Sunday, February 27, 2011

Pull It Out


            Have you had to virtually crawl into one of your base cabinets recently to access the items in the back? Do you even know what is in the back of your pantry cabinet or base cabinets? Are you afraid to know? A pull out tray or drawer may be just what you need.

 

            Pull out trays or drawers are just like a drawer, but hidden behind a door. These are commonly utilized in a pantry cabinet so you can pull all of the food items out in front of you for viewing. They are also a great fix for base cabinets that store pots and pants, plastic containers, cleaning supplies under the sink and a myriad of other things.

 

Let’s look at a typical cabinet. You have a door with a full or half shelf behind it. To install a pull out tray or drawer, remove the shelf, add blocking on either sides of the opening so that the tray front will clear the hinge when it pulls out, install your drawer slides (while you are at it, go all out for the full extension drawer slide), install your drawer box and enjoy the new found space at the back of your cabinet. In a typical base cabinet, one tray can be installed at the bottom and another one halfway up. If you have lots of little things, install more trays closer together.

           
Enjoy the new found space at the back of your cabinet!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Maxed Out

            Are your cabinets maxed out? It is time to de-clutter and re-organize to be able to start this year out fresh. As you are cleaning out your kitchen, bathroom or living room cabinets, you might wonder if there are things you can do to maximize and utilize your space better. The answer is a resounding yes!

 

Do you have a useless corner cabinet that hides long lost platters and never used appliances in their deep dark recesses? You know, the one cabinet you have to send your child into to get anything out of.  There are solutions! If this cabinet is in a peninsula, consider cutting a door in the backside for ease of access. This is often a great storage area for placemats, napkins and other table related items since the peninsula is often closest to your breakfast table.

 

Another option for this dead corner would be to install a half susan that pivots and pulls out of the corner, allowing you to easily access and store items. For several options and sizes, check out www.revashelf.com This product is also called a blind corner susan. Installation is relatively simple as long as you follow the directions. You will be amazed at how much you can actually store in this space once it is accessible.

 

Never worry, this is not the only solution to maximizing the space in your cabinets. Next time we will explore another possibility. If there is a specific area that you have and you wonder how it could be better utilized, email me at Jessica@thecabinetman.net and let’s see if we can’t find a solution to your problem.