Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 20, 2013 9:15 am Morning folks We are finally getting the ball rolling on a few things around here and had someone come and measure up for our small laundry fit out. We will use Ikea as a fall back, but thought we'd compare costs of getting one made to fit. I know there is a laundry section but wanted to post here as I need some quick responses over the weekend if possible Our laundry is only approx. 2.6m long and 2m wide..... so we will only be able to use the 2.6m wall length - and one smaller broom cabinet on the opposite wall corner (can't go cabinets all along on the opposite wall as it won't leave enough room between the two sides, but one small cupboard in the corner will be ok). Anyway, first thing is - given by the time we put in a tub at one end, and a taller linen cabinet at the other, we won't have much actual bench space, so I was considering putting the laundry tub sideways rather than lengthways (so the shorter sides would be at the front and back of bench) to save on maybe 10cm of bench space. I haven't selected the tub yet, but one I am looking at (for eg) measures 590 x 470 with a template cut out requirement of 570 x 450. Given the normal bench depth is 600mm, my cabinet maker is suggesting we deepen the bench to 650. Does anyone know if this is absolutely necessary - or can a 590 (570 cut out) fit within a 600mm deep bench top? (We are getting a CS bench top, so any shavings off the size might make a difference to the overall budget). Second thing is - the linen cabinet at the end will be between 900-950 wide (no Internal dividing panels) - and depending on the bench depth - 600 or 650 deep. I was envisioning shelves that go the full depth of the cupboard (especially as my current piddly cupboard only has shelf depth of about 380mm and I can hardly fit anything over the size of a towel on it without having to fold it over 20 times ). But the cabinet maker is suggesting depth of only about 450/480mm as he says that making them too deep is just a waste as you never use the full depth and will make it harder to reach things at the back etc. I feel strongly that I want the full bench space, but is he right? Am I shooting myself in the foot? I woke this morning wondering whether he is trying to put me off because it might be difficult to adequately support a 900/950 x 600/650mm shelf by just the sides?? (Looking in my Ikea wardrobe that is 1m long and 600mm deep, the shelves do sag a little bit ). But given they are actual cabinet makers, do they have means of adding extra support? Or should I go with narrower shelves? Looking forward to hearing some responses as I should get back to him in the next few days to finalise my requirements. Thanks in advance HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 2Jul 20, 2013 3:31 pm i would go the narrow shelves on the opposite wall is it possible to use the space by having sliding doors instead of opening doors. i went 350mm in my pantry for the reason your cabinet maker said to you and it has worked perfectly and no losing items that are shoved to the back Re: Laundry Cabinetry 3Jul 20, 2013 3:56 pm Thanks 1Rocky. Although, I can see the reasoning for narrower shelves in a pantry - with smaller items being shuffled around and potentially shoved to the back/harder to reach. But in my mind, the same doesn't really apply for larger things like towels, sheets etc (primarily, this will be a linen cupboard - but yes, probably some shelves will have other uses for smaller items). Maybe a compromise, half the shelves full depth - half narrower (higher shelves perhaps) ?? As long as the full depth ones can be supported properly . Thanks again - and looking forward to hearing from others with any input. ETA - Oh, re the sliding doors on the other side - I like your thinking . Total width of laundry is 1.8m - and I hadn't thought of sliding doors - so thank you for that idea. It's definitely something I will give some thought to. But with 600mm cupboards on one side, and possibly 400mm on the other (any narrower probably not worth the trouble - this would only leave 800mm walkway - might be tight?? And given I need one small tall cupboard on that side (broom cupboard), the entire section would need to be high to allow for the sliding doors. Might be OK though for things like ironing board and drying racks and washing basket etc. Hmmm.... will give this more thought. (Although just remembered, we have the manhole on that side too, so can't have tall cupboards going too far along as we won't be able to get into the manhole... but might be able to do 1000mm long instead of my initial 450mm broom cupboard). Do you think 800mm is ok for the gap between the two cupboards? HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 4Jul 20, 2013 4:39 pm i think 800mm is fine. our laundry is approx the size of yours but i have a large storage area as well. the shelves in this storage area are 440mm and fit all sorts of things from baskets to tubs and suitcases are on the top shelves. to give you an idea along one wall i have 800mm which comfortably fits washing machine then a 110mm bench which sits a deep laundry sink which is 65mm under this is cupboards and above shelves which are 400mm in width this is