Cabinet Shelves

Frequently Asked Questions about Cabinet Shelves

1. How to add shelves to a cabinet?

You can add shelves by drilling as well as supporting with cabinet shelf supports. It would be best to call in a carpenter to properly install your cabinet shelves. To enable proper space optimization, it is also necessary to measure all the dimensions and install your shelves accordingly. 

2. How to make sliding cabinet shelves?

Using a bracket would be a great idea, especially if you’re thinking of installing sliding shelves. Using a drill, screw it with a mounting screw and then drill to make it fit in properly. To prevent damage to your shelves, it is important to take care when drilling in your shelves using mounting screws. 

3. How big are cabinet shelves?

Cabinet shelves can only be as big as the cabinet you’re installing them in. However, you can add some more room and experiment with the size if using hinged or sliding drawers in your kitchen cabinets. In case of glass or metal drawers and shelves, it is best to choose a size smaller than the size of cabinets to prevent them from banging into your cabinet door.

What is the best depth for cabinet shelves: Ideally, the best depth you can choose for your cabinet shelves depends on the size of the containers or items you plan to store in there. But, usually you can go with 16 to 20 inches in the bottom most drawer/shelf and up to 10-12 inches for the highest most shelf. 

4. Why line cabinet shelves?

Lining cabinet shelves is not only appealing to beautify your cabinet shelves, but also protect them from leaks, pests and other damages. Lining also adds a layer of grip to your cabinet shelves making them easier to keep and take out your items from. Additionally, there is also the benefit of preventing leaks and random use from damaging your shelves. In case of metallic cabinet shelves, it prevents utensils such as spoons or forks and other items from slipping through the mesh/grid. 

5. What to line cabinet shelves with?

Choosing the proper liner for your cabinets in essential in ensuring a long life to your cabinet shelves. Moreover, choosing the material for your liner is as important as choosing it for your cabinet shelves. Here are some materials you can use:

Rubber grip: Using a rubber based material which is usually present in rolls and can be plain or dotted can help keeping the damage away from your shelves in the long term. Not only is it easier to install, but easier to maintain too. You can use rubber grip based shelf liners to add grip, custom colors to your cabinets and protect from careless use. Additionally, you can also go for pest repellent rubber grip if you have had a pest problem eat away your shelves in the past. 

Paper: Thick paper or DIY paper linings are a good idea if you have to store boxes, utensils among other items in wooden cabinet shelves. 

Cork liners: Using cork or thick cardboard based sheets is also a great idea to use on your wooden shelves and metal grid shelves too. It helps in absorbing moisture and you can be sure it will last a long time.

Such liners protect your shelves from damage and help in giving a uniform look and keeping the dust away. You can just replace them when they start showing their age, as it is quite affordable and having sheets of them at your home would be a good idea.

6. What paint to use for your cabinet shelves?

Using the right paint is perhaps one of the most important decisions you can take for your cabinet shelves. Using the right paint is essential to keep the fumes off and making sure there isn’t any wet paint as a result of moisture and attracting pests. Latex paint is the best kind to paint your cabinets with, because it dries off quickly and doesn’t even emit as many fumes as oil based paints. On the other hand, oil based paints surely give a better finish, but they not only take a long period of time to dry, but oil based paints emit fumes as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These VOCs are harmful for your health and seep into your food, jars, cereal boxes, glasses among other items.

7. How to install a lazy Susan in an existing cabinet?

When you have fixed shelves with fixed heights and depth inside your kitchen cabinets, installing a lazy Susan can be an issue. Usually, a lazy Susan has lengthy walls, but you can go for lazy Susan trays which are much easier to install. 

8. What goes in a lazy Susan cabinet?

The basic functionality of a lazy Susan is to give you access to things you need the most without taking too much space in the form of stacking or horizontal space consumption. With a lazy Susan tray in your cabinet shelves or a lazy Susan cabinet, it would be best to store items of daily use such as spices, sugar, and other basic condiments you need too many times to keep them behind each other. 

9. How do I organize my kitchen cabinets?

Using kitchen organizers and cupboard organizers is a great way to keep your things segregated and organized. There are a lot of options you can buy in kitchen organizers, as well as implement various ways to organizer.

Here are some tips:

• Using a lazy Susan to organize your condiments and essential spices.
• Use every day things to be the most accessible by keeping them within hands reach. Keeping them behind or stacked on another would be counterproductive.
• Using lining to give an organized look and things do not fall over in case of a rubber lining.
• Labelling daily use items is a great way to remember everything.
• Stacking things as per size, material, kind of use is another great idea.
• Always keep glassware separate from your metal items. 

Cabinet shelves and Kitchen Organization:

Your cabinet shelves organize and maintain your kitchen neatly and provide a sense of cleanliness and space optimization which wouldn’t be possible without them. Here are some ideas to get you started with taking care of your cabinet shelves and keeping your shelves for kitchen organized. 

Cabinet Support: As important as cabinet shelves are to the cleanliness of your kitchen, it is equally important to make sure they are well supported. After all, you do not want those shelves to collapse and create a mess in your cabinet storage. This is where cabinet storage organizers and cabinet storage support comes in. 

Having wooden, plastic or metal cabinet support pins to hold up your cabinet shelves is essential, especially when you’re talking about the heavier wooden shelves. Metal shelves are usually grid-like and much lighter than wooden shelves and you can support them with plastic or metal cabinet shelf support pins. Cabinet shelf support pins are essential when installing multiple shelves in your kitchen cabinet. 

Cabinet Liners: Your cabinets and shelves are prone to damage over time with leaks, abrasions and other natural elements. That is why lining your cabinet shelves can be a good idea. This is especially true for metal grid/mesh type cabinet shelves as they are also prone to corrosion and spillage. Lining your cabinet shelves with either plastic or other materials can help in keeping things in place as well as prevent damage to your cabinets. 

Additionally, you can also use cabinet shelves as decorative elements to line your drawers, shelves for kitchen in your cabinet storage. Going for cabinet liners also helps prevent leaks to seep into the furniture of your kitchen and destroy the items present below. It is also possible to get pest repellant liners to avoid termites, cockroaches and other pests from ruining your kitchen. 

Cabinet Drawers: Using cabinet drawers in addition to shelves is a great idea when it comes to kitchen organization. Not only can you add drawers in your cabinets, but also make the cabinets hinged to come out. Using this method lets you get easier access to the items in your kitchen therefore giving a cleaner and better kitchen. You can get both metal and wooden cabinet drawers and it helps if the shelves are properly lined too.