The supporting facilities of kitchen cabinets mainly include basins, faucets, stoves, range hoods and hardware, etc. The style and quality of these facilities directly affect the decorative effect and performance of kitchen cabinets.
1. Basin
The basins on the market are mainly made of artificial stone and stainless steel.
1) Artificial stone basin: beautiful appearance, high strength, acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, matching with the table style, but heavy.
2) Stainless steel water basin: Made of demagnetized stainless steel, the surface has mirror, matte, matte and other treatment effects. It feels comfortable, has good wear resistance, is not easy to corrode, is light, has a decorative effect, and has a long service life.
At present, the more popular style of kitchen cabinets is the “Mother and Child Sink”, which is composed of two conjoined basins, one large and one small, suitable for washing different vegetables and tableware. There is usually a storage table between or on the edge of the water basin, which is convenient for placing items.
Pay attention to the installation method when choosing a basin. The basin made of artificial stone can be integrated with the countertop, and bacteria have nowhere to breed.
It is best to install the stainless steel water basin under the counter, because there will be no water seepage and glue opening, and it is easy to clean.
2. Faucets
Kitchen faucets are made of stainless steel, copper or copper electroplated bright surface, matte chrome and white paint, etc. The types are all single-handed faucets, but the opening and closing methods are slightly different. Single-handle-operated faucets usually have hot and cold water flowing out of one faucet: those with two handle switches have a single pipeline that mixes hot and cold water and then discharges the water. The most critical part of the faucet is the material of the valve core. Currently, there are three types of valve cores for faucets that are popular in the market: steel ball valve, ceramic valve and scroll valve. Among them, the quality and performance of the steel ball valve are better.
Many people choose a long handle faucet in the kitchen. Because of the long arm of the long-handled faucet, the switch is very labor-saving. When you are cooking, you often have oil, detergent, etc. in your hand. Sometimes you still hold vegetables and dishes that are being washed in your hand. At this time, you can use the back of your hand or wrist to open and close. faucet.
When choosing a faucet, pay attention to matching with the water basin. The faucet must be able to adjust the angle and water flow.
3. Stove
Stoves can be divided into single-eye, double-eye, three-eye, four-eye, and five-eye stoves according to the style; they can be divided into table-top type and embedded type according to the installation method; Gas stoves are divided into gas and natural gas, and electric stoves include electric stoves, electric ceramic stoves, halogen stoves, and induction stoves. The gas stove is characterized by fast heating and is suitable for Chinese cooking. People who are accustomed to Western cooking can choose stoves such as electric stoves.
Stove surface materials generally include enamel enamel, stainless steel and tempered glass, etc. Surface material factors should be considered when choosing a stove. Some glass stoves are of poor quality and prone to bursting. It is best to choose products with “CCC” certification, whose quality is guaranteed.
4. Smoke machine
Smoke machines are divided into Chinese style and European style. The Chinese-style hood is designed with a hanging oil cup. The oil fume is directly discharged outdoors from the air duct through the fan motor, so the air volume is relatively large and the smoke exhaust effect is good. The appearance of the European-style hood is flue-type, and the hood has an activated carbon filter design and a cleaning indicator. When the light is on, remove the filter and clean it with a soft brush. The oil fume is first filtered by the filter to ensure the cleanliness of the inside of the hood and the exhaust pipe, and the exhaust air volume is smaller than that of the Chinese style hood. The advantage of the European-style hood is that it has a simple and stylish appearance, but the ability to extract oil fumes is not high, so it is not suitable for cooking and frying; the advantage of the Chinese-style hood is that it has a good smoke exhaust effect. The choice of a European-style hood or a Chinese-style hood is mainly based on your eating habits. If you often cook at home and you choose a European-style hood, you will have to endure the intrusion of oily fumes in the future. If you choose a Chinese-style hood, pay attention to the distance between the hood and the flue should not exceed 2m, otherwise it will affect the smoke exhaust effect.
5. Hardware
At home, kitchen cabinets are used much more frequently than other furniture. Cabinet doors and drawers are opened dozens of times a day. Withstood the severe test of high temperature, high humidity, and smoke in the kitchen cooking process, it can be said that the safety and durability of kitchen cabinets are directly related to the quality of hardware.
(1) Common kitchen cabinet hardware. Common kitchen cabinet hardware includes hinges and handle hinges used on cabinet doors; supports (replica door accessories) used on hanging cabinets; bottoms, slides, knife and fork trays, partitions, etc. Various pull baskets such as table pull baskets, corner pull baskets, and cabinet pull baskets; basic hardware such as cabinet support feet, countertop connectors, countertop water retaining strips, cabinet connectors, and cabinet hanging parts. The functional characteristics of some kitchen cabinet hardware are as follows:
1) Drawer (metal): The slide rail is required to be light and free, open and pull silently, and the ball material is steel ball
2) Basket pull: There are many varieties, different shapes and complete functions. Silent slide rails are required, the metal frame is specially treated, and it is not easy to corrode and rust
3) Support: open freely, silent, can stay at any angle
4) Hinges, handles, dumpling chains: high-quality products, no rust
(2) Distinguishing the quality of kitchen cabinet hardware. Home improvement owners can judge the performance of hardware through experience and appearance inspection.
Generally speaking, kitchen cabinets of well-known brands will choose high-quality hardware.
