared by a cutter, but all dimensions must match up to a millimeter.

Most often, LDVP is attached to nails or self-tapping screws. It is better to use self-tapping screws with a press washer, but before screwing them in, you need to drill a hole, otherwise the product may crack.

In rare cases, for example, to create a "stiffening rib" in a high cabinet or in boxes with high loads, fiberboard is replaced with laminated chipboard. These materials can also be combined.

Countertops

A worktop is a horizontal work surface on which you can cook, eat, read, write, etc.

Most office desks and desks, as well as cheap dining tables, have the same chipboard top as the main parts. Thickness is 16 or 22 mm, PVC edging is obligatory 2 mm.

Special countertops are used for the kitchen. They represent a sheet of laminated chipboard with a thickness of 28-38 mm, which is covered from above with durable plastic using postforming technology. Moisture-resistant countertops are green on the cut, and regular chipboard is gray. A proper kitchen worktop should have a drip tray to prevent dripping liquid from entering the fronts and drawers.

The weak point of such countertops is the edge of the saw cut. Usually they are covered with a simple melamine edging, so they become unusable already in the first year of operation. To avoid this, it is recommended to protect the edges with special aluminum profiles (end plate), and pre-coat the saw cut with silicone sealant to protect it from moisture.

There are also other types of profile: corner and connecting strip, which are needed to join several cabinets with different worktops.

Corner, connecting and end strip for worktops

Another element is a decorative corner that closes the gap between the wall and the countertop.

A wall panel is sometimes used to finish the apron. Unlike tiles or mosaics, they are more practical due to the absence of seams and are inexpensive compared to glass aprons.

Fastening the countertop to the cabinets is done from below with short self-tapping screws to the horizontal struts so as not to spoil the smooth front surface.

Natural or artificial stone countertops are of higher quality and more durable than others. Natural stone is heavy and requires special care due to its high porosity. And the artificial stone does not have such disadvantages, it can be given any size and shape. The main disadvantage of stone countertops is the high price, for a small kitchen they cost from 40 thousand rubles. and more.

An alternative option is a tile or porcelain stoneware countertop. You can make it yourself, but the tiles cannot be fixed on ordinary plywood or chipboard. The base must first be sheathed with fiber-cement sheets.

Location of parts

A detail is any element of cabinet furniture: covers, countertops, walls, facades, shelves. Each part can be either nested or invoiced. Choosing the right type of location is very important.

Consider examples of two kitchen cabinets: one of them will stand on legs, and the other will be hanging.

Base cabinet:

As you can see in the photo, the operating stress in the floor-standing cabinet is directed downward from the cover and in the first embodiment is naturally transmitted through the parts to the cabinet legs.

In the second, incorrect version, the load is transmitted through the confirmat (furniture screw), and because of this it will be pulled out of the part for a break.

Wall cabinet:

In the second example, the opposite is true: the load will go to the bottom flange, and the attachment point will be on top.

If we apply the same fastening scheme here as in the base cabinet (option 1), all 4 bolts will be constantly under the pulling load from the tree. Therefore, it is better if the confirmations experience a fracture load (see the “correct” diagram).

Furniture fasteners

Furniture fasteners are hardware (metal products) that are used to connect parts. Most often, connections are made at right angles.

- Wood Dowels - Insert into pre-drilled holes in both parts. They are used to pre-fix and reinforce the shear load, then the parts are fixed in a more reliable way.

- Furniture corners are a popular but outdated type of furniture fixture. Among the cons: appearance, loosening over time, and bulkiness.

Furniture corner

The main disadvantage of this type of fastening is that the caps screwed in flush remain visible. To hide them, use plastic plugs in the color of chipboard.

Furniture fittings

- Pens - everything is clear here. They are usually fastened with screws.
- Legs - comfortable in rooms where wet floor cleaning is often done, for example, in the kitchen. Any wood, especially chipboard, will quickly deteriorate from daily contact with water. In addition, the legs can be used to level furniture on uneven surfaces.
- A silicone damper is a cheap but very useful part that can help reduce the noise of knocks from cabinet doors. Bonded to the top and bottom of the door or end of the cabinet to soften the impact.

- Furniture hinges. Round cutouts for them (additives) in facades can be made in any furniture shop, if the manufacturer has not made them in advance. The hinges differ in the degree of door opening. Standard hinges have an opening angle of 180 ° and 90 ° in the closed position.
  The hinges have a special mechanism that allows you to adjust the doors in height and seating depth. Separate hinges are sold for glass doors, in which glass can be clamped without drilling a hole.

Furniture hinges

From inexpensive manufacturers of fittings, we can recommend the Chinese Boyard, from the serious world - the Austrian Blum.

Drawers and guides

There are many ways to make furniture boxes. The simplest of them is to assemble a perimeter from chipboard. If a beautiful facade is required, it is screwed overlay onto the main frame from the inside (like the countertop). Also, the facade can be fixed on eccentrics as the fourth wall of the drawer.

But the main thing is not to assemble the drawer, but to fix it correctly.

Drawer guides are divided into roller or ball guides.

- Roller guides are usually attached to the bottom of the drawer. He will ride on them on two rollers. A pair of such guides costs about 150 rubles, but using them is highly discouraged. The main disadvantage is that they do not allow the drawer to be pulled out completely, a heavy drawer in more than half open position can simply fall.
- Ball guides, or as they are also called, "telescopic full extension guides" are able to double the length. They have a lot of balls inside, like in bearings, so they provide a smooth ride.

Roller and ball guides for drawers

In addition, Blum has Metaboxes and Tandemboxes. These are ready-made side walls of the drawers with installed rails. All that remains is to install the facade, back wall and bottom.

Doors for wardrobes

A sliding wardrobe can be separate (with side and rear walls), or built into a niche or corner (with one side wall). Internal filling can be anything: ordinary shelves and mezzanines, drawers and baskets, clothes rails, special hangers for trousers, ties, etc.

The main element of the wardrobe is sliding doors. You cannot save on them, you need to buy high-quality fittings, otherwise then you will be tortured with falling and jamming doors. In almost any city, it is not a problem to find Aristo domestic sliding systems in specialized stores.

A sliding wardrobe usually has 2-3 doors. They consist of a profiled frame, inside which decorative elements are inserted: mirrors and glass, chipboard, sheets of rattan, bamboo, artificial leather (based). Each door can be assembled from a combination of several such materials, which are separated by an aluminum profile. It is not recommended to make doors more than 1 m wide in width.

Standard profiles are designed for 10 mm blade thickness. But how to insert a 4 mm thick mirror into it? For this, a silicone seal is put on the edge of the mirror. So that in the event of a blow, the broken glass does not hurt anyone, you need to order a mirror with a film glued to the seamy side.

The doors move along the guides, they are installed from above and below. The lower doors provide back and forth movement, while the upper ones fix the door relative to the depth of the cabinet.

The lower rollers are usually made of plastic and have a shock absorbing spring and a screw for height adjustment. The upper rollers have a rubberized surface.
With the proper approach, home-made furniture turns out to be cheaper and of better quality than exhibited in stores. But besides this, it will be exclusive, exactly matching the needs of the owners and the characteristics of the premises.