Another killer-project beckons me to ask for your help (and forgiveness …) and hope that some solution can be found to this eye sore, after the doors are opened, that is. Needless, to say, our goal in this project is to make this space MUCH more functional than it presently is and eliminating the clutter in the process.
This pantry has bugged my wife and I since we purchased this bungalow five years ago. Just to be clear, this layout is as we bought it: we have not made any changes at all. Let me explain the images first.
Kitchen Pantry Door_1
This is our view from the center of our kitchen.
Kitchen Pantry Door_2
Same view but different angle.
Kitchen Pantry Right-Side View
This is shot from the center of the kitchen showing the interior right-side of the pantry.
Kitchen Pantry Left-Side View
This is a close up of the interior of the pantry’s left side and the upper side as well.
Interior dimensions are: width = 42″, depth = 55′, height = 8′ 9″ Left side doorjamb-to-wall = 10′, Right side doorjamb-to-wall = 4″
Here are my thoughts.
I think the cleanest, leanest way to fix this once and for all is to build what I guess could be called pull-out doors. IOWs, what are seen as pantry doors would actually not be swung open, but rather would be pulled out to expose their contents. In my mind, I would open up the left side (it has ten more inches of usable space to utilize) and create 4 ‘doors’ of the same style (but narrower, of course) as we now have. Each could be about 30″ in depth and 79″ in height. The 4-door width would be about 39″ allowing approximately 9.75″ per door width. If possible, I would use small wheels below each to support the weight. Since I have no real experience with this style of door/drawer I can only assume that heavy duty drawer slides are used to guide them as they open. Access orientation for each door would be from the kitchen interior side, as I see it anyway.
If anyone sees problems with these ideas, please comment away, because as always, all comments and suggestions are welcome.
Phillip
Replies
Don't know if this might interest you or not but the other day I snapped some pics of this shelving design.
Thought to custom fit one myself out of maple into an odd interior wall setting.
Liked the idea of it's space maxing capabilities.
Peaceful,
easy feelin'.
I've never seen anything like that before. I really appreciate your post.I have used piano hinges in the past so that would not be new to me and having to just have two doors as opposed to four is appealing. I'll give this some serious thought.Again, thanks for your post.
Whats behind the other walls?
Peaceful,easy feelin'.
The left side wall forms the interior wall of my wife's home office. The right side wall is the interior of our Pine Lodge room. We call it that because the walls are covered with knotty pine which we are not fond of either. The rear wall of the pantry is a common wall to her office storage room or closet, if you will. We do not want to disturb any of these walls because it would destroy the house plans as they are and IMHO would add nothing by so doing.The two attached images should depict these walls clearly.Thanks for asking.
your depth of 55" kinda screws most ideas. Any way to get to the opposite side and maybe make 2 built-ins of a more off-the-shelf dimension? Probably not cunducive to having the 1/2 of the pantry over there though.
I'd forget the wheel and just set 2 pair of drawer guides. 30" depth is not comon ($$) but I think I saw some extra long ones at Rockler.
Have you thought about pricing it out to a cab shop? Maybe try Brakur in Plainfield. They put out an extremely good cab (expensive though when I worked there 20+ years ago and think they still do. Maybe they've got some good ideas? http://www.brakur.com
It has always bothered me that to resolve this, you either keep the walk-in aspect of it and waste a lot of space, or to go the pull out route and waste a lot of space. There is no way around it - space is going to be wasted - no matter which way you go. But as it stands right now, we both hate it, can't ever find what you're looking for unless you unload each shelf and so on. It's a hugh PITA and I have to do something to bring it back into some form of functionality.Since we're gonna waste space, my only hope is that we can come up with a more ergonomic design that will be able to accommodate sufficient shelf space to hold at least what we have now.I appreciate your comments and the link.
the picture KitchenPantryLeftSide shows a lot of empty space in the "closet"
First: form follows function. What do you want to store in the room? This will decide how big shelves will have to be constructed, how equipment is removed and accessable.
Look for kitchen storage solution in European kitchens for inspirations.
