Questions on alcove storage design

samforward

I'm playing around with a design for alcove storage. I'm thinking about 19mm oak faced ply for doors and trim, and 18mm birch plywood for a carcass. The exterior frame is visible, but the doors are flush as per the 1st image.

By the way, if you see an issue with how the carcass is designed please let me know, I'm not an expert!

I haven't tried something like this before, so I just want to make sure it would work. I believe I could achieve it with a inset hinge on the right, then overlay hinges on the central pillars, as per 2nd image. The central pillars are recessed back to allow the doors to be flush.

Is there any issue you can see with mixing up the types of hinges in this way?

Unrelated question - it will have a plinth underneath. Behind that I could go with cheap cabinet legs, or a wooden frame. I'm inclined to go with the legs as they are cheaper and more easily adjusted for uneven floor. Would this be a bad idea?

Thanks in advance.

FreeBear

Look up concealed hinges (as used on kitchen cabinets). These would work on all three doors.

twopenny

The doors are set inside the carcass in your picture when usually they are on the outside.

You would need to allow narrower spacing of the shelves possibly to allow for the door being opened.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6664911/questions-on-alcove-storage-design

Hi Sam.

Wouldn't inset hinges, as fitted to kitchen cabinet doors, suit all three of your doors? It would require only for additional strips of 18mm ply to be attached to the insides of the LH and RH panels, set the required 19mm in from the front edge. These strips would need to be wide enough to take the hinge mounting plates - say 100mm.

On that point, you could lose the whole-depth double thickness of the central panels if you wanted, and just have 100mm strips there too.

NB, your idea to inset these doors is going to require some very precise cutting. Very...

18mm ply is strong stuff, but does leave an exposed edge which might not be to your taste. It's also very hard to saw without leaving a chipped edge, and this, too, is going to be obvious. Do you have plans to 'lip' these edges, including those of the centre panels?

Could 18mm MDF be an alternative? If would still need presumably oak lipping on the outside frame, but the insides could all be painted.

As for the underframe, it'll depend on where you will be installing this, and how 'fixed'. If a fixed installation, I'd be inclined to make a timber frame to support the unit, or just use the same material as the cabinet body - cut strips of the 18mm material in the required, plinth height, width, and use this.

You'll also need to finish the edges of the oak-veneered doors to make them aesthetically acceptable when open.

Have you used ply, inc veneered, before? A 'mare...

samforward

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81969927#Comment_81969927

Yes, that's the purpose of my question. I wanted to achive the look of having an exterior frame visible, but the doors flush without seeing the vertical panels within the carcass. Whether that's achievable or I'm just making life very difficult for myself is another matter!

twopenny

I think the answer is - both 🙂

But I've seen it done, somewhere, some time ago I believe.

You just need slightly narrower shelves inside to allow for the swing of the door.

You will also need a horizontal piece to keep the doors from swinging inward on closing unless you have hinges that limit the swing. Might be worth asking a carpenter if for a tenner/twenty he would give you the information you need and save yourself a lot of hassle.

It's going to be keeping the doors exactly neat and in line with regular usage that's important.

samforward

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970041#Comment_81970041

Thank you for the detailed reply!

Definitely noted though on using strips for the central instead of full length panels - that will save a lot on material.

Unless i'm completely misunderstanding, I thought inset hinges would show off the carcass frame. That is what I want for the exterior frame (which will be a visible rectangle of birch ply edging - see images underneath), but I wanted to hide the central panels so the doors are flush with each other.

If I used an inset hinge on the central panel, it would be like the image on the right above, showing off the central panel. Please correct me if i'm wrong! That's also why I've got doubled up central panels, because each door extends over the thickness of 1x18mm ply board. Going from right to left:

• Right-hand-side door is inset. Therefore it starts just after the cabinet side and ends on top of the first 36mm central panel, hiding half of it.

• Middle door is overlay/full - so it begins over the central panel strip and extends again to the 36mm central panel strip, hiding half of it.

• I've just realised I was wrong on the left door - it would have to open from the other direction to make sure it doesn't hide the left cabinet wall, it's also inset just like the right-hand-side door.

I've only built this type of thing from MDF before, not ply, and never used veneer, so I definite heed your advice about it being much more tricky. I could build from oak faced MDF, but the birch plywood ends was part of the appeal. So, could do everything in MDF except the carcass which shows off the plywood edging.

This was my inspiration - obviously a lot simpler with 2 doors!

samforward

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970277#Comment_81970277

Thank you! I should have shared the below image, as inspiration of what i'm going for. I think i'll definitely take WIAWSNB's advice and use MDF where I can, including the doors themselves which could be oak faced ply with iron on edging. I'll also reduce the depth of the central panels.

Your comment on the 'horizontal piece to keep the doors from swinging inwards' - won't this be accounted for by the central panels? See my reply to WIAWSNB above with more detail - but basically each door ends over the top of an 18mm central panel.

ChilliBob

We had someone build something similar for us, from MDF. I'd say aside from the design and hinge choices etc, how straight are your walls? - Ours are pretty good, but still it required some scribing to get it to sit in without being too gappy - and some filler to make it seem 'inbuilt' this was fine for us, as ours are painted. With natural wood it's something to factor into it I feel - as wood filler never looks like proper wood (mostly!), I guess you could fill and paint the filler like the walls, but yeah, just wanted to mention it!

samforward

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970305#Comment_81970305

Thanks! I presume not that straight, as it's a 1930s house. We move in in a week, I'm just too excited to wait before starting Sketchup!

I'd have to make the carcass sightly smaller than the width of the alcove, and use trim. See my reply above with the inspiration image that shows what I'd likely do.

ChilliBob

Ah yeah, likewise 1930s. I mean it's not like a cottage or something where the walls are out like 20cm from top to bottom, but I think with most houses you'll find some form of it. Interestingly we found when fitting shutters the reveals were all narrower in the middle - basically plasterer must have a technique that leaves more material in the middle!

Our units are high enough that matching skirting was put in front which joins the bay window skirting, which is a nice look to add to the 'built in' vibe.