perfectly functioning for me and is big enough for washing the dogs as well. i have the storage room opposite which is approx 2.5m x 2.5m here is a pic of the storage area Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ and our laundry bench before the sink went in Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ measuring our walkway width where washing machine is 800mm width and other area just over i walk through fine Re: Laundry Cabinetry 5Jul 20, 2013 6:47 pm Thanks again 1rocky. The idea of sliding doors on a cupboard opposite is growing on me. My only constraints will be a) sliding doors require more allowance for each door to slide in front of/behind the other - so this will cut into any actual shelf space that I can have (which will already be narrow on that side). But, as long as it can fit the vacuum, ironing board, mop bucket, brooms and possibly the drying rack - which I think might be do-able - I'll be happy. (And my laundry fit out is already 'growing legs' so need to keep it within budget also). The other restraint is making sure we can still access the manhole - which I have asked DH to check. Gap between this cupboard and edge of bench opposite (not factoring in that washing machine will stick out further ) will be between 750-800mm depending on depth of cupboards . But, given I don't need to actually walk through (no doorway at other end), and it's not like I will be spending a lot of time in there like you do in a kitchen - I will just be in and out of cupboards throwing things in the tub or washing machine etc (and, the washing machine will be closer to the end where there won't be any cupboards opposite).... then it might be do-able. Need to mull it all over a bit more and sleep on it. Thanks so much for your helpful input. Still keen to hear from others regarding depth of shelves in a 600/650mm deep tall primarily linen cupboard - and whether deeper/wider bench is required for a 590 depth (570 cut out) laundry tub. HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 6Jul 20, 2013 7:10 pm You could also have folding doors (i.e. each door is halfed and folds unto itself like a V (passage would then be where the bottom of the V is - in other words, the V is when the doors are open and seen from above). If connected to a rail, you can slide it to the side and it thereby folds (i.e. no "flapping about"). Re: Laundry Cabinetry 7Jul 20, 2013 7:13 pm I forgot about the depth of the things. With a depth of 60cm or thereabouts, I wouldn't have shelving, I would have internal drawers instead. If that's not feasable prisewise, I would make the shelves shallower. 480mm is the very maximum, and I would personally prefer something around the 380-400mm mark. Re: Laundry Cabinetry 8Jul 20, 2013 9:14 pm Hi Danois Thank you for your input. Another great idea, but I think the sliding doors would work better in our situation - wouldn't encroach at all into the walking space. But it is a great space saving idea so thanks for throwing it in there. As for the depth, we currently have 370mm deep shelves (inside a 400mm cupboard) and I don't find these anywhere deep enough for anything other than small items (tea towels, bath towels, possibly even sheets) - but blankets and some other larger items - forget it. I had to buy a wardrobe for our bedroom to house the larger items but ideally, I want them to go back to this cupboard if we can manage it. So I might be able to consider 480mm (as my minimum) but no way I could go less. My only question is - at 900/950mm wide, will there be enough support for deeper shelving without sagging? We could consider baskets, but not sure i am 'sold' on that concept for what we are after. Thanks again Danois.... all food for thought. HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 9Jul 20, 2013 9:49 pm It's a matter of building/getting the drawers to be able to support the weight. In a pinch, you can have thin/narrow lengths of wood underneath the shelving to counter the weight. It's not difficult to do. Now, with the idea of internal drawers, you could easily do this, as the drawers themselves are much stronger than a shelf, due to a drawer being a box. In any case, with shelving that big, I would go for (thick) solid wood (perhaps laminated) and not mdf or particle boards - the latter being the worst of the three, but strips of wood going length-wise will take most of the stress. Make sure the strip is "tall", because the width doesn't matter much, the taller it is, the better it will resist bending and thus hold of the shelves better. If going that route, use at least two for your depth. fasten them with glue and screws, not nails. Make sure the ends are screwed in, as that is where the most force is "applied". If you're using two strips, have the same spacing from the front and back as you have between them. Doing so will allow for the most support. If your shelves will be far apart, and thus carry more weight individually (taller stacks of linen, obviously), either consider more shelves, or strengthen the shelves with more strips. In other words, a shelf with not much room above may only need a single strip, whereas one with, say 80cm above it, filled with sheets and duvet covers may need four or five and be pretty tall ("tall" as in "standing