- 8 items you need to know before buying a wooden kitchen
Kitchens from wood are highly appreciated for many advantages:
- Nobility and "warmth" of wood texture;
- The ability to beautifully age;
- Durability with proper care;
- Possibility of restoration;
- Naturalness;
- Great variation in the design of facades.
However, for those who are planning to buy a wooden kitchen set, it is necessary to bear in mind the cons and the peculiarities, the nuances of choosing such furniture - we collected them in a small reference for the buyer.
8 items you need to know before buying a wooden kitchen
At once it is necessary to specify, that the concept of "kitchen from a tree" conditionally means only partially wooden kitchens. After all, in them most of the array are made only facades, and the frame is made of MDF, laminated chipboard or plywood.
See also: Guide for choosing a wooden countertop
1. The tree is capricious and expensive
Here to such minuses you need to be ready:
.- Since wood is susceptible to sunlight, facades can change the tone over time.
- Due to the sensitivity of the tree to moisture and temperature extremes, the facades can dry up and become covered with small cracks. Therefore, all year round, including in the heating season, should maintain a relative humidity of about 60-75%, for example, using an air humidifier. During cooking, you must use the hood (it should be a powerful and desirable dome).
- Kitchen facades made of wood require care and careful attitude - rubbing of scratches, lubrication from time to time with water repellent wax or oil.
- Kitchens from solid wood almost always cost more than kitchens with facades made of MDF.
- Doors made of wood are made in standard sizes and shapes (can not be rounded).
2. Wooden facades are not always completely wooden
Kitchen fronts can be of two types of construction:
- Shielded- when the doors are made of a solid shield (we'll talk about them a little more below);
- The Framework- Such doors consist of a wooden frame into which a panel of veneered MDF or chipboard is inserted. Also, the central part can be glass.
Which facades are better - framework or integral? There is no unambiguous answer, because the quality and strength are the same for them, the difference is only in appearance.
The solid facade looks laconic, and focuses attention on texture and woodwork, so more fit in the interior of modern cuisine in the style of minimalism, high-tech, Scandinavian, etc. And it's easier to take care of them.
Frame facades are more suitable for traditional interiors in classical style, Provence, Shebi chic, country, Art Deco, etc. They can have a variety of decor - from threading to patination.
3. The facades are not made from a solid massif, but from an eurobeam or veneered MDF / chipboard
In series production, panel doors are rarely made of a solid array because of its high cost, labor costs and unpredictability in operation. Therefore, you should not risk and order such a kitchen from private masters - even though it is really traditional and beautiful, in time it can "lead".
Furniture factories most often make the facades of a fused tree (eurobrus), that is, from shields assembled from dried wooden bars. And this not only reduces the price of furniture, but also makes it more wear-resistant.
4. The secret of a long-lasting kitchen - in solid wood doors
The best and most durable kitchens from natural wood are sets with hardwood facades: oak, ash, walnut, beech, cherry, acacia, and tulip (tulip tree). These types of wood are the most durable and moisture resistant.
- Oak- kitchens from solid oak are considered the "standard" and the most noble option of furniture. Oak is appreciated for durability, peculiar texture, moisture resistance, strength and hardness. Its coloration can be very different: light yellow, light pink, greenish-gray, red-brown, etc. The photo below shows the interior of a classic kitchen with a fumed oak set (leaf).
- Ash- almost not inferior to the oak for durability and strength. Has a pronounced relief and rich colors (from light pink to dark brown color).
- Beech- strong as an oak, but lighter and rosier, can be easily tinted in any color.
- Cherries- Loses the oak and ash in strength, but is highly valued for its rarity, a luxurious reddish shade and characteristic texture. However, keep in mind that most often the set declared as "kitchen from the cherry-tree massif" actually has a panel of MDF and cherry veneer, and the frame is made of alder.