Check: Poggenpohl, Bulthaupt, Siemens, Snaidero, even Ikea. They have some nifty hardware
You can skip the mfr's and check out the interior fittings themselves..that way you can see all the options. Check out Rev-a-Shelf, Haefele (used in lots of the European cabinets), Knape & Vogt, Richelieu, Feeney, National Products & Amerock. All have websites and you can buy most anything online. Haefele is great for fittings to make your own stuff, too.
try also
Blum
Hettich
Love the Blum slides, but forgot all about them. Thanks for the reminder. Have you had any experience with Hettich. I recognize the name, but have no experience with their product myself.
The cabinet supplier has used both. They all perform equally. It then comes down to very special applications, like lazy susan that swing out completely from the corner cabinet, or roll-up shelves that fold down to almost countertop height.
Thanks for your comments.You asked, "What do we want to store in that room?" We would like to store:
Canned goods;
Packaged goods (paper towels, cereal, popcorn, etc);
Cleaning items (Pine Sol, Windex, etc);
Food staples ( rice, beans, potatoes);
Utilitarian items (adhesives, packing tape, etc.).At the moment we're leaning towards the pull-out style of storage solution, so if this happens items such as brooms and mops will have to find a new home. This will be small price to pay if we can find a workable solution to store the above-mentioned items.Thanks for your help.
You need to do some drawing, and maybe mockups to see how much space it needs.But I would look at system like Rez showed.But with the inner shelves and flip out mount on one of the long walls. The would be perpendicular to the door. With the depth that you have (width of shelfing) you might need to make it in 3 or 4 sections rather than 2.Then on the other long wall racks for the brooms, etc.It would be tight and depend on how deep you make each shelf and also how wide. But it look like you might even be able to divide the the other long side into 2 sections. Put a flip out shelves on one section and the other section and the common side could be use for brooms and the like..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Edited 1/28/2008 1:02 pm by BillHartmann
Bill,Thanks for your comments.At this point in time, I'm leaning heavy on simply opening up the left side and gaining the extra 10" that are there and going with 4 pull out shelves or drawers rather than two, just as you suggested. I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology as to what I'm calling them.The whole thing would simply look like the vented doors that are presently being utilized, but instead of two, there would be four, each being about 9.5" in width. The full width of the entry way to the pantry would be about 38". Of course, with my luck, I won't be able to find these accordian doors in this dimension. Another problem.So, making it four full pull-outs would eliminate the broom, mop space altogether. These would have to have a new home in the basement stair well. She may not like that idea, but if I do this right she may be so pleased by her new pantry, that she'll overlook this minor change. At least I hope so anyway.I appreciate you suggestions and time.
you could split the shelves lengthwise and use the backboard for hanging brooms or anything with a pole/wand
check the Blum or Hettich site to find hardware solutions.
The roll=out come in different depth sizes
semar,Thanks for your comments.I think (at this moment anyhow), that the storage space that I'm contemplating is going to be very costly if I have to resort to the Accuride 9301 36" slides. So, I don't think we could justify placing anything in this storage area other than food items and other containers no taller than about 12" or so. Time will tell.
Phillip,
Don't know if this will be of any interest, but thought I'd pass it along. My customer's existing pantry was also deeper than normal and she wanted to have pull-outs or drawers below for storage. Also, she wanted a surface for the toaster and access to the shelves for pantry items. We built standard 24" cabinets into her 28" space and pulled them forward, but they could easily have been deeper if we'd wanted to go with custom.
You'd have to widen the opening to suit this, but I'm thinking something like this might work in conjunction with the tall (?) pull-outs you had in mind. I like to have a variety of storage options, and I'm a little worried that only using pull-outs isn't going to accommodate all you need to store. Right now your pics show lots of the same type storage, and that's not working, either.
The swing-out pantry from rez is a good idea if space is limited, but I honestly recommend customers go with 2-18" pantries with roll-outs in lieu of these pricey units. They look cool, but the shelving depths can be limiting. And then you have to remember..is the tomato sauce on this arm, no maybe it's on the back, no I think it's on the left, not the right.
Check out Rev-a-Shelf and particularly Haefele for hardware and accessories.
Good luck!!
