Narrow Kitchen Pantry - Pullout?


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I figure there's GOT to be some folks with experience in Kitchens here.  This is my dilemma:
 
post-17943-0-62643700-1433288062_thumb.j

(click for larger pic)
 
It's basically wasted space because you can't see what's on the shelves past the stuff in front.  I was thinking maybe one of these would do:
 
pantry-roll-out-storage-system-42---49-i
 
At first I thought I'd t least have to pull the pantry down to get glides in there for drawers, but this one is sort of supported in the middle making it an easier proposition to retrofit.   For $300 (including baskets) and a couple hours work I'll be done with no tearing up the kitchen. That seems like a good idea. Anyone have any thoughts?

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They aren't bad if it fits your opening. If it's more than a few inches narrower you are giving up space. Of course building something similar to fill the space is a lot more work. I use KV 8505 slides and 5/8 Baltic Birch to build pull out pantrys.

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I used some similar stuff when I redid my kitchen.  Most of the stuff I built but, in a couple spots I used stuff from Rev-a-shelf.  Super easy to install but, not very cheap.  In the end, I figured if I built something if you added in my time and material, the store bought unit was cheaper.   

 

I think Lowes carries the Rev-a-shelf stuff.

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8505s for me too.  I put one up high on the back side of shelves, and one down low on the open side.  I know of some that are over 30 years old, loaded down, and still work smoothly.  I don't ever remember building one accessible from both sides.

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Often I build 4 corner posts , use 2 pair of slides and adjustable shelves that are accessible from both sides. 8505 slides are 150 lb rated, 2 pair = 300 lb.

If the pantry is against a wall on one side a solid ply side adds stiffness to the whole structure.

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The pantry is against a wall - building four posts and then building in slides from the sides seems like a less good choice because of the room I lose on both sides (only an 8" opening).  Now if I was working on it on the bench, no problem.  I may be misunderstanding what some of you are saying though.

 

I guess I'm somewhat concerned about mounting slides in there.  I can't think of a way I could get screws in the back let along the front on the left side (against the right wall).  

 

ETA:  A bottom-mount set seems like maybe a good idea, but I'm concerned about bracing the top (56" high).  

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8" opening? Does the cabinet have a face frame or is it frameless?

 

It does have a standard-ish sized face frame.  I guess it goes without saying that fixing it without removing that would be good ... but there is 12" inside there.

 

ETA:  The face frame is common to the top shelf and I was not intending to do anything to that.  I realize the best laid plans of men and all that ...

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Mount the slides to thin ply that will fit behind the face frame then screw the ply in place at an angle from the front. Build the pull out with a recessed area for the slides and maybe 7 3/4" wide elsewhere.

 

Hrm, there's an idear ...  A few screws and some construction adhesive and it will never come out.

 

It will be more than a credit card and 30 minutes job, but it may just be a lot nicer.

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If I built one close to the one in the picture, I would mount the slides to the top and bottom.

Use a plywood back, top and bottom and a 3/4" x3/4" piece at the front for stability and shelf location. Wouldn't take much of a load but, at 8" wide, how much weight can you put on it?

 

Rog

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Eight inch shelves can take 1 gallon containers easily. Potential weight could be pretty high.

 

Yeah I was thinking how heavy just cans were ... 

 

Okay so I had an idea and maybe this is what @wdwerker meant ...  what about top and bottom guides, affixed to a thin plywood sheet on one side only?  That would be semi-easy to get in there I think.  So the shelving would be something like:

 

post-17943-0-54078800-1433444083_thumb.j

 

... if that's clear enough ... 

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Personally, I'd split it into multiple drawers in the space.  They don't need to be full drawers, but you could get 5-10 depending on height needs, in that space.  It's more expensive for the drawer slides, but IMO, much more functional.  My experience with big pullouts is they are tough to align, easy to damage (Torque is not your friend), and not as flexible for storage.  In addition if your spouse or other users (children) are height challenged, seeing what they are looking for can be difficult when you can't move the different layers independently.  

 

With drawers, if you put in 8 and find you need a more height on one, for say vegetable oil, you can just pop the one above it out and it's fixed.  With single storage solution, any modification will require taking everything off, and potentially rebuilding.  

 

I've done a bunch of these over the last year for my wife.  A piece of plywood with a 1"-3" tall banding around the parameter gives a nice firm platform to keep things contained in their spot, and easy to grab onto.  It's a couple bucks a drawer for lumber and then the cost of drawer slides.  You can go from $5 -$50 in a hurry with slides.  I have started to steer away from the nice blumotion systems.  They are awesome, but cost/value isn't really there for me.  I still use them religiously on normal cabinet drawers, but internal storage drawers can actually be a bit annoying with the soft close.

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