The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Built In Cabinets And Storage Walls

The width between uprights depends, as does depth and height, upon the articles to be stored. Very rarely, however, are articles greater in width than 30" and this dimension is about right for almost all purposes. Heavy articles such as books, china, stacked magazines and records are very apt to cause shelves constructed of standard 3/4" thick lumber to sag if the width is greater than 30" and the shelves are supported at the ends alone. If, for purposes of design or special storage requirements, long shelves are wanted, they should be supported by intermediate cantilever brackets. These are available in adjustable types with standards that fasten to the back wall. Examples of these brackets are illustrated in the drawings of fixtures. It should be remembered, however, that too few uprights may reduce the rigidity of the cabinet or enclosing structure.

Three types of doors are available for use with built-ins. The conventional hinged door has several advantages. The back can be used to hold racks, hooks or a mirror, and it can open the full width of the storage space at once. Its disadvantage is that it requires space to swing in. Sliding doors require no space to swing in, but they do not disclose the entire opening unless they slide into a pocket or unless there is an adjacent compartment closed by a separate door which will supply enough by-passing trackage for the door to slide clear. If there are separate compartments in the built-in, the sliding panels should be arranged so that the entire width of the compartment is accessible when the door is open. In the first sketch shown here, with three compartments closed by two sliding doors, one half the center compartment is always difficult to reach. In the second sketch, showing two compartments closed by three sliding panels, one-third of each compartment is always hard to get at. In both of these cases each compartment should have its own door. The backs of sliding doors cannot be used for any purpose.

Accordion-type doors are used chiefly on walk-in closets where there is not room for a hinged door to swing and where there is no pocket for a sliding door or no adjacent panel for it to by-pass. These folding doors take up from about 4" to 6" when they are open.