Resized and spun to fit
Susie,Thank you very much for all of your comments and the images of the Adams' Project.Okay, I did a little math and here is what I came up with as follows.First of all, assuming I open up the left side to claim the 10" between the left doorjamb and the wall, this would give me an opening of 38". I also am assuming that I can build pull-outs 35" deep which is the opening distance that I have (see photo below). The distance from floor to top of pantry entry way is 79". Then.38" x 35" x 79" = 105,070 inches cubed. Dividing this by I foot cubed = 1728 cubic inches:105,070 / 1728 = 60.8 cubic feet of storage space.To be a bit more realistic, I reduced this by 10% for shelving and got about 55 cubic feet of storage space utilizing my pull out scheme. Now, having said all of that, I have absolutely no idea how that storage space stacks up against whatever is the norm for kitchen pantries (this probably varies from kitchen to kitchen). However, this scenario would be a god-send compared to what we have at present.Two points.
One, adding pull-out drawers at the bottom - as you suggested, is a good idea, but that would break up the look of the scheme I think she would prefer.Secondly, I really believe that by utilizing casters for each drawer to roll on, and using strips of UHMW polyethylene strips to guide it top and bottom, these deep drawers could be built to work very well. I could be wrong, but I'm quite sure I can do this. The castors would be hidden and nearly impossible to see while standing.Those are my thoughts, but please correct any misconceptions that I may have in my thoughts.
Phillip,
Based on the pantries in my last 2 houses and those in my builder's spec houses, I think your space is slightly above the norm. Most houses here will be about 30 deep x 36-42 wide. My current pantry is 60 wide x 24 deep, but suffers from having one 30" door dead center, leaving each side hard to access. I'm actually working on reconfiguring it right now...maybe I'll post a pic also. Comments so far have been very helpful!
I think your pull-outs will work, but you definitely need some sort of track to keep everything straight. You mentioned storage for the brooms...why not use one pull-out equipped with a full-height partition on which you can hang brooms, dust pans, etc.? You could center the partition to access both sides, (brooms, etc on one side/cleaners on the other) or put it to one side for extra depth and place it in the unit nearest the door at the right.
There's a similar type unit for base cabinets that will hang pots & pans and accommodate shelves. The panel is a peg-board type material with hooks and shelves. It could easily be done in a pantry height cabinet.
Even with pull-outs, I'd definitely make the shelves adjustable and provide enough. Right now your pantry doesn't have enough shelving, so cans and things are stacked on each other. With a roll-out, I'm concerned that stuff is going to topple if it's stacked that way....
Susie,Thanks for getting back to me.If I understood you correctly, you're saying that the space that I plan to create - approximately 55 cubic feet, is slightly above the norm then that's good. However, the sad fact of the matter is that the actual space available is 143 cubic feet, so with my plan I'm only able to capture slightly more than a third of that space. Best not to think about it, but I see no other way to make this space convenient and tidy. But, I also have to remember that probably less than that is now being used in its present state. Yes, I have already agreed in an earlier post, that I will need some sort of tracking to make each pull-out function properly. One poster pointed me to some 36" slides from Rockler. They're bloody pricey, but if I make nice pull-outs with crappy slides, I'll never hear the end of it. So, yes, I'll go that route. No problem. I may still have to have casters on each shelf to protect the slides and support the weight. Time will tell here. The casters can easily be hidden from view.As I was reading your post, I was thinking that I should make each pull-out/roll-out (just what is the correct term for these things??) adjustable. Further down you came to the same conclusion, so we're on the same sheet with this.I'm not so keen on your idea about storing brooms etc. in this area at this time. I suppose that If I make them truly adjustable, and if all the present contents of the pantry fit in the new pull-outs, and if there is space left, then perhaps this will be a go. Otherwise, they'll all have to hang in the stairwell that leads to the basement which will not be a problem.I appreciate your comments and time.
I like your idea of pull-outs. Don't see why you want four, though. Two pull-outs could either have appx 20" deep shelves accessible one side only - or appx. 10" deep shelves accessible from both sides. Small wheels underneath would be needed for the weight. Just figure out how to prevent wheel marks on the floor and how to have the pull-outs track straight. Simpler is better.
