The day started slowly with me wondering if I would be able to get the corner wall unit in place as this one is the key to the rest of the wall units. Lifting the box out of the garage made me wonder all the more. It was okay to lift when it was in a nice compact box but fully assembled; therefore bulky and stretching across the base units to hang it on the wall would be a different story.
I built it then measured where the screws would go into the wall, determined to give it a go at least, and then went for a test-hanging. I got one of the screws into the hole on the cabinet but the other screw, which is on a plasterboard stud wall, got knocked and disappeared into the cavity. I retreated but was sure that if I could get the cupboard onto the disappearing screw hole I would be able to get it on the wall. I tried again with the fixing this time on the shelf, hung it on the secure screw and held it against the wall with my chest while inserting and tightening the cavity screw. I was shaking and sweating by the end but I did manage to get the cupboard attached to both screws enough to tighten them and secure it to the wall. It did take a few goes of undoing and redoing the fixings to get it level but the walls aren’t at right angles so it stuck out a fair bit on the fridge wall.
Relieved I moved on to the wall cabinet on the cooker wall which was a lot easier as it is only a thin cupboard and I could clamp it in place on the corner unit before making the holes and fixing it to the wall.
It was at this stage that I thought that I would like to see the cupboard doors and shelves in place as well as the wall units because unlike the base units they would need no further work. I have got to say that I’m impressed. I like them a lot.
The narrow cupboard the other side of the corner unit went up easily enough even if it is about a centimetre further back on the wall than the corner unit because the walls aren’t at right angles. I should be able disguise that with subtle adjustment of the cupboard doors.
Moving on to the cabinet above the extractor fan and I made the unit up in record time – it is tiny compared to the others! I got that on the wall and thought I’d finish the day by installing the extractor itself. I have gone for a carbon filter rather than running ducting for a full exhaust system for reasons of cost, space and ease of installation. I got it out of the box and saw that it hangs on the wall by one of those “big hole at the bottom for the screw head to go in and then drop it onto the screw” affairs. This was all fine except that immediately above the extractor I had just installed the cabinet. D’oh! So I removed that cabinet, hung the extractor and plugged it in. All worked fine except I noticed that the hole in the back was drawing in air at the same time as the underneath so plonking the cabinet back on top would deny it the airflow. I had to cut a hole in the base of the cabinet anyway for the electric supply so then I drilled a series of holes into the base of the cabinet to give it the airflow. I now have to remember when I am putting stuff into the cupboard not to block those holes. Poor design.
I hope this will mean that I can cook fish in future without the house smelling fishy for a couple of days! The old extractor only worked when I first moved in but my dad tried to replace the filters one day and shorted the whole thing so I haven’t had an extractor since 2003. It will be nice to have a good one as the old one was just a grease trap.
One piece of bad news today was that I only one of the planned pair of friends can come over tomorrow to help. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to the beer and curry afterwards but Brian will be here and it will be good to have another capable pair of hands to help with the worktops and the wall cabinets, which I’m sure, will take half the time with two people.
So at the end of today I have got four wall cabinets in place and the cooker extractor. I probably could have got the final three cabinets in place if I hadn’t affixed the doors and shelves but I’m glad I did because it is giving me a good idea of what the whole place will look like when it is finished and, although I say it myself, it’s going to look bloody good!
Given that tomorrow I will have company and am going to go out for beer and curry I doubt that I'll be blogging. Thursday will be blog day when I hope to report on worktops, sink, wall cupboards, oven and hob. It's a tall order, I know, but I hope to take Friday off completely. I don't mind fiddling about over the weekend but I have got to have all of these components in place by Monday when I am back at work and hopefully going shopping for fresh vegetables to cook on the new hob with something nice and home-made. Never thought I'd say it but I am getting pretty sick of takeaway food now and can't wait for some proper grub!
I built it then measured where the screws would go into the wall, determined to give it a go at least, and then went for a test-hanging. I got one of the screws into the hole on the cabinet but the other screw, which is on a plasterboard stud wall, got knocked and disappeared into the cavity. I retreated but was sure that if I could get the cupboard onto the disappearing screw hole I would be able to get it on the wall. I tried again with the fixing this time on the shelf, hung it on the secure screw and held it against the wall with my chest while inserting and tightening the cavity screw. I was shaking and sweating by the end but I did manage to get the cupboard attached to both screws enough to tighten them and secure it to the wall. It did take a few goes of undoing and redoing the fixings to get it level but the walls aren’t at right angles so it stuck out a fair bit on the fridge wall.
Relieved I moved on to the wall cabinet on the cooker wall which was a lot easier as it is only a thin cupboard and I could clamp it in place on the corner unit before making the holes and fixing it to the wall.
It was at this stage that I thought that I would like to see the cupboard doors and shelves in place as well as the wall units because unlike the base units they would need no further work. I have got to say that I’m impressed. I like them a lot.
The narrow cupboard the other side of the corner unit went up easily enough even if it is about a centimetre further back on the wall than the corner unit because the walls aren’t at right angles. I should be able disguise that with subtle adjustment of the cupboard doors.
Moving on to the cabinet above the extractor fan and I made the unit up in record time – it is tiny compared to the others! I got that on the wall and thought I’d finish the day by installing the extractor itself. I have gone for a carbon filter rather than running ducting for a full exhaust system for reasons of cost, space and ease of installation. I got it out of the box and saw that it hangs on the wall by one of those “big hole at the bottom for the screw head to go in and then drop it onto the screw” affairs. This was all fine except that immediately above the extractor I had just installed the cabinet. D’oh! So I removed that cabinet, hung the extractor and plugged it in. All worked fine except I noticed that the hole in the back was drawing in air at the same time as the underneath so plonking the cabinet back on top would deny it the airflow. I had to cut a hole in the base of the cabinet anyway for the electric supply so then I drilled a series of holes into the base of the cabinet to give it the airflow. I now have to remember when I am putting stuff into the cupboard not to block those holes. Poor design.
I hope this will mean that I can cook fish in future without the house smelling fishy for a couple of days! The old extractor only worked when I first moved in but my dad tried to replace the filters one day and shorted the whole thing so I haven’t had an extractor since 2003. It will be nice to have a good one as the old one was just a grease trap.
One piece of bad news today was that I only one of the planned pair of friends can come over tomorrow to help. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to the beer and curry afterwards but Brian will be here and it will be good to have another capable pair of hands to help with the worktops and the wall cabinets, which I’m sure, will take half the time with two people.
So at the end of today I have got four wall cabinets in place and the cooker extractor. I probably could have got the final three cabinets in place if I hadn’t affixed the doors and shelves but I’m glad I did because it is giving me a good idea of what the whole place will look like when it is finished and, although I say it myself, it’s going to look bloody good!
Given that tomorrow I will have company and am going to go out for beer and curry I doubt that I'll be blogging. Thursday will be blog day when I hope to report on worktops, sink, wall cupboards, oven and hob. It's a tall order, I know, but I hope to take Friday off completely. I don't mind fiddling about over the weekend but I have got to have all of these components in place by Monday when I am back at work and hopefully going shopping for fresh vegetables to cook on the new hob with something nice and home-made. Never thought I'd say it but I am getting pretty sick of takeaway food now and can't wait for some proper grub!
