Nobody likes the sound of banging cabinet doors and drawers. And while you can’t do anything about the nuisance caused by these during the rush hour at lunchtime in your local diner, there is a way you can rule this out at home.
You may have heard the terms “self-closing” and “soft-closing” before, but they are different. Self-closing systems operate on a spring-like mechanism that pulls in doors and drawers when they are opened, which isn’t always silent. On the other hand, soft-closing systems stop the drawer or door when pushed to a certain point and then activate hydraulics to pull them in the rest of the way, thus shutting them without sound.
According to Best Online Cabinets, self-close drawers have been in the industry for many years, but soft-close pieces are only beginning to become popular. It seems Europe is the hotbed for testing these new technologies before the rest of the world picks them up.
Drawer Slides
Drawers in the 50s and 60s contained noisy metal slides on their sides, known as Grant slides. In the 80s, inexpensive epoxy-coated slides with ball bearings were created. These revolutionized the mechanism of drawers and quickly became the mainstay of the furniture industry.
When the drawer is a side-mount type, 1/2 inch clearance is required on either side. This is to accommodate the slide’s ball bearings and stamped steel. Nowadays, springs for self-closing and pistons for soft-closing are also being incorporated into the design.
In the olden days, soft-closing pistons contained oil, but those had many disadvantages. Currently, these pistons are air-driven, drastically reducing the resistance the drawers offer when you try to pull them out. But one needs to always keep in mind that drawer slides function in a slightly different manner when the drawers are filled.
If the cabinet design is of the soft-close under-mount type, the drawer is constructed slightly wider and with a recess underneath to accommodate the slide and piston mechanism. For this, a 1/8-inch clearance is given under the drawer. But if your drawer was originally constructed for side-mount slides, you shouldn’t attempt to retrofit slides underneath it.
The side-mount type drawers have four pieces, while the under-mount type has five. This is because the front of the drawer is separately fitted to the box once the slide is in place.
Nowadays, drawer manufacturers have started incorporating the soft-close feature with the side-mount slide. But if you are a DIYer, it is better to go for epoxy-coated slides as they are easier to put together without expertise.
Door and Hinges
Cabinet doors can have many different kinds of hinges – knife, exposed barrel, and European cup.
Knife hinges are called that because a small part of the hinge sticks out like a knife. A spring mechanism can make this a self-closing system. On the other hand, exposed barrel hinges have their entire spine visible externally and need a magnetic catch to allow the door to swing freely. European cup hinges are built inside the door with an internal spring for self-closing.
If the cabinet contains a soft-closing feature, it also contains an additional piston in the hinge mechanism. A blocking element is then needed to determine the position of the piston and the softening effect on the swing. Since cup hinges are built inside the side of the door, the soft-closing system may either be built-in or snap-on.
Soft-close slides, hinges, and doors are perfect for homes without neighbors complaining of banging doors and drawers and prefer peace and quiet.