Doug,Thanks for your comments. These are my thoughts on your comments.1. Four pull-outs would reduce the weight per pull-out in half. This would make them easier to move in and out. In addition, if I do make them 35 inches deep as I plan to, then the weight aspect will really come into play.2. The four narrower pull-out shelves would reduce placing items behind each other which is the problem we now have with our existing 18" shelves. They're just too deep and you have to rummage about trying to find the can of beans you're looking for.3. The idea of having items on both sides is a good one, but I see a few problems with that idea. One, I don't like the idea that if you can't find the item that you are looking for on one side, you now have to pull each drawer out and look on both sides - worst case scenario, of course. I would prefer to just be able to see through the entire drawer so nothing is hidden from view, from either side. But, that creates a structural problem, namely, that the vertical backing provides strength that would be lacking if if were not present. So, in my mind, this brings us back to accessing each pull-out from one side only, and IMHO, that should be the kitchen side.4. Your wheels comments is spot on. I think I have no choice if I make each draw the full 35 inches deep that I plan to, at this moment anyway.5. If you read the post I made to Susie above, I plan to use UHMW polyethylene strips to guide each drawer, top and bottom. Again, you're spot on. Thanks for helping to keep me on 'track'.
Phillp,
Before you go too far down the planning road, find your hardware first. Especially the drawer guides needed to make it work.
John,I hear you loud and clear.I have to confess something. Perhaps because I have been a photographer for all of my life, I can see the final image before I take it. There is nothing special in this because for most photographers this is just second nature. This is a great benefit because I can 'fabricate' most of the project in my mind before I begin. This is not to say that I do not draw the entire thing up before I begin, because I do that and double check each dimension before I make my first cut.For instance, I know I'll have to build a shell (cabinet grade 3/4-inch plywood, probably) inside of my present pantry to 'hold' my pull-out drawers, top and bottom, and side to side. This will also prevent an item from falling off when the drawers are closed.In addition, each home-made glide will have to be built, tested, and installed in their respective locations, top and bottom, and so on. My plan is to make each drawer extend out about 35 inches and to date, I have not located drawer slides that length and if I did, they would probably cost a fortune. UHMW polyethylene strips cost about $8 for a 48" x 3/8" x 3/4" strip (Lee Valley). I see using 4 per drawer. Two per drawer may do, but at this point I'm not sure.I appreciate your comments because you are absolutely correct.Thanks again.
I think everyone starts off with an idea or image like you but how quickly it is coupled with the real world depends on how big of a headache/heartache the build will be.
I knew I saw them in the catalogue but couldn't find them on the web page the other day. They aint cheap but will last you a lifetime. 34" & 36" drawer guides. I'd use these over anything I'd build due to the weights and reliabilty required. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10456.&filter=56782
edit to add correct link to the guideshttp://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1491&filter=9301
Edited 1/28/2008 2:44 pm ET by john7g
Yikes! $94 for a pair of slides!Hmm-mmmmm ... I'll have to give this some thought. I have personally installed and used quality drawer slides from LV and I do like them. And they work as advertised, but a couple of things are buzzing around in my gray matter.One, we plan on selling this house in a few years and we've already poured a $zillion into this bungalow. For instance, I re-wired about 90% of the house, old cast iron water pipes replaced by copper, completely re-did the basement, added a closet, new roof and so on. House is about 90 years old and the previous owner's (all of them) did absolutely nothing to bring it into the 20th century must less the 21st. So, adding more $$ into it gets me a little wound up. But, I did all the work myself so my usual $125 hourly rate was waived and will be made up in other ways, such as warm meals, smiles from my wife, freedom to watch football, you know how it goes. Ha. So, adding a few more bucks is not that big of a deal because typically, the kitchen is usually the one room that can make or break a house sale. And making the pantry truly functional would not be a bad thing at all. And I agree that slides would probably be better than my shop made idea of UHMD slides. At this point I have no idea what the weight factor would be for each drawer, but if they can handle the weight then that's probably the way to go. I may still have to utilize the casters as I originally planned.Two, this is really a double-edgded sword in that if we want to sell the house when we plan to, then everything needs to be up to snuff and having nice pantry pull-out drawers that don't pull out so well, will definitely not help. So, I'm looking at $400 just for slides for the four pull-outs. Of course, I could drop back to two drawers but I don't like that idea for reasons previously stated.Ok. You win. Thanks for the link to long slides at Rockler. My wife won't be pleased about that but I know she'll love the new pantry. Guess I could just tell her about this after the fact. That should work.Regards,
Phillip
The 36" slides you need are the Accuride 9301. Rockler sells them for $175.99/pair, but Cabinetparts.com has them for $143.82/pair.http://www.accuride.com/products/architectural/details.php?p=9301&c=heavyduty_waWhen bottom-mounted, I think they're strong enough that you wouldn't need wheels underneath also. Of course you're looking at $1,150.00 for eight of them.Maybe the wheels and guides are looking pretty good after all.Oops, make that $575.00 for eight of them.
Edited 1/29/2008 12:38 am ET by DougR
Doug,Thanks for your post.I took a close look at Cabinetparts and they do indeed sell the 9301's for $144, but that's only if you order 12 pair or more. The next lowest price is 4 pair for $155 a pair. This is still a better deal than the $176 that Rockler wants to rip you for. Anyway, that still comes to about $620 plus shipping no doubt. That's a lot of $$. Our old pantry is looking better and better as it is.I appreciate your comments and the link.
You're screwed.
The only way I can see you getting anywhere near efficient use from that pantry would be by using roll-out shelf units.
Since the shelves would be accessed from one side, I suggest narrow units, with an inside shelf depth of about 10". I also recommend that the shelves have guide rails at the top, as well as the bottom. Close the back side for rigidity, and use rabbit or dado joints there. Wire shelving for light / visibility.
Since the shelf units will fill the opening, you need to fill the inside recesses of the pantry, so there is no place for things to fall.
Ironically, I am faced with a similar situation, only in my case it's the bedroom closet. My solution is to eliminate that closet entirely, and make that space part of the kitchen! I'll even get a "pantry" of sorts out of the deal.
Reno,Thanks for your comments. I think we're pretty much on the same page: accessed from one side, roll-out units and so on. My inside depth would be 38" / 4 = 9-1/2 inches approximately. One poster pointed me to 36" slides from Rockler, not cheap, but no sense in doing a crappy job. And, I hear you about closing the back side for rigidity, but don't see how anyone could build these type of shelves without a backing?? Nothing to keep it square without the backing.And, yes, my plan (at this moment) is to build a case which will surround all the shelves on the inside of the existing pantry which will keep items from falling off while closed (great idea to keep in mind), but more importantly, the interior frame will also keep everything square and working properly. Probably I'll use 3/4" cabinet grade PW.Thanks for all the good ideas and comments.
My in-laws have a similar pantry set up. They have shelves built into the doors similar to the pic's rez posted. This helps use the space, although their back shelves are not very deep, so there is still a "dead space" between the back shelves and where the door shelves reach when closed.
Yes, I don't see any way of not wasting spaces in this project. I do think that building sliding vertical shelves may be the way to go.Thanks for your comments.
Could you change the use of the pantry all together like for longer term storage of less frequently used items? Then move the food stuffs to more convenient cabinets with in the work space.
Work would still need to be done to help accessibility but concentrate it in the cabinets.
Bill,Thanks for your comments.The pantry is the only available place in our kitchen to store canned goods. We'll just have to make the best of what we have to work with. All of our limited cabinet space is completely taken up. The one group of items that will definitely have to find a new home are long items such as brooms, mops, and the step ladder which she never uses anyway. Those won't be a problem.
Built lots of pull-outs. The 55" depth is the problem. Maybe you could frame a closet on the other side. Accuride makes a 28" #91976, or a Rockler #31797. The wheel idea may be good, with a center guide at top if you don't want to use the other side. I built these for our kitchen, using the Accurides, and they hold a lot of canned goods.
Tom,Thank you very much for your post and the picture.Your photo is what I'm seeing in my mind's eye save for the fact that mine will be about 79" in height, 36" deep, and each pull-out will be about 9.5" in width. The casters will probably be needed to help support each pull-out at full extension.Someone earlier linked me to some 36" slides from Rockler that will do the trick to finish it off, so I guess I'll have to shell out the bones for the Rockler's if I want to eat my meals on a plate rather than a bowl with Fang down in the basement.Just to be clear, the back side of this pantry is a common wall for my wife's office storage space or closet.I would like to know your spin on these tall and deep pull-outs based on your experience and what my plans are. If I'm missing something here, I'd appreciate your comments.Regards.Edited 1/28/2008 10:48 pm by PhillipB
Edited 1/28/2008 10:52 pm by PhillipB
I've never built any that taller than 3'. Why not frame the closet in two discreet levels, and put in slides with lesser loading? That way you won't have to pull everything out when you want a box of cereal.
The slides work well, and will support an enormous amount of weight. Casters will play hell with your flooring in the kitchen, so you need to get it off the floor, IMHO.
I'll continue to think on it...
Had a closet in my study that I converted for book storage. Just sheathed the rock in 1/2" ply on two walls (corner closet) built an "square" section in the corner for shelf battens, and shelved the whole thing. Stores a lot of books, and it's not as big or deep as your pantry. You could still walk in, and get a good 180 of everything in there except for the very bottom shelves, and you could use those for dish towels or something. Use one of the doors for a white board to keep your grocery list on.
Tom,Thanks for all the good ideas and suggestions. I have a few 'fundamental' questions that I hope you'll have time to respond to, time permitting, of course. These may seem mundane to you, but they keeping bumping around in my head and I would like to understand the use of slides when used for pull-outs a bit better. I have used them to build many of my shop drawers with, but I've never used them in this configuration.1. The image of your pantry pull-out appears to have a slide on the bottom in a vertical (or normal) position. The top slide appears to have a slide laying on its wide side, or not in the normal position. It was always my impression (until I saw your photo) that both top and bottom slides were being used on their sides as opposed to the way we would use them on a normal drawer. In my mind this did not make sense because they would be weaker if used flat and could easily be bent from the weight when extended fully making them inoperable. My questions are:1. Are you using the bottom slide as it was intended to be used (vertically) to support the weight?2. And, are you then using the top slide in the horizontal position to simply help guide the pull-out in its travel and prevent racking of the pull-out due to the weight?Since I found the inexpensive slides at Lee Valley http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=46578&cat=3,43614,43616(which I posted to 'All' in this thread, 200 lb, 36" for $51 / pair) I have begin to think that I could do as you suggested earlier and split the 4 tall pull-outs, that I planned to build, in half, creating 8 pull-outs. Doing so would reduce the weight considerably and may be a much better solution in the long run. Fabrication would take longer, but the end result could be more pleasing and increase functionality.Thanks for your time. P.S. Here is the other link to LV for the Accurides in case you missed my previous post.http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=45064&cat=3,51887,56079
The Accurides I used come three to a set. Two for the bottom, and one for the top. The bottom two slides support the weight and the top slide is on it's "side" and only used for a guide to keep the box from rocking out of alignment. The bottom two are installed vertically and screwed to the base of the cab, or floor, and screwed to a separate piece of ply that the box is screwed to. This is necessary as you must mount the bottom slides to the cab, screw those to the piece of mounting ply, mount the top slide RECIEVER to the cab, screw the slide to the top of the box. Then insert the box, adjust it's position, and screw through the bottom of the box to the ply insert that is holding the bottom slides.
It's really more complicated to explain than it is to do. The Accuride directions are very clear. You need 1/2" clearance on the top, and 3/4" (15/32" and 23/32" for ply) total for the design of yor boxes. Don't make'em too big, as you can always adjust. I think the directions call for at least 1/8" smaller is OK. Ply can vary in thickness, so I usually make'em smaller. Measure your stock before you cut.
1/2" Baltic birch is great for the boxes. Dado and rabbet the joints, glue and brad, and they work great. Poly for a finish.
I'd suggest making a dummy out of MDF after you strip the pantry and see if it works well for you and DW. It's cheaper than BB.
Feel free to call on me anytime, I usually check the mail three times a day.
Tom,Thanks very much for all of your excellent help in all of this. My apologies for taking so long to respond. Life has a way of bouncing us around, like it or not.Your instructions were clear enough for me. I appreciate that very much. I was a bit surprised when you noted that two slides are used at the bottom, but it makes very good sense to me now that I know a bit more, thanks to you.Again, I appreciate all of your help.
This may be good news to many of you, I least I hope so.
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=46578&cat=3,43614,43616
They also carry the Accuride 9301 as follows:
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=45064&cat=3,51887,56079
I am LV's biggest fan and customer, but this one blew me away. They may not have the 9301's that you need (note disclaimer), but at these prices some of you may see these as a steal.
Phillip
I built something like that but only one tier wide and 24 deep. I used the rubbermaid type wire racks similar to the one you would hang in on the back of a door. I was concerned about a can falling over and causing the assy to be jammed where you could not reach back in and free it.
I have a similar issue with one of the drawers in our k cabinet. We store spice bottles lying down and every once in a while we lose the combination and one becomes a big lock up, lots of jiggling to free it. It is a top drawer under counter top and they get caught on face frame.
Someone pointed that potential problem out to me so I'm making my tolerances very tight when the pull-outs are closed to keep this from ever happenig. At least, that's the plan.Thanks for the good advice.
Our pantry is only 30" deep, and designed to fit, so a little easier situation than yours. Still, I did the same as suziekitchen suggested. I didn't want to waste a bunch of space on brooms, so here's what I did:
View Image
For the shelving part I wanted separate shelves so I could see in from the top as well as the sides. Also a whole lot lighter than pulling out a bunch of joined together shelves. We have been very happy with the results - very efficient use of space, smooth & easy to use (Blum Tandem glides).
View Image
Edited 1/29/2008 10:23 pm by wrudiger
Edited 1/29/2008 10:23 pm by wrudiger
Thank you very much for your comments and the nice photos. I do like the broom pull-out. Very nice indeed.I have to say that our pantry seems very limited in real world options. I think it just has to do with the whole house in general. It's a Chicago bungalow, 90 some odd years old and the whole layout seems to scream, 'Don't change me, don't change me!' and that drives me nuts. I look at your pictures and everything seems to just fit together very nicely. If you look at the images that I have posted you may agree with what I'm saying. Or not.I really like the horizontal wire baskets that you have installed. I don't believe those would be feasible in our case, unfortunately. All of our volume is in the depth of the pantry, so our pull-outs have to be as deep as possible, and wide and deep would, I think, be too heavy which is why I'm looking hard at the vertical shelves. If I can locate wire baskets in that configuration, then I will give them some serious thought. I do agree that you can see stored items much better with the baskets.I really think that, going back to what I said above, we have to keep the 'look' of our kitchen in check with the overall theme that presently exists and as you've seen from the photos, I'll have to try and keep the louvered door look in my final design to keep the present theme as uniform as possible. Having said that, the louvered doors will lend themselves very nicely to the vertical pull-outs as opposed to the horizontal configuration.Again, thanks for your post.
Phillip,Someone has already mentioned Lee Valley Tools as a possible source for pantry hardware, so you may have already looked into this....Given the size and shape of your pantry, perhaps a combination of ideas might help you find the "ideal" solution to your problem?Here are a couple more links to Lee Valley hardware that show possibilities.http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&cat=3,43722,43723,48709&p=48709We have installed this one ourselves and the good wife is very happy with it :) – (mind you, it's not inexpensive... and the installation instructions assume that one is pretty handy figuring things out without much help... )http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&cat=3,43648,43653,43655&p=43655Finding everything they offer on their website might take some time. You can request a catalogue by sending them an emailhttps://www.leevalley.com/home/CatalogSelect.aspx?c=1 and asking for their hardware catalogue.FWIW, we have been very happy with the quality of their products.Good luck with the pantry redesign.Ted
Rockler has the Accuride 130 lb slide set on special for $66.78, 91968, and $74.39 for the longer 91976. Same ones I use.