proud of the underside of the shelf"). Re: Laundry Cabinetry 10Jul 26, 2013 12:10 am I may have misunderstood, but if he's suggesting a 60cm deep cupboard with 45cm deep shelves - that's ridiculous! If the whole cupboard is 48cm deep you get the extra space in the room, but if you have space (15cm!?) b/n front of shelves & cupboard door, that's real wasted space! If you're storing towels & sheets you can fold them to fit the depth, or even like, store the winter ones at the back for example. If you have lots of little things you could get boxes - say 2 at the back & 2 at the front, so if you need something from the back, just take out the front box & pull the back one forward. Alternatively if you go with a cupboard that's deeper than the shelves you can get various baskets & shelves that fix to the inside of the cupboard door - like spice racks but there is a variety of larger baskets available - they would be great for storing pre-wash spray, pillow slips, face-washers etc. Re: Laundry Cabinetry 11Jul 29, 2013 7:25 pm I hear ya Kylie. And agree. We actually just had the cabinet maker around again to get final drawings and measurements and we have agreed to have 600mm shelves in the 600 deep cupboards. At first I was concerned that he was trying to sell the narrow shelves to me due to them perhaps being 'flimsy' and not withholding too much weight. But he assures me it is purely ergonomics and having them deeper is not an issue for him. (I can understand perhaps for a pantry where you are shuffling small items around - but for a linen cupboard, I want to make use of the entire depth of cupboard. Like you said Kylie, can fold things to suit and/or have two piles or boxes etc - just like I have in my 'temporary' 600mm deep linen cupboard in my bedroom). Anyway, all sorted - he said he will get back to us tomorrow with a quote, so I'm really looking forward to getting this sorted and underway (along with my deck which starts this week, so that will be two major projects long overdue and underway). He initially gave me a ball park figure and I am very happy with it (given we will be having CS bench top) - so if the final quote does not stray too far from the ball park, we will be happy. Oh, and Danois, I wanted to say that we have gone with a sliding door cupboard on the other side and am thrilled that you gave us this as an idea as I never would have thought of it. It will give us a 1200mm long cupboard instead of the original planned 450mm. We intend to use it for the vacuum cleaner, mop bucket, brooms/mops etc, the washing basket and the drying racks. If it all fits in as intended, it will be perfect to house all those utility items. Thanks again guys..... appreciate the feedback and input. Will keep you posted. HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 12Jul 29, 2013 11:57 pm How Hard Can it Be Oh, and Danois, I wanted to say that we have gone with a sliding door cupboard on the other side and am thrilled that you gave us this as an idea as I never would have thought of it. It will give us a 1200mm long cupboard instead of the original planned 450mm. We intend to use it for the vacuum cleaner, mop bucket, brooms/mops etc, the washing basket and the drying racks. If it all fits in as intended, it will be perfect to house all those utility items. Thanks, but I think you will find it's 1rocky you need to thank for that idea Re: Laundry Cabinetry 13Jul 30, 2013 9:42 am Danois How Hard Can it Be Oh, and Danois, I wanted to say that we have gone with a sliding door cupboard on the other side and am thrilled that you gave us this as an idea as I never would have thought of it. It will give us a 1200mm long cupboard instead of the original planned 450mm. We intend to use it for the vacuum cleaner, mop bucket, brooms/mops etc, the washing basket and the drying racks. If it all fits in as intended, it will be perfect to house all those utility items. Thanks, but I think you will find it's 1rocky you need to thank for that idea Yes, you're right. My apologies Danois - and my humble apologies 1rocky..... 1rocky i would go the narrow shelves on the opposite wall is it possible to use the space by having sliding doors instead of opening doors. Thanks 1rocky..... as mentioned, we are going with this idea (subject to final quote) and am thrilled that it has given us much more cupboard space. Given it will have doors, it won't be able to house the laundry basket etc, but it will fit the dirty clothes basket and the ironing board and clothes rails and all those other bits and pieces out of the way. Very happy. (Might be a bit tight for space, but it's not like I 'work' in there as you do in a kitchen, I really just need to get in and out - and occasionally load/unload the washing machine . Anyway, as I said, will keep you posted as it unfolds. HHCIB Re: Laundry Cabinetry 14Jul 30, 2013 7:43 pm thanks hhcib looking forward to seeing how your laundry comes together Agreed. I just found out today the certifier has not given the final sign off. 2 4072 Hey all, Hoping for some inspiration for my bathroom laundry combo. The tiles are in good condition, as is the bathtub. I’ve given it a coat of white paint and added… 0 14104 Move your linen into laundry and access laundry from your present linen space 1 7998 |