Before you rush into things about installing new doors for your kitchen cabinet, stop for a moment and consider a few options at hand. Regarding swing doors for kitchen cabinets, they aren’t the most suitable choices when it comes to different types of spaces.
Because there are lots of choices to take into consideration, kitchen cabinet slide back doors might be the right choice for you. So, let’s learn more about it in this post.
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What is a slide back door for the kitchen cabinet?
A slide back door is a special kind of sliding door that disappears into a single compartment when completely open in the adjoining wall. Slide back doors are usually used for structural impact. Or, they are installed when there isn’t enough room for the swing that comes from a hinged door.
There is no denying that slide-back doors are unique and if you aren’t familiar with this type, maybe you should know more about them. When you open the cabinet, the rotary doors slide outward. Next, they are glided backward in the lateral pocket.
This is how they get their name. When you install slide back doors, it helps you get access to the space comfortably. It is a space-efficient system that is gaining a lot of traction these days. Because slide back doors are known for their space-saving ability, they are great for a kitchen with small space.
As you know, a tiny kitchen can’t accommodate a swinging cabinet door properly. Hence, you can find them in most kitchens these days. Apart from that, they offer a lot of advantages both in terms of functionality and appearance. Slide back doors for kitchen cabinets are mostly used to conceal storage areas and appliances.
Behind the slide back doors, you can have small shelves or pull-out drawers. The best part is that you can make the kitchen cabinet look stylish while keeping things uncluttered and organized in the right way. When you hide items related to your kitchen, you can create an inviting and cozy ambiance.
Kitchen cabinet slide back doors: Pros and Cons
Pros –
1. Clearance and adequate space
In a normal kitchen cabinet setup, the swinging doors consume a lot of space. Moreover, they come into the restricted clearance space made available. That way, they take a few more square feet.
2. Convenience
The kitchen looks broader when equipped with slide back doors for the cabinet. That way, the kitchen can accommodate more people.
3. Aesthetics
Most homeowners these days opt for cabinet slide back doors because they are elegant and have a simplified look.
Cons –
1. Accessibility
These kinds of doors are tough to handle for people with arthritis.
2. Functionality
The common issue that people face with these doors is that they tend to fall off the tracks and are problematic to lock. Sometimes, they make noises when rolled as well.
What are its functions?
Kitchen cabinet slide back doors improve the visual appearance of your kitchen among other features. Here are the primary features that you should know.
- Saves a lot of kitchen space
- Easy and quick access
- Sleek and stylish
- Durable
- Cheaper compared to hinged doors
- Multiple applications
How big should it be?
Slide back door dimensions depend on the size of the door opening of the kitchen cabinet. Also, the measurement is based on the width of the studs that you will put in the wall and on the wall area where you need to install the frame.
Find out the size of the single door or the two double doors that you use for this purpose. Besides, you can find standard door widths between 24 and 32 inches. Now, double the width of the door to find out the wall space where the pocket door frame will be installed.
For example, you will need 48 inches to install the frame if you use a 24-inch pocket door. In the same way, for a 32-inch pocket door, you will need 64 inches to install the frame. When you intend to use double doors, multiply the width of a single door and then multiply the result again by two.
However, if you are installing double slide doors, you have to consider how the two doors will fit on the cabinet. That way, pay attention to whether the doors will slide past each on separate tracks or meet in the middle. Furthermore, it is always wise to leave such things to an expert rather than experimenting on your own.
How to design it the right way?
Pocket cabinet doors make use of four tracks on which the doors can slide on. So, begin with placing the bottom tracks and then continue with the top tracks. However, depending on the hardware, you may need to place them away from the sides of the cabinet. Consult with an expert to ensure that you have placed the tracks against the inner part of the cabinet.
And the back of the track should lie against the backside of the cabinet. Also, it will depend on the hardware you bought from the store. Next, drill a series of holes on these tracks and affix them in the right places alongside the wooded screws. Besides, if you want a stronger bind, you can use wood glue in smaller amounts to these holes.
Now, place all the tracks into the cabinet. Moreover, you can use single cabinet doors based on the cabinet’s size. Now it is time for the cabinet doors to get going. The cabinet doors will move smoothly because of the wheels placed underneath them, where each one of them will have two wheels.
Again, depending on the hardware, the wheels come with a bracket that you need to fit along the top and bottom left corner of the doors. When it comes to a 2-door system, they should be placed on the bottom and top right of the other door.
To put the wheels on the track, you need to lightly tilt the door. Slide the doors all way back and forth to make sure that it has a smooth movement. In addition, these wheels have an in build lock that prevents them from getting pulled far away.
