Kickboard space usage

[ss]

Background...workspace: moved from a double heated garage to an 8x6 shed with the house move. I have several tools in the shed and this summer need to relocate in the house (rust, security etc) Although there is plenty of space spare rooms etc, wife not happy if she can see them :-(

So I was thinking of using the kickboard space under the kitchen units, I have 10`run by 2` deep of space. I am looking for ideas.

My 1st thought was making a drawer on runners faced with the kickboard facing but as the units are already in place it would be awkward to construct and fit something to take the runners. My next thought is to make the `drawers`but with wheels on them so I can just pull out and slide back.

Anyone done similar or got any other ideas for this?

[newshound]

That's what I would do. Presumably the units are on those plastic legs, so you could fit the "Terry clip" type clips to the drawer fronts if you wanted to. I'd also look at those moulded plastic storage boxes typically used for under-bed storage and see if you could find some with suitable dimensions. Being polythene, these slide quite well on most hard surfaces eliminating the need for wheels (unless you have really heavy stuff to store).

[Bob Eager]

About 50 years ago (OK, a little more) my dad did this with the space under a bunk bed [1] - about 3 inches. In our case it was for a model railway layout - we were presented with it one Christmas, completely set up and pre-wired. We wondered where it was to go, but it slid neatly underneath with the facing matching the bed.

He used thin rollers set into the underneath to gain maximum height and width (OK, the thing was over 6ft wide and wheels at the ends might not have been enough. But DIY rollers might be an option.

[1] It was a home made bunk bed. Two identical old beds, shortened legs on the bottom one and then the top one securely fastened to the flattened bedposts of the bottom one. Bottom one had already been shortened to fit another room and so a cupboard made up the difference. Shelves for railway stuff in that.

[Tim Watts]

The drawers on wheels would be my favorite - simple enough.

However you could build a ply base with timber to support runners and then slide the whole lot in as a retrofit.

You could either make the drawer fronts (of plinth material) wider than teh drawer body to overlap the worktop legs - or fix bits if plinth between the drawers to line up with the legs.

I suspect sheer weight would hold it in place - but if not, glue it down with a line of silicone near the front should be enought (and could be cut if you needed to take the assembly out).

Actually it's a really good idea.

Obviously don;t keep good tools under the sink cabinet!

[Jeremy Nicoll - news posts]

I've seen a kitchen where this is where things like baking trays and casserole dishes were kept... so don't let your wife take the space over!

If your house has mice or any other critters, be aware that stuff stored down there won't necessarily be totally clean when you next access it.

I think this is better, if only because you might need access under there anyway, eg to run cables, and there's nothing gained in having extra permanent fittings like runners to work around.

You might find your wife unhappy if the drawers (or whatever) can be accidentally kicked out of alignment so the kickplate no longer looks neat.

I've also used the shallow space under bookcases in the past (to hide wiring that had to be accessible) with the kickplate detachable - just held in place with magnetic catches.

[Dave Liquorice]

That's not a bad idea if they have lids as well, keeps the critters out. Not just furry four legged ones but eight legged as well. The Really Useful Box Co has quite a range of sizes.

The wheels were worrying me to avoid losing height they would have to be recessed into the "drawer" some how, starting to get complicated. Sliding directly on the floor might be OK if the floor is smooth not bare concrete or similar. I was thinking of thin (1/8" to 3/16") hardwood strips fixed to the floor to act as runners for a timber box. Candle wax applied to make the box slide nicely.

[Tim Watts]

Recessed - or simply mounted on the side of the drawer box...

[Dave Liquorice]

complicated.

Wheels, yes but it's getting "complicated" and costing space in the box either due to the recess or smaller drawer box. KISS ...

[meow2222]

Plastic drawers outgas too much for home use in any great size. They're also never the wanted size, not adjustable and not diyable. And dont last well. Otherwise they're ideal.

NT

[Andy Burns]

They do tend to be recessed, e.g.

but finding some that are under your 2' length might be a problem, the under-bed ones tend to be longer.

[stuart noble]

The problem with anything wide on castors is that it never seems to roll in a straight line. I'd probably split the plinth into sections, unclip them, and slide plastic bins underneath. Might need to tile the floor first There are normally several drawers in the bedroom that haven't got anything useful in them.......

[ss]

Thanks all for some nice ideas.

Mice shouldnt be a problem as I sealed the floor before the units were put in. Wheels.. as I wouldnt access too often so wheels may be the answer, I could make them out of ply and then just use a doweling rod as an axle, mount the wheels on the outside of the `box. I would only require 2 wheels per `box`at the rear and at the front just lift slightly to clear the floor and wheel out. Putting them on the outside of the box would allow me to get max height as I would only lose say 2 cms.

[Tim Watts]

You're worried about losing 3cm in width for a couple of 1cm wide wheels plus bolt?

Bolting thin wheels on the side of a box is about the simplest scheme I can think of barring teflon pads on the bottom (which might also work).

[meow2222]

Why lose any - mount each one inside the corner of the box

NT