5. The secret of the economy kitchen - in the doors made of softwood: pine, birch, alder
Pine, spruce, cherry, birch, alder are cheaper because of low performance and the prevalence of growth in Russia. They refer to soft wood species, and therefore are more often damaged from accidental impacts by sharp and heavy objects. Another feature of such facades is a not pronounced, almost smooth surface.
- Choosing a kitchen from pine, give preference to the facades, made of all-purpose shields, because they are more durable.
The next photo shows a suite with pine facades in the interior.
6. The design of the kitchen largely depends on the processing and finish coat
Kitchen from natural wood can be treated with transparent, translucent and opaque (opaque) coatings.
In the first case, the doors retain the natural wood pattern and texture (sometimes the color), as they are only toned with stain, and protected from above:
- Lacom- the most practical option, since it best protects the fronts from household pollution, prevents the absorption of odors and moisture. The varnish is glossy or matte, on a polyurethane base (preferably) or aqueous (worse). Lacquer coating will last 5-7 years, and then the facades need to be restored.
- Wax or oil- the traditional way of processing wood, when it is coated and polished with water repellent oil or wax. The result is a very pleasant and beautiful surface. It is these dishes that Italian manufacturers make, but in service they show themselves worse - the fronts are afraid of greasy stains, absorb odors and moisture.
The finishing color of the kitchen depends not only on the type of wood, but also on the color of the tinting. So, for example, a light ash can be painted under a dark nut (pictured below), and an oak tree - under a cherry tree, etc.
The colors of fronts with a visible wood pattern can be conventionally divided into groups by colors: red-brown, dark-brown, light and whitened.
As for opaque coatings, it uses colored enamel. Under it, the color of the tree is no longer visible, but the relief remains to some extent (depending on the relief of the wood).
Painted enamel wooden kitchens can be of any color, but most often they are either neutral base tones (white, gray, beige), as well as characteristic for the design in the style of Provence and country blue and green colors as on a photo.
7. Buy a wooden kitchen you need only from a trusted manufacturer that provides a guarantee
Wood is very demanding to all stages of processing and in itself is very sensitive to external influences. Industrial marriages happen even at the most deserved factories, what to speak about the ordinary producers.
- To understand that the furniture is defective, will not succeed immediately, so it is important to purchase it with a guarantee. So, for example, if, literally 1 month after the installation of the kitchen, you can find out that it suddenly "led" or began to come off the varnish, it means that the kitchen was made of raw wood.
- By the way, buying a wooden kitchen from an Italian manufacturer, be prepared to comply with everything clearly prescribed rules for its maintenance and operation, otherwise the factory will remove all warranty obligations. However, to ensure the desired temperature and humidity, you must in any case.
Of course, you can get lucky, and an inexpensive kitchen will last for many years, and yet - you should not take risks.
See also: Guide for choosing and planning a kitchen set.
8. And a little about design
The fronts of the kitchen in the classical style can be decorated with: decorative carvings, figurative details, milling, cornices, pilasters, balustrades and gilding.
- The more ornaments have the doors, the more difficult it is to look after them and the greater the risk of "overloading" the interior of the kitchen.
On the next photo the fronts of the headset are not only patinated and milled, but also decorated with cornices, columns and gilding.
The effect of old age and antiquity of facades is achieved with the help of brushing of panels (highlighting relief), patination, the creation of artificial cracks on the enamel (craquelure), the artificial creation of grooves, as if corroded bugs and so on. The design of wooden kitchen "antique" is presented in the following photo.
- The smaller the kitchen - the lighter and laconic the facades should be.
- Keep in mind that the surfaces of dark brown, dark blue and black are complex in care - even a little dust and dirt spots will be noticeable.
- The more inviting a tree, the less decor it needs, because its beauty is self-sufficient and does not need an excess of jewelry.
- If the doors of modern kitchen are made of solid shields, then you can feel free to choose the facades from exotic woods or originally processed, for example, brushed as in the interior of the next photo-